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A skier has died after being buried in an avalanche east of Revelstoke, B.C.
Selkirk Tangiers Helicopter Skiing said in a statement that the skier was a guest in a guided group when they were caught in a slide on Thursday.
“It is impossible to put into words the sorrow we feel; that sadness is shared by everyone impacted as well as our staff,” the company’s general manager, Dave Pehowich, said.
The avalanche was triggered when the guest, who was one of the last in the group to go, was skiing down a slope.
Selkirk Tangiers has not shared the exact location of the incident but said it took place in the Selkirk Mountains on the southeast aspect of a mountain, at an elevation of 2,150 metres.
The skier was overtaken by the avalanche and buried. The Selkirk Tangiers team extracted the guest and they were flown to the Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke, but they did not survive.
According to the company, no other guests or guides were injured. Counsellors have been made available to guests and staff impacted by the incident.
“Our guests are like family to us and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the guest that was lost and all involved,” said Pehowich.
He said the Selkirk Tangires guides undergo extensive training to minimize the risk to themselves and their guests in the mountains.
“Avalanches are one of many risks to people in mountains and, similar to many outdoor activities, it’s impossible to eliminate 100 per cent of the risks in the backcountry,” he said.
Avalanche Canada and the RCMP were not immediately available for comment. Avalanche Canada has not listed the fatality on its website.
The death is the second avalanche-caused fatality of 2026 in B.C., after a snowmobiler died near Fernie after being buried in an avalanche on Tuesday.
“It is a challenging time to be recreating in the mountains right now,” said Tyson Rettie, an avalanche forecaster with Avalanche Canada in an interview on Thursday about the Fernie incident.
Rettie said the snowpack in the Monashee and Selkirk mountains is ranked by Avalanche Canada at a considerable, or Level 3, danger rating, meaning natural avalanches are possible and human-triggered avalanches are likely.
