A 45-year-old man from Whistler is dead after an avalanche near Kaslo claimed the lives of three heli-skiers and left another critically injured.
The avalanche struck just before 1 p.m. on March 24 in the Clute Creek watershed, east of Kootenay Lake. Two groups of skiers had finished their run and were waiting below the tree line when a helicopter pilot spotted the slide and sounded a siren. One group managed to escape.
The second group of four was swept away into the trees. Rescue teams recovered three bodies: the Whistler man, a 45-year-old from Idaho, and a 53-year-old guide from Kaslo. A 40-year-old man from Nelson was found critically injured. The Kaslo RCMP and BC Coroners Service are investigating.
