Two people died in an avalanche in the Purcell Mountains near Golden on Thursday.
The two were part of a group of five snowboarders and one skier who were in an area known as Terminator 2.5, said Avalanche Canada in a report.
“The avalanche was triggered by the group and four members of the group were involved,” it said. “Three members of the group were buried by the avalanche, one partially and two completely.”
The person who was partially buried was rescued and sustained injuries. The other two did not survive.
The area where the group was hit was “outside of a ski area boundary,” said the agency.
In a series of tweets, Avalanche Canada said “the snowpack in the Interior is still incredibly complex and difficult to manage. Deep persistent slab problems may exhibit no signs of instability before a large avalanche occurs.”
1/3 We are deeply saddened to learn that two people were killed in an avalanche accident in the Purcells today. The snowpack in the interior is still incredibly complex and difficult to manage. Deep persistent slab problems may exhibit no signs of instability before a large… pic.twitter.com/wiN3zzyxBu
— Avalanche Canada (@avalancheca) February 17, 2023
It’s been a deadly year for avalanches.
Last weekend, two backcountry skiers died after a slide in the west Chilcotin region. The skiers were on a slope called Potato Peak, south of Tatla Lake, and were fully buried by the slide.
In January, five people died from three separate slides.
On Jan. 23, two U.S. heli-skiers and their guide were caught by an avalanche on McCrae Peak, southeast of Revelstoke. The pair were fully buried and had to be located using transceivers. The guide was taken to hospital.
Two days before, a snowmobiler perished in a slide south of Valemount. Another person was able to ride away from the avalanche and survived.
And on Jan. 9, two Nelson police officers were caught in an avalanche near Goat Range Provincial Park, north of Kasla, while skiing off-duty. Const. Wade Tittemore, 43, died that day, while Const. Mathieu Nolet, 28, died from his injuries in hospital.
