Third fatal avalanche hits B.C.

A pair of heli-skiers from France who were traversing slopes near Valemount, B.C. Saturday afternoon were killed when a massive avalanche swept over the mountain.

It was the third fatal avalanche to hit B.C. in the last two weeks.

RCMP say the slide struck around 3 p.m. while a group of 10 skiers were making their way down the Azure River Drainage area of Cariboo Mountain with two guides from a heli-ski company.

Heli-skiing involves riding to the top of a mountain in a helicopter.

Three of the skiers were buried under the snow, but one man was quickly freed.

Police say he escaped without injury.

On Sunday, the avalanche risk in the area remained at a three out of five, according to a forecaster at the Canadian Avalanche Centre.

“It’s the middle of the scale, but it doesn’t mean middle of the road conditions at all,” said Greg Johnson, a forecaster with CAC. “It’s quite risky.”

Although conditions are slowly stabilizing as winter turns to spring, the snow pack is currently difficult to asses, he added.