Bodies of missing skiers found
Posted Feb 28, 2011 7:02 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Search crews have finally recovered the bodies of two experienced backcountry skiers killed in an avalanche near Smithers, B.C. this weekend.
One of the skiers was a 64-year-old man from Canmore, the other victim was a 52-year-old woman from Regina.
Karen Wilson, with Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue tells 660News after two days of foiled attempts, they were finally able to get to the bodies.
“The crew was able to go up in a helicopter and they were able to locate two beacons from the air, so they really had a good idea of where to start their search from. So when they hit the ground, it was just a matter of finding the exact location.”
Crews first blasted the remote Tom George mountain, 48 kilometres southwest of Smithers, to stabilize the snow. Searches then headed in on skis with search dogs to locate the victims.
Weather hampered the recovery efforts until Monday.
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk says the pair were among a group of four who arrived at the Burnie Glacier Chalet by helicopter, then hiked up the mountain carrying all the right safety equipment before making their fatal descent.
The B.C. coroners service is now investigating the deaths.
