Two heli-skiers die in avalanche outside Revelstoke

Two people have died and another was injured in an avalanche on McCrae Peak outside Revelstoke.

A small group were heli-skiing in the area — in the Alkolkolex River watershed southeast of Revelstoke, near an area known as the Chocolate Bunnies — on Monday at about 2:30 p.m. when the slide hit them.

By the time Revelstoke RCMP were contacted, all three skiers had been located and were already being flown by helicopter to local hospitals.

Heli-skiing operator CMH Nomads said two guests and a guide were caught in the avalanche. The two guests were fully buried and had to be located using transceivers, said CMH president Rob Rohn in a statement.

Both were unresponsive and were pronounced dead in hospital. The guide was transferred by ambulance to Kelowna General Hospital and is in stable condition.