Snowmobiler dead after being caught in avalanche near Invermere, B.C., says Avalanche Canada

One person is dead after being caught in an avalanche in B.C. on Saturday while snowmobiling west of the Alberta border, according to Avalanche Canada.

The organization said on its website that three people were snowmobiling in the Thunderwater Lake riding area, which is west of Invermere in B.C.'s Columbia Valley, about 180 kilometres west of Calgary.

Avalanche Canada said two riders were swept up in a slide that was triggered near a rocky feature on the slope.

"One rider managed to ride off to the side, the other was caught and buried approximately two metres deep on a bench feature mid-path," said the posting.

The victim was found by people in the group, who performed CPR, according to Avalanche Canada. Local search and rescue volunteers responded and the victim was taken for medical treatment in Invermere, but did not survive.

B.C. Emergency Health Services said its paramedics met volunteers from Columbia Valley Search and Rescue at the Invermere Airport and provided care to one patient. Paramedics did not transport any patients to hospital.

Officials have not named the victim nor the other two snowmobilers.

100 metres wide

Avalanche Canada said the avalanche occurred at an elevation of about 2,300 metres and was about 100 metres wide. 

Saturday's death marks the 14th avalanche fatality in B.C. since January.

On Tuesday, one person died and three were injured after an avalanche hit a group of heli-skiers in northern British Columbia.

Avalanche Canada has compared this season's snowpack with conditions last seen in the winter of 2002-2003, when 25 people lost their lives in B.C.'s backcountry, making it one of the province's worst years on record for avalanche fatalities.