Meadow Creek (BC), Canada – A skier was killed on Friday morning while on an organized cat skiing outing when an avalanche swept down on him on Meadow Mountain, in the Kootenays north of Nelson, British Columbia.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that there has been an avalanche fatality on Meadow Mountain,” officials with Selkirk Wilderness Skiing acknowledged. “This is the first avalanche related death in our 37 years of operation. Our thoughts and love are with the victim’s friends and family.”

The victim, whose name and hometown have not yet been released by officials, was on his last day of skiing on a multi-day vacation at Selkirk Wilderness Skiing’s Meadow Mountain Lodge. He was in a group that consisted of two guides and 10 guests when the incident occurred.

The group was descending the slope known as Ann’s Run one at a time when the avalanche struck. The victim, who was the second skier down, triggered the slide and was located by the lead guide via his avalanche transceiver, but he could not be revived at the scene. His body was airlifted to a hospital in Nelson.

Avalanche risk was rated as moderate in the region on Friday by the Canadian Avalanche Centre. The RCMP and the B.C. Coroner’s Office are investigating the death.