Smithers (BC), Canada – An avalanche Saturday afternoon has left one backcountry skier dead and one missing near Smithers.nFoul weather on Saturday evening hampered efforts of rescuers to reach the avalanche site on Tom George Mountain, 30 miles northwest of Smithers in the British Columbia interior of western Canada. The two victims were part of a group of four experienced ski mountaineers who had based themselves at the Burnie Glacier Chalet, a helicopter accessed backcountry ski lodge operated by Bear Mountaineering, for self-guided ski touring.

The deceased victim was identified as a 52-year-old woman from Regina, Saskatchewan. An unidentified man from Canmore, Alberta, is missing and presumed to have perished in the slide. A 64-year-old man, whose hometown was not immediately known, was recovered from the avalanche debris with what are reported to be minor injuries.

Bulkey Valley Search and Rescue teams were able to reach the accident site via helicopter on Sunday, according to the Smithers detachment of the RCMP, and detonated explosives to stabilize the slope before search efforts began.