Avalanche kills 3 heli-skiers near Kaslo
Posted March 25, 2025 9:35 am.
Last Updated March 25, 2025 10:12 pm.
Three heli-skiers were killed on Monday after being swept away in an avalanche near Kaslo in B.C.’s West Kootenay region.
The Kalso RCMP says that just before 1 p.m., two groups of skiers had finished skiing a bowl and were waiting near the treeline of Clute Creek watershed, on the east side of Kootenay Lake.
According to police, a “transport helicopter was nearing the group when the pilot observed an avalanche and sounded the siren.”
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!“One group of skiers was able to run out of harms way, while the other group of four was swept away into the tree line,” Mounties said in a statement on Tuesday.
In a statement, Stellar Heliskiing, a Kaslo-based company, confirmed the skiers were a part of a guided group and says the team “extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy.”
Mark Jennings-Bates, manager of Kaslo Search and Rescue, says once crews got to the scene, they found the guided group doing a “good job initiating” the rescue effort.
“They recovered the four buried victims. At that point, there was one who had vital signs and three others who didn’t,” said Jennings-Bates.
Three men were found dead — Forty-four-year-old snowboarder Jeff Keenen from Whistler, a 45-year-old man from Idaho, U.S., and the 53-year-old guide from Kaslo.
A fourth man, 40, from Nelson was critically injured, police add.
Jennings-Bates says the area attracts many skilled skiers, and the group was no exception, with an experienced guide who “did their best to make safe terrain choices and evaluate the snowpack.”
“And there are still situations where it’s a little out of your control, and this is one of those days where nobody would have expected something to happen like this in that particular location,” he explained.
Staff Sgt. Kris Clark with the BC RCMP says time is of the essence in avalanche events.
“We were fortunate that the helicopter pilot was able to give some forewarning of the avalanche so there were some people immediately in the area that were able to assist,” said Clark.
The BC Coroners Service has been called in to help with the investigation, the Kaslo RCMP says.
Avalanche Canada currently has a high danger rating for the Kootenay region, warning that rising temperatures are creating extreme avalanche conditions.
—With files from Cecilia Hua
