Skiers killed, hurt in separate incidents

GOLDEN • One man was killed and another injured Friday in two separate backcountry skiing incidents in British Columbia. In the fatality, a male was caught up in an avalanche in Molars Bowl, just west of Golden. RCMP received a call just after 3:30 p.m. that a group of backcountry skiers were swept up in an avalanche and one person had been buried under the snow. Police say he was dug out by members of the group and CPR was started. Golden Search and Rescue officials arrived by helicopter and dug out the buried skier, who was flown to Golden General Hospital where doctors continued to work on him, according to a news release from Golden/field RCMP. The male, who was part of a group from the United States, was pronounced dead at hospital. Police, who said they will provide additional details Monday, did not release the deceased skier’s name Friday pending notification of family members. Meanwhile, a 40-year-old man, also skiing in the back country near Golden, collided with a tree Friday. STARS air ambulance was sent at 10:38 a.m. to meet the injured skier at the Golden airport after he was rescued and transported there by a third party helicopter. “He is in non-life-threatening condition with serious injuries,” said STARS spokesman Mike Huska. The skier was not at a ski hill. “My understanding is it wasn’t at one of the resorts or anything like that,” said Huska. He was taken to Foothills Medical Centre.