Two people are dead following avalanches on separate mountain ski runs near the resort town of Whistler, B.C.
CTV News' Sarah Galashan said that in both fatalities the skiers were in areas that would normally be in-bounds but because of avalanche warnings those areas were marked as off-limits.
The body of a 37-year-old Whistler man was found Thursday morning on Blackcomb Mountain on a ski run called Spanky's Ladder. An avalanche occurred there on Wednesday and a search was called for after the skier was reported missing.
The second fatality occurred Thursday afternoon on Whistler Mountain after an avalanche on a ski course called Hidden Chute. RCMP said the victim was a 26-year-old man from outside B.C.
A third avalanche occurred on an in-bounds ski course on Whistler Mountain Thursday afternoon. There have not been any injuries reported. That part of the mountain has since been shut down.
Staff at Whistler have been letting skiers know that the avalanche risk was very high and have marked some ski courses as out of bounds, Galashan said.
RCMP are expected to make a statement later Thursday. The identities of the victims have not been released.
Avalanche warnings are in place throughout much of southern B.C.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued another avalanche warning Thursday, saying that a weak snowpack has created fragile conditions.
Eight men were killed on Sunday when they were struck by a series of avalanches while snowmobiling near Fernie, B.C. Three men managed to survive.
