Avalanche kills 23-year-old man snowmobiling in B.C.’s Kootenay Pass

CRESTON — RCMP say an avalanche swept away two snowmobilers in British Columbia’s Kootenay Pass area, killing one of them.

Mounties in Creston, B.C., say they were notified by an SOS tracking device on Saturday that someone was in trouble.

Shortly afterwards, police were told about the avalanche and that one of the people buried was non-responsive when he was pulled out.

They say other snowmobilers in the area managed to dig both people out, but a 23-year-old man died at the scene.

Avalanche Canada says the snowmobilers were under a transmission line when they triggered the slide that measured approximately 300 metres wide by 240 metres long.

This is the fifth avalanche death since mid-February in B.C.’s backcountry where conditions have been inconsistent and touchy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2026.

The Canadian Press