A skier had to be rescued and airlifted to Trail after being caught in a backcountry avalanche last week.
The 30-year-old man from France was with two others when he triggered an avalanche on a steep open slope on Thursday, according to a release by Whitewater Ski Resort.
Although the incident didn’t occur at the resort, rescuers were first made aware of it after safety staff at Whitewater were alerted about a possible avalanche.
Whitewater’s Snow Safety team along with Nelson Search and Rescue then located the man, who had been carried approximately 300 metres before being caught in some small trees.
A winch helicopter from Vernon was used in the rescue, and the man was flown to Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The backcountry northwest of Whitewater near West Arm Provincial Park is currently rated as a considerable risk for slides by Avalanche Canada.
