‘Beyond devastating’: Tributes pour in for 3 heli-skiers killed in southeastern B.C. avalanche

Tributes are pouring in for three heli-skiers who died Monday after an avalanche in southeastern B.C. swept them away.

Family and colleagues have identified two of the skiers as 44-year-old Jeff Keenan of Whistler and 45-year-old Alex Pashley of Idaho, who were both beloved and well-known members of the skiing and snowboarding communities.

“This is absolutely beyond devastating,” said Keenan’s partner Leanne Pelosi, who has a young boy with Keenan, in a social media post Wednesday.

“I’m forever grateful to eternity for the depth of love I got to experience. 20+ years of pure love and adventure before welcoming our first child.”

The skiers were on a guided tour in the Purcell Mountains run by Stellar Heli Skiing. The identity of the third man who died in the avalanche, a 53-year-old guide from Kaslo, has not yet been officially confirmed.

‘Incredibly difficult time’

RCMP say the avalanche occurred around the village of Kaslo, on the west side of Kootenay Lake, at about 1 p.m. PT on Monday.

Police say two groups of skiers had just finished skiing a bowl and were waiting in a staging area below the tree line of the Clute Creek watershed. 

A transport helicopter was nearing the group when the pilot observed an avalanche and sounded the siren.

One group of skiers was able to get out of the way, but the other group was swept away into the tree line, RCMP say.

Three skiers were found dead, according to Mounties. A fourth person, a 40-year-old man from Nelson, was critically injured, police say. 

“The entire team at Stellar Heli Skiing extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts remain with them during this incredibly difficult time,” the company said in a statement.

Pillars of the community

Keenan co-founded a snowboard company called Dinosaurs Will Die and helped define the snowboarding landscape in the 1990s and 2000s, according to the Mount Seymour Resort.

The resort said Keenan spent his younger days at the resort as part of the “Skids,” or Seymour Kids.

“Jeff will be missed, but his spirit will ride on,” the resort wrote on social media.

Pashley was a photographer and global sports marketing manager at The North Face.

“We’re heartbroken to share the loss of our friend and colleague. Alex Pashley’s curiosity and kindness left a mark on everyone who had the privilege of working, riding, and running alongside him,” the company said on Instagram.

“Pashley brought an irreplaceable sense of levity to the most difficult expeditions. His search for adventure will forever guide us.”

‘Tell your friends you love them’

On Monday, Avalanche Canada rated the danger in the area around Kootenay Lake as high, from the alpine to below the tree line. 

“Rising temperatures are creating very dangerous avalanche conditions and terrible riding quality. [There’s] no reason to go near avalanche terrain,” the forecaster said in its Monday update.

Friends, family and the broader skiing and snowboarding community continue to write messages of support and condolences on social media.

“Heartbroken doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel to share the loss of three key pillars of our community,” wrote Jody Wachniak, host of the Air Time snowboarding podcast. 

“Tell your friends you love them.”