Man dies in in-bounds avalanche on Whistler Mountain

A 34-year-old Whistler, B.C., man was killed Tuesday in an avalanche within the Whistler Blackcombski resort boundary.

According to Vail Resorts, the company that owns Whistler Blackcomb, the"ski incident"happened on Whistler Mountain in the West Ridge area and was attendedby ski patrol members.

"We can confirm there was a Size 1 in-bounds avalanche involved an investigation is underway," said a Vail spokesperson in an email.

CBChas contacted Whistler RCMPfor more details.

The West Ridge run sits above a steep band of cliffs that separatethe lower sections of Whistler Bowl and West Bowl. It is accessed from the Peak Express Chair and is rated black diamond.

Along lineof people were seen waiting for the lift to open Tuesday morning because of a storm the day before that delivered a huge dump of fresh powder to the area.

Avalanches are rated according to their destructive potential on a scale of one to five, with a Size 1 the smallest, typically covering 10 to 30 metres in length with a material volume of about 100 cubic metres.

Avalanche Canada listed the avalanche danger in the Sea to Sky region as "considerable" on Tuesday in treeline and alpine areas. The current rating for Thursday and Friday is high.

The name of the man who died has not been released.