Avalanche kills B.C. backcountry skier

A B.C. medical doctor has died afterhe was caught with two other skiersin an avalanche in the province's Southern Interior.

Ifor Thomas diedWednesday eveningafterhe was dug out from the avalanchein the Trophy Mountain area nearKamloops.

Thomas, 48, practised medicine in Clearwater, B.C., a town of 5,000about 120 kilometres north of Kamloops.

"To have this happen is a real tragedy," said Clearwater Mayor John Harwood."Dr. Thomas was a wilderness person. He loved it. He was a strong figure for our young people in our community."

All three skiers in the party were caught in the avalanche, according to theRCMP.

"One of the threewas able to dig himself out," said Sgt. Stuart Seib. "Once he freed himself, he found the second one, and dug him out. And the two of them proceeded to locate and dig out [Thomas]."

Thomas later died of his injuries.

Mildconditions create new dangers

The snowpack is "extremely volatile" in the Columbia and South Coast mountains and as a result the Canadian Avalanche Centreissued a special warningThursday morning, according to CAC operations manager John Kelly.

"We have had several close calls reported to our office in recent days," said Kelly.

Thomas was thefourth fatality due to an avalanche in British Columbia this winter. Lastweekend, an Alberta snowmobiler was killed in a slide near Revelstoke.

The conditions in the snowpack are dangerous, despite the clear weather, Kelly said.

"This season's snowpack has been forgiving so far. This pattern is coming to an end as we transition to a snowpack with significant weak layers now buried in the upper portion," said Kelly.

"The clearing weather and new snow make it tempting to head into the alpine. We are warning all recreational backcountry users to be very conservative in route finding and slope selection," he said.

"The contrast may catch people by surprise. What you were doing last month may no longer be a safe thing to do. You have to change your activities according to what avalanche conditions permit."

Recreational backcountry users are advised to stick to simple, low-angle areas for the duration of the special warning which is in effect until Monday.