Proving that the avalanche threat remains high in many parts of the province, search and rescue volunteers and RCMP are working to stabilize a central B.C. mountainside and recover the body of yet another victim of the province's deadly snow pack.
The man was buried in an avalanche while snowmobiling Wednesday, bringing to 19 the number of people killed in snow slides in Western Canada this winter.
RCMP say two men were snowmobiling on Mica Mountain, near 100 Mile House, B.C., when they were hit by a wall of snow.
One of the men managed to escape and get help from other snowmobilers who eventually found the other man's body but they had to leave the remote area as darkness fell.
RCMP, Central Cariboo Search and Rescue and the Transport Ministry have to stabilize the area before they can safely remove the body from the remote location, which is not accessible by road.
The man was killed in the same area where two young men were killed in an avalanche on Christmas Eve 2007.
Meanwhile, the avalanche threat has been rated extreme on parts of the B.C. south coast.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre says the worst danger is in the mountains of Howe Sound and the Sunshine Coast, which have been lashed by heavy snow, wind and rain.
The centre says the precipitation, wind and fluctuating temperatures will combine to weaken snow slabs, leading to natural avalanches.
The centre is warning against backcountry travel in avalanche-prone areas.
With files from The Canadian Press
