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More bad news:

New B.C. avalanches claim 2 lives in 24 hours
Last Updated: Thursday, January 1, 2009 | 9:35 PM ET Comments19Recommend33CBC News
Two men are dead after three avalanches in the past 24 hours at British Columbia's popular Whistler Blackcomb resort.

The RCMP confirmed Thursday that a snowboarder from outside B.C. was killed Thursday in one of two avalanches on Whistler Mountain.

On Wednesday, a Whistler man, 37, was killed in an avalanche on Blackcomb Mountain. His body was found Thursday morning.

In both cases, the RCMP say, the men were in areas that had been marked off-limits due to dangerous snow conditions.

Amber Turnau of Whistler Blackcomb Ski resort said the most recent avalanches occurred simultaneously on Thursday afternoon

One was on the "Little Whistler" ski run. Although the run was open, no one was trapped, she said.

The other swept through an out-of-bounds area, killing the snowboarder, 23.

Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed said the RCMP told him a body was found on Blackcomb Mountain on Thursday morning.

"The gentleman went missing, didn't return home last night, and a search was initiated this morning, and they recovered the body at about 9:30 a.m.[PT]," Melamed told The Canadian Press.

He said the body was found in an area called Spanky's Ladder, which is currently closed to skiers because of an avalanche risk.

CTV News reported the body was found on a black diamond run that is currently closed to skiers.

The Whistler-area avalanches came just days after eight men were buried alive near Fernie in southwestern B.C. They were among 11 snowmobilers from nearby Sparwood, B.C., who were caught in back-to-back avalanches.

Three men survived and left their friends behind after deciding it was too dangerous to stay.

There are currently avalanche warnings in place for much of southern B.C., including both Whistler and Fernie.

The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued an updated warning on Thursday, saying that a weak snow pack has created fragile conditions.

The centre said clear skies forecast for the coming weekend will likely bring more people into the backcountry, increasing the risk that someone could be caught up in an avalanche.

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/...-avalanche.html