Office of the Premier
KELOWNA - The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a man who died in an avalanche near Revelstoke on Feb. 22, 2013.
The man was Holger Achim Fritz, aged 24. Mr. Fritz was originally from Stuttgart, Germany, but most recently had been living and working in the Revelstoke area.
Mr. Fritz was one of a group of five persons who went backcountry skiing in an area east of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort in the early afternoon of Feb. 22. All were well equipped and their equipment included air bags. At about 1 p.m. as the group neared an area known as Greeley Bowl, an avalanche struck, burying three of them. The airbags deployed, allowing the other two who were hit to self-rescue. They and the two who had not been struck were able to dig Mr. Fritz out, but he could not be revived. Mr. Fritz's body was recovered on Feb. 23 by a Search-and-Rescue team.
The BC Coroners Service and RCMP continue to investigate this death.
The family of Mr. Fritz has been notified of his death. On behalf of family members, the BC Coroners Service asks that the media respect their privacy at this difficult time.
The BC Coroners Service notes that the Canadian Avalanche Centre continues to list the avalanche risk as "considerable" to "high" in many parts of the province and urges all backcountry users to take extreme care, including checking the Canadian Avalanche Centre webpage for current conditions in B.C.
For further information, please contact:
Larry Marzinzik
Regional Coroner, Interior Region
BC Coroners Service
250 861-7429
