The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a man who died in an avalanche near Revelstoke on Feb. 15, 2014.

He was Christopher Shane McCoy, aged 36, from Sylvan Lake, Alberta, a town in central Alberta about 25 km west of Red Deer.

Mr. McCoy, an experienced snowmobiler, was one of a group of four persons who went snowmobiling in an area known as Boulder Creek about eight kilometres from Revelstoke. Shortly after 2 p.m., an avalanche struck, burying two of them. The other members of the party were able to find and dig out the two who had been hit. The second man was not seriously injured, but Mr. McCoy was unresponsive when he was found, and was not able to be resuscitated.

The BC Coroners Service and RCMP continue to investigate this death.

The family of Mr. McCoy has been notified of his death.

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.

Media Contact:

Larry Marzinzik
Regional Coroner, Interior Region
BC Coroners Service
250 861-7429