Ontario father dies, son lives, in B.C. ski hill accident

An Ontario teenager lost his father and a friend on Thursday, when the two skiers went out of bounds on a ski hill in southeastern B.C. and fell off a cliff, police said.

The 47-year-old father, his teenage son and his son's friend, all from Grimsby, Ont., were on the hill at Revelstoke Mountain Resort at about 1:30 p.m. when they skied "into a steep, hard-packed, icy chute," Revelstoke RCMP said in a statement.

The trio removed their skis and tried to climb up the chute but lost their footing in the process, sliding 100 metres and over a cliff.

RCMP and a search-and-rescue team went looking for the group with the help of a helicopter, police said.

The father and the son's friend, aged 17, were located and pronounced dead at the scene.

The son, 16, survived with only a sprained ankle, said Sgt. Art Kleinsmith.

Police have not released the names of the deceased, although they said family has been notified.

The son was airlifted from the mountain on Thursday, while the bodies of the other two were recovered Friday, police said.

"He's going to have to deal with some very awful images, after losing his father and his friend," Kleinsmith said.

RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service are conducting an investigation.

In a written statement, representatives from Revelstoke Mountain Resort said the company "would like to extend its deepest condolences to the families involved with the recent tragic events that occurred (Thursday) outside the (resort) area boundary."

"The ski hill is doing a very good job at sending the message that people have to stay within the boundaries," Kleinsmith said. "But for whatever reason, skiers seem to want to go outside the norm. They want to find this virgin snow."

Revelstoke is 415 kilometres west of Calgary.