Overview
- The 58-year-old was caught by a slab avalanche near treeline in the Selkirk Mountains outside Revelstoke during a heli-ski run operated by Selkirk Tangiers Helicopter Skiing.
- Avalanche Canada assessed the slide as skier-triggered at a Level 2 danger rating, approximately 80 meters wide and about half a meter deep.
- Guides located and excavated Simonis from roughly 1.5 meters of snow, and he was airlifted to Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke, where he later died.
- No other members of the guided group were injured, according to accounts cited in the coverage.
- Otto-Dörner-Gruppe confirmed his death and issued tributes to his leadership and character, while the operator expressed condolences and noted that avalanche risk cannot be eliminated in remote terrain.