Snowboarder, skier die in separate incidents after being found unresponsive in Kootenays

A snowboarder and a skierdied on two separate mountains in the B.C. Kootenays after they were found unresponsive on Friday, according to RCMP.

A statement from Mounties in Nelson, B.C., said the snowboarder was found unresponsive in a tree well at the Whitewater Ski Resort in the Selkirk Mountains just before 12:30 p.m. PT on Friday.

RCMP said a passerby found the man in an out-of-bounds area, phoned first responders andbegan CPR. Paramedics later pronounced the man dead.

The skier was found in the snow amongthe trees atthe Fernie Alpine Resort, more than 300 kilometres away, just after 4:30 p.m. In a second statement, RCMP said the man had been separated from his skiing partner, whore-traced his run to find the manunresponsive.

The ski patrol arrived and took the man off the mountain. Paramedics transportedhim to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A statement from Mounties said the skiier was a Fernie man,originally from Quebec. The snowboarder was a Central Kootenay man. Both were in their 30s.

RCMP and the BC Coroners Service areinvestigating both deaths.

Whitewater Ski Resort, where the snowboarder was found, posted a bulletin about the dangers of tree wells less than a week before the man's death.

Tree wells are often hidden in areaswith deep snow and trees. Lower branches on the trees keep snow away from the trunk, creating the well.

Skiers and snowboarderswho fall intothewells can suffocateif help doesn't arrive quickly.