REVELSTOKE, B.C. — After skiing out of bounds, plunging 100 metres and over a cliff, 16-year-old Colin Babb awoke to find his father and friend dead.
RCMP Sgt. Art Kleinsmith said Babb, though injured, was able to use his cellphone to call for help.
Steve Babb, 46, and Sam Vogl, 17, were pronounced dead at the scene Thursday.
Colin Babb was airlifted to hospital with an injured foot.
The trio from Grimsby, Ont., were skiing at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort north of Kelowna, B.C., on Thursday afternoon when they ventured away from a designated ski area.
Kleinsmith said they found themselves on a steep, hard-packed, icy chute and when they took off their skis and tried to walk out of the area, they fell and slid over the cliff.
Fighting daylight and the steep, icy terrain, a search and rescue effort began about 3:30 p.m.
“We were able to get (Colin),” Kleinsmith said.
“But because of fading light and the rugged terrain, we suspended the search and rescue operation until (Friday) morning.”
The bodies of Steve Babb and Vogl were left on the mountain overnight and retrieved late Friday morning.
The community is in shock, said Ken Watson, president of Grimsby Minor Hockey.
Both boys had played high level hockey through their childhood. Watson said his son is friends with both boys’ younger brothers.
“This is going to devastate the entire community,” Watson said, adding that the boys were also very involved in school.