5 skiers rescued after being buried by avalanche north of Whistler, B.C. [Video]

Four heli-skiers and their guide had to be rescued after an avalanche buried them near Pemberton, B.C., north of Whistler on Monday, according to RCMP.

Whistler RCMP said they first received reports of an avalanche at 11:30 a.m. PT in the Ipsoot Mountain area, in a backcountry ski area called “The Meadow.”

Police say a group in the area from Whistler Heli-Skiing faced a human-triggered avalanche, and four of them were fully buried and one was partially buried.

RCMP Const. Antoine Graebling says the avalanche was size 2.5 (on a 1-5 scale), which Avalanche Canada classifies as being large enough to bury or kill a person. By way of comparison, size 3 could destroy a car and size 5 bury a village,

Graebling says the group of heli-skiers was lucky there …