‘Beyond devastating’: Tributes pour in for 3 heli-skiers killed in southeastern B.C. avalanche [Video]

Tributes are pouring in for three heli-skiers who died Monday after an avalanche in southeastern B.C. swept them away.

Family and colleagues have identified two of the skiers as 44-year-old Jeff Keenan of Whistler and 45-year-old Alex Pashley of Idaho, who were both beloved and well-known members of the skiing and snowboarding communities.

“This is absolutely beyond devastating,” said Keenan’s partner Leanne Pelosi, who has a young boy with Keenan, in a social media post Wednesday.

“I’m forever grateful to eternity for the depth of love I got to experience. 20+ years of pure love and adventure before welcoming our first child.”

The skiers were on a guided tour in the Purcell Mountains run by Stellar Heli Skiing. The identity of the third man who died in the avalanche, a 53-year-old guide from Kaslo, has not yet been officially confirmed.

WATCH | Avalanche claims 3 lives: Three heli-skiers were killed and another was critically injured Monday …