29-year-old dies in Canadian avalanche

GOLDEN, British Columbia, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A 29-year-old Canadian man was killed in an avalanche while he was snowboarding in British Columbia, authorities said.

Shane Schroeder and friend Alex Lee were snowboarding at the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Friday afternoon when the avalanche occurred, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Lee managed to escape but Schroeder was buried by the snow. A rescue team was called to the scene but was unable to locate Schroeder in time.

"Yesterday was probably the hardest day in my life. I was with Shane when the [avalanche] occurred but was helpless to do anything," Lee wrote on a Facebook page created Saturday to spread the word about Schroeder's death.