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Avalanche Kills Kinsley Construction Businessmen Brothers Vacationing In Canada

A "once-in-a-decade" avalanche has claimed the lives of two businessmen brothers whose dad was a well-known philanthropist in York County, while skiing on vacation in British Columbia, authorities say.

The Kinsley brothers.

The Kinsley brothers.

Photo Credit: Pennsylvania/Kinsley Construction Inc.

Jon and Tim Kinsley, 59 and 57, were killed while on a guided heli-skiing tour after being caught in a slide southeast of the town of Revelstoke, B.C., about 200 kilometers northeast of Kelowna on Monday, January 23, 2023, Rob Rohn, President & COO of CMH Heli-Skiing announced on Tuesday. 

Both men were the sons of the late Bob Kinsley, a well-known businessman and philanthropist in the community.

The pair were on CMH Nomads when the avalanche happened in the Mount McCrae area, near the Alkolkolex tenure near the area known as "Chocolate Bunnies," the Royal Canadian Mount Police British Columbia explained in a release.

The CMH guide and the brothers were caught in the crushing snow— partially burying the guide and fully covering the Kinsley brothers— around 2:46 p.m., the Bain-based company said in a statement. 

When the men were dug out they were unresponsive and flown to Kelowna airport and then they were transferred to Kelowna General Hospital where they were both pronounced deceased, according to CMH. The guide is in stable condition.

"The thousands of guests who ski with us each winter are like our family," Rohn says. "It is impossible to put into words the sorrow that we feel and the sadness that is shared by our guests, their families and all of our staff." 

The B.C. Coroners Service has taken over the investigation.

“We are deeply heartbroken to share news of the sudden and tragic passing of Timothy and Jonathan Kinsley while on a skiing trip in British Columbia. Our entire Kinsley family is still processing this heartbreaking news,” said Patrick Kinsley.

Avalanche Canada continues to warn the public about the weak snowpack this season which makes it unusually and highly susceptible to avalanches, "with conditions usually seen once every one or two decades," the organization says. 

Jon Kinsley was an executive at Kinsley Enterprises while Tim Kinsley was the President of Kinsley Properties which includes the well-known Kinsley Construction Inc.

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