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Brewery boss killed by avalanche in Canada

J. Arthur White
J. Arthur White - [email protected]
Brewery boss killed by avalanche in Canada
Jannik Inselkammer was killed near Revelstoke in British Columbia. Photo: EPA/Wikimedia Commons/Mascdman

The boss of one of Germany's best-known breweries died in an avalanche in the Canadian province of British Columbia on Monday morning while taking part in a heli-ski expedition.

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Together with three other skiers and a guide, Jannik Inselkammer, head of Munich's Augustiner Brewery, was participating in a heli-skiing expedition with Canadian Mountain Holidays near the resort of Revelstoke.

At approximately 11.28 am local time an avalanche powerful enough to destroy mature trees came down upon the 45-year-old while he was awaiting pick-up by the helicopter, completely burying him under three metres of snow. He was at 1,400 metres.

Rescuers freed him from the snow after several minutes, but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, according to a statement released by Canadian Mountain Holidays.

"We are deeply saddened," the statement said. "Our deepest sympathies are with the family of the victim."

At least one other man in the group was treated for minor injuries, the Revelstoke Times Review reported.

A statement from Augustiner said the brewery had lost a "unique and warm-hearted person".

"In particular, his ability to inspire our employees and to see all of us as a family, will be sorely missed," said managing director Werner Mayer.

The businessman and father-of-two was also one of the most important property owners in the city and was from a family of brewers.

The avalanche began at a height of approximately 2,500 metres on the Selkirk mountain range, sliding over 1,000 metres before reaching the group.

In a bulletin on Monday March 24th, the Canadian Avalanche Centre had rated the danger level of the Selkirk Mountain Range, where the incident occurred, as "considerable" above the treeline and "moderate" below it.

The bulletin noted that there had been "several very large, destructive avalanches in the last couple days" in this area. 

The incident is being investigated by the British Columbia Coroners Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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