RCMP say a backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche near Golden, B.C., on Monday.

Mounties received a report late Monday night about two men who were skiing in the mountains southeast of Golden, but had failed to return home.

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One of the men subsequently did return, but reported that his companion, a 42-year-old man from Golden, had been killed in a slide.

The survivor said he had tried unsuccessfully to revive his companion and was ultimately forced to leave his remains at the location in the backcountry to make sure he got home alive himself.

Search-and-rescue crews with a helicopter were later able to recover the body.

The BC Coroners Service is investigating.