Remigiusz Michalowski, 39, was swept away in an avalanche near Mt. Seymour on Monday

A tragic end to the search for a snowshoer who was caught in an avalanche on the North Shore

NORTH SHORE (NEWS 1130) – Search crews have recovered the body of a Surrey man who was killed in an avalanche earlier this week.

Two snowshoers were caught in the slide when it came down on Monday. One was found later that day, after he tied himself to a tree for hours. He was not seriously hurt.

The second man, 39-year-old Remigiusz Michalowski, was nowhere to be seen, and crews were unable to search the area on Tuesday due to the weather conditions.

The search resumed early Wednesday morning. Michalowski’s body was recovered hours later.

“The subject has been located and he’s been dug out of the avalanche debris,” said Peter Haigh with North Shore Rescue.

The coroner has been called in.

“We had two dogs and four of our members on the debris slope,” Haigh said. “I suspect it was one of the dogs that located him.”

Crews were called to the remote area between Runner Peak and Mount Elsay at about 11 a.m. Monday. Teams came from as far as Whistler to help.

Over the long weekend, the avalanche danger had been rated low to moderate. Haigh says people need to be aware that even when the rating is reduced, avalanches are still possible.

“It’s damn dangerous country at this time. There’s a higher avalanche awareness today because of the warming temperatures. Beware.”

– With files from Lasia Kretzel