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An experienced backcountry skier is dead after an avalanche struck a swath of Pemberton, B.C. on Thursday afternoon.

Emergency workers were called to Casper Creek, east of Pemberton, late Thursday afternoon, with reports one person had been injured after the slide swept him 1,800 metres from where he had been standing when it started. His body impacted several trees as it was forced down the hill.

Two of the skiers went for help, a route that takes an hour when travelling by snowmobile, while a third stayed with the injured man and performed CPR.

An air rescue attempt was hampered by the darkness, so workers on snowmobiles and skis combed the region for the skiers.

One man was rescued, while the injured man -- 30-year-old Whistler resident Duncan MacKenzie -- died at about 11 p.m.

"It took a considerable amount of time for search-and-rescue ground crews to gain access and ultimately determine he had succumbed to his injuries," RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen told the Canadian Press. "One of his close buddies remained with him on the cold, dark mountain waiting for help while his buddy was dying, and you can only imagine what that must have been like for that individual."

MacKenzie had worked for the nearby Whistler-Blackcomb resort for 11 years.

"He was a super-strong skier, and he was obviously passionate about the mountain," said friend Eric Berger. "He decided to pursue a career as a ski patroller on Whistler Mountain. It's not something you can just walk into, it requires a lot of dedication and training. I think it's a testament to his knowledge and passion."

Berger said MacKenzie's death will be a huge loss for the skiing community in Whistler.

"He was a real positive guy, always positive and always smiling," he said. "I've never seen him in a bad mood."

MacKenzie's body was recovered on Friday. Rescue workers were unable to reach the body sooner because of dangerous snow and weather conditions.

Dave Steers, with the Pemberton District Search and Rescue team called to the site, said the organization brought two teams -- one to find the injured people and another to comb the area to try to find anyone else who had been caught into the slide.

"The first team's task is to find our injured people… stabilize and get them back here," he explained to CTV News on Thursday evening.

The first team contained four snowmobiles with seven rescue workers. Rescue dogs could also be seen at the searchers' roadside launch point, more than 12 kilometres from the remote area where the avalanche struck.

Pemberton is about 150 kilometres north of Vancouver.

The slide comes just days after the Canadian Avalanche Centre warned backcountry enthusiasts of a heightened risk of avalanches. Skiers are often drawn to uncharted territory by the promise of untouched powder unavailable on a commercial hill.

On Wednesday, the organization said there was increased risk throughout the North Shore mountains, Whistler and the surrounding Sea-to-Sky region, the South Coast inland area, from the North Columbia area down through the Kootenays, and in sections of the Northwest.

That includes the area where Thursday's slide struck.

The added risk is due to a heavy snowfall that followed several dry weeks in early December, avalanche forecaster Peter Marshall told CTV News.

"It's a perfect recipe for avalanches," he said. "You really want to be careful anywhere you go in this period."

Skiers and snowboarders are urged to stay on marked trails to avoid triggering a slide, and to heed all warnings, even when venturing into familiar territory.

"You can only prepare and equip so much and then mother nature will take over," said Thiessen, explaining the decision made by the group to set out despite the warnings. "And unfortunately this terrible tragedy, yet again. We have seen it in previous years and hopefully we won't see any more this season, but I'm not confident in that."

Last winter, 11 people were killed by snow slides in Western Canada. Thursday's death is the second this season.

With files from The Canadian Press