Three people died in avalanches and one man was missing for two days during a dangerous weekend in the B.C. backcountry. (Canadian Press)

A B.C. snowmobiler missing for two nights near Pemberton has been found alive after a deadly weekend in B.C.'s backcountry.

Burnaby resident Carl Mulherin, 33, became separated from his snowmobiling companions Saturday while the group was on Top of the World glacier, north of Whistler.

A helicopter search team spotted Mulherin on the glacier Monday afternoon. He told rescuers he had dug himself an ice-cave that helped him avoid extreme cold and had enough food to survive the two days. Police said he did not require medical attention.

On Friday, a snowmobiler was killed by an avalanche near Revelstoke, and on Saturday, two French citizens were killed in an avalanche while heli-skiing in the Cariboo Mountains, north of Kamloops.

Meanwhile, the heli-ski company involved in the death of the two French skiers is defending its safety record.

Ten skiers and two guides were making their way down a run in Wells Gray Provincial Park when an avalanche buried three members of the group, killing two.

Professional guides

Martin Von Neudegg, the director of heli-skiing with Canadian Mountain Holidays, said the company takes every precaution to keep people safe and only employs professional, experienced guides.

The company works very closely with the Canadian Avalanche Centre and won't hesitate to cancel a run if it looks unsafe, he said.

"We feel very much for the family of the victims," Neudegg said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time."

The company has been in business for 46 years and in that time has lost 23 people in avalanches, he said.

Valemount RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service are investigating the incident, but RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk noted there are far fewer avalanche deaths related to heli-skiing than snowmobiling.

"I think that's part-and-parcel and indicates the steps and measures that that industry has taken over the years to safeguard as best they can their clients," Moskaluk said.

Mountain guide Colin Zacharias said backcountry professionals are seeing unusually dangerous conditions this year.

"This is the type of year where we are seeing some atypical events," Zacharias said. "We are seeing avalanches that are triggered remotely. We are seeing avalanches that are fairly large occurring this week, avalanches occurring in areas that have previously avalanched. So these are the kinds of conditions that get most of us professionals pretty concerned."

Snowmobiler was prepared: brother

The brother of a snowmobiler killed in the avalanche Friday said his brother, Kelly Reitenbach, was an experienced rider who was well prepared for the backcountry.

Bob Reitenbach said Kelly was part of a group of 20 family and friends snowmobiling at Eagle Pass Mountain.

"Most members of the group were professionally trained in avalanche awareness," Reitenbach said. "All members had beacons.

"Our brother Kelly, who we lost, and other members all had what you call an avalanche pack. It's a backpack system that you wear. You deploy it if you get in an avalanche, and an airbag inflates on your back to help keep you buoyant."

Police said there were two groups of snowmobilers in the area at the time of the slide, and two snowmobilers who were high-marking triggered the slide which hit the group below.

The avalanche risk at the time was listed as considerable.