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Construction mogul brothers killed in avalanche during Canadian skiing trip

By
Snejana Farberov
Published Jan. 25, 2023, 4:33 p.m. ET
2 more dead in one of B.C.'s most dangerous avalanche seasons
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Two brothers who together stood at the helm of one of Central Pennsylvania’s most prominent construction and real estate companies were killed in an avalanche while helicopter skiing in British Columbia, Canada, according to their family.

Jonathan and Timothy Kinsley were buried alive by mounds of snow near the mountain resort town of Revelstoke Monday afternoon while on a guided heli-skiing trip.

Helicopter skiing is a type of backcountry skiing in which a helicopter is used to access remote areas of more pristine snow.

The Kinsley brothers’ guide, working for the ski tour company Canadian Mountain Holidays, was partially buried by the avalanche that came down in an area known as the “Chocolate Bunnies,” Canadian broadcaster CBC.ca reported.

The company said that the Kinsleys were dug out of the snow and airlifted to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The guide was in stable condition.

“It is impossible to put into words the sorrow that we feel and the sadness that is shared by our guests, their families and all of our staff,” said Canadian Mountain Holidays President Rob Rohn in a written statement addressing the deadly incident.

Jonathan Kinsley and Timothy Kinsley
Jonathan Kinsley, 59, and Timothy Kinsley, 57 were buried alive by an avalanche in British Columbia. KinsleyConstruction/Facebook

Jonathan Kinsley, 59, was an executive at the York-based Kinsley Enterprises, the parent company of Kinsley Construction and Kinsley Properties.

Timothy Kinsley, 57, was the president of Kinsley Properties, which specializes in real estate development.   

“Our entire Kinsley family is still processing this heartbreaking news of their deaths and respectfully ask for privacy at this time,” the family said in a statement Tuesday.

Helicopter skiing
Helicopter skiing is a type of backcountry skiing in which a helicopter is used to access remote areas of snow. Alamy Stock Photo

The brothers’ late father, Robert Kinsley, founded the family’s construction empire in 1963. The patriarch died in 2020 aged 79.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf described the Kinsley family as a “pillar” of York County and praised the two late brothers for their philanthropic efforts, reported York Dispatch.

“Tim and Jon gave generously to many causes to better the community,” the Democrat said.