Latest news with #WestKootenay
National Post
7 days ago
- National Post
'Devastating end to an amazing love story': Popular B.C. YouTubers die in off-road accident
A Nanaimo influencer couple, who documented their off-road adventures on YouTube, died last week in an accident in the Kaslo backcountry. Article content Stacey Tourout and Matthew Yeomans spearheaded videos for Toyota World Runners, a channel with more than 200,000 subscribers. They also had nearly 74,000 followers on Instagram. Article content Article content On their website, they documented how they fixed up Land Cruisers and other vehicles and wrote of their extensive travels across North and South America. Article content Article content Last year, they got engaged. But their love story met a tragic end last Thursday while off roading in the mountainous region of the West Kootenay. Article content Article content They were traversing in steep terrain in what Mark Jennings-Bates, the manager of Kaslo Search and Rescue, described as an expertly modified off-road vehicle. Article content Jennings-Bates said it's believed the driver may have lost control. The vehicle rolled 200 metres down a steep embankment. Article content He said despite the difficult terrain, it is a popular spot for off roading. The occupants of a similar vehicle in the area drove to nearby Trout Lake Village and called 911, said Jennings-Bates. Article content The call was sent to Kaslo Search and Rescue, which went to the sire of the rollover near Silver Cup Ridge in the Purcell mountain range at about 6:30 p.m. Article content A helicopter aided the ground teams in a search for the vehicle. The search and rescue crew found one person with no vital signs and another person a short distance from the crash site with serious injuries. That person later died in hospital. Article content Tourout's mother, Colleen Tourout, posted an announcement of the couple's fatal accident on Facebook. Article content 'With unimaginable heartache, the families of Matthew Peter Yeomans and Stacey Tourout would like to advise that we lost them both tragically succumbing to injuries in an off-road accident on Aug. 7, 2025, in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia that they loved so much,' the post reads. Article content 'Please keep us and them in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this devastating end to an amazing love story. They are together forever as we knew they would always be.' Article content Article content On their blog website, the pair says Toyota World Runners began with a truck, 'and the two of us making adventure videos and telling stories.' Article content 'What it's become is a community. We are two adventurous souls that intend to live life to the fullest. And to us that is a radical adventure all over the world,' they wrote. 'From humble beginnings, we want to inspire those who can believe in themselves and take action that you can do what you dream. Dreamers can be do-ers, too.' Article content In a heartfelt social media post announcing their engagement last year, Yeomans said he knew right away he wanted to be with her forever. Article content Article content 'After our first date, I knew I could spend my life with this girl. Driving the length of the Americas in a rig that we built has made us into a remarkable team,' he wrote. Article content They were on the road and he'd left the ring in Canada so he drew one on her finger with a Sharpie, figuring it would be a good story to tell their future children. Article content Tributes poured in on social media for the pair this week, with dozens of posts describing them as an extraordinary couple who inspired thousands. Many wrote that their deaths are a major loss in the off-roading and 4×4 enthusiast communities. Article content
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
B.C. couple behind popular, off-roading YouTube channel die in crash
A Nanaimo, B.C., couple, who amassed a worldwide following through their YouTube channel documenting their off-road adventures, have died in an accident in the B.C. Interior. Stacey Tourout and Matthew Yeomans ran Toyota World Runners, a channel with 200,000 subscribers, showcasing off-road trips through B.C. and the world. The couple also ran a blog documenting their extensive car and RV retrofits, as well as their extensive travels throughout North and South America. News of their death, which occurred Aug. 7, was announced on social media by friends and family, and the incident was confirmed by Kaslo Search and Rescue (SAR), who attended near Trout Lake in the West Kootenay Tourout, Stacey's mother, posted on social media that the couple had succumbed to their injuries after an offroad accident in the mountains of B.C. "that they loved so much." "They are together forever as we knew they would always be," the post read. Another off-road YouTuber, The Story Till Now, was among the many online who expressed grief over the couple's death. "They were so young and full of life, so talented, and this is a huge loss for our off-road community, their friends and family, and the world," reads a post from the channel on social media. SAR advises caution Mark Jennings-Bates, a manager with Kaslo SAR, said rescuers were called to an off-road motor vehicle incident around 7:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 7. "So it was on a forestry road, somewhere in the mountains, and quite a long ways north in the valley up towards Trout Lake, the village of Trout Lake." Jennings-Bates said that rescuers had a very accurate location for where the accident occurred. "Our teams were able to get to them efficiently. It's a long journey, but they got there efficiently," he said. "So that was very, very helpful. "And of course that means that the helicopter pilot could also fly straight to the destination with confidence that he was going to find them." When rescuers got to the scene, Jennings-Bates said that one of the people in the vehicle had no vital signs, and the other one was taken to hospital, where they later died. Jennings-Bates said he didn't know if the couple was filming at the time of the accident, nor did he know the exact cause of the accident, but said it is suspected to have been caused by a loss of control on rough terrain. The rescuer urged anyone going into mountainous regions to be prepared in the event of an accident, particularly as rescuers may need extra time to get there. "You're not on a highway, you don't need to wear a seat belt, but it's always good to use the safety devices that are built into the equipment to help protect you as well," he added.
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Yahoo
B.C. couple behind popular, off-roading YouTube channel die in crash
A Nanaimo, B.C., couple, who amassed a worldwide following through their YouTube channel documenting their off-road adventures, have died in an accident in the B.C. Interior. Stacey Tourout and Matthew Yeomans ran Toyota World Runners, a channel with 200,000 subscribers, showcasing off-road trips through B.C. and the world. The couple also ran a blog documenting their extensive car and RV retrofits, as well as their extensive travels throughout North and South America. News of their death, which occurred Aug. 7, was announced on social media by friends and family, and the incident was confirmed by Kaslo Search and Rescue (SAR), who attended near Trout Lake in the West Kootenay region."We were called out to a motor vehicle incident off-road," said Mark Jennings-Bates, a manager with Kaslo SAR. "So it was on a forestry road, somewhere in the mountains, and quite a long ways north in the valley up towards Trout Lake, the village of Trout Lake." Jennings-Bates said that rescuers had a very accurate location for where the accident occurred, and they were called out around 7:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 7. "Our teams were able to get to them efficiently. It's a long journey, but they got there efficiently," he said. "So that was very, very helpful. "And of course that means that the helicopter pilot could also fly straight to the destination with confidence that he was going to find them." When rescuers got to the scene, Jennings-Bates said that one of the people in the vehicle had no vital signs, and the other one was taken to hospital, where they later died. Jennings-Bates said he didn't know if the couple was filming at the time of the accident. The rescuer urged anyone going into mountainous regions to be prepared in the event of an accident, particularly as rescuers may need extra time to get there. "You're not on a highway, you don't need to wear a seat belt, but it's always good to use the safety devices that are built into the equipment to help protect you as well," he added. Colleen Tourout, Stacey's mother, posted on social media that the couple had succumbed to their injuries after an offroad accident in the mountains of B.C. "that they loved so much." "They are together forever as we knew they would always be," the post read. Another off-road YouTuber, The Story Till Now, was among the many online who expressed grief over the couple's death. "They were so young and full of life, so talented, and this is a huge loss for our off-road community, their friends and family, and the world," reads a post from the channel on social media.
CBC
12-08-2025
- General
- CBC
B.C. couple behind popular, off-roading YouTube channel die in crash
Social Sharing A Nanaimo, B.C., couple, who amassed a worldwide following through their YouTube channel documenting their off-road adventures, have died in an accident in the B.C. Interior. Stacey Tourout and Matthew Yeomans ran Toyota World Runners, a channel with 200,000 subscribers, showcasing off-road trips through B.C. and the world. The couple also ran a blog documenting their extensive car and RV retrofits, as well as their extensive travels throughout North and South America. News of their death, which occurred Aug. 7, was announced on social media by friends and family, and the incident was confirmed by Kaslo Search and Rescue (SAR), who attended near Trout Lake in the West Kootenay region. WATCH | Yeomans and Tourout's 2023 video talking about their journeys: "We were called out to a motor vehicle incident off-road," said Mark Jennings-Bates, a manager with Kaslo SAR. "So it was on a forestry road, somewhere in the mountains, and quite a long ways north in the valley up towards Trout Lake, the village of Trout Lake." Jennings-Bates said that rescuers had a very accurate location for where the accident occurred, and they were called out around 7:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 7. "Our teams were able to get to them efficiently. It's a long journey, but they got there efficiently," he said. "So that was very, very helpful. "And of course that means that the helicopter pilot could also fly straight to the destination with confidence that he was going to find them." 3 hiking tips you'll never forget When rescuers got to the scene, Jennings-Bates said that one of the people in the vehicle had no vital signs, and the other one was taken to hospital, where they later died. Jennings-Bates said he didn't know if the couple was filming at the time of the accident, nor did he know the exact cause of the accident, but said it is suspected to have been caused by a loss of control on rough terrain. The rescuer urged anyone going into mountainous regions to be prepared in the event of an accident, particularly as rescuers may need extra time to get there. "You're not on a highway, you don't need to wear a seat belt, but it's always good to use the safety devices that are built into the equipment to help protect you as well," he added. Colleen Tourout, Stacey's mother, posted on social media that the couple had succumbed to their injuries after an offroad accident in the mountains of B.C. "that they loved so much." "They are together forever as we knew they would always be," the post read. Another off-road YouTuber, The Story Till Now, was among the many online who expressed grief over the couple's death. post from the channel on social media.
CBC
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
#TheMoment a B.C. man built a cheese curd catapult
Jeremie Gurvan recounts the moment a local francophone association asked him to build a 'poutine catapult' using fake cheese curds for an event in the West Kootenay region of B.C.
