Rescuers saved a man buried in two feet of snow from an avalanche in Vail Pass, Colorado, while three men were presumed dead after being caught in a massive avalanche in Alaska. The avalanche occurred in the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood and involved heli-skiers who were swept away by the avalanche, resulting in the death of three individuals. The guides from a commercial heli-skiing operation attempted to locate the skiers with avalanche beacons but were unable to recover their bodies due to the depth of the snow.
Weather conditions prevented recovery operations on the day of the incident, and officials were planning to reassess the area once conditions improved. The avalanche occurred in backcountry terrain accessible only by air. The victims were clients of Chugach Powder Guides, and witnesses reported seeing them deploy avalanche airbags in an attempt to stay on the surface of the snow.
The incident in Alaska is the first fatal avalanche reported for the season and the deadliest in the US since February 2023. Avalanche incidents are common in the US, with 25 to 30 people dying in avalanches each winter, mostly involving backcountry skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers. Prior to the Alaska incident, 15 people had been killed in avalanches across the US this winter. The most recent incident before the Alaska avalanche occurred in Washington state and involved three snowmobilers triggering a large slab avalanche resulting in one death and one injury.
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