Avalanche
The USA just suffered its 2nd avalanche fatality of the 2014/15 winter season.
Two skiers were caught in an avalanche in Alaska’s Rainbow Mountain near mile 205 of the Richardson Highway on Saturday afternoon. One skier (35-years-old) was killed in the avalanche and the other (63-years-old) was able to dig himself out and survived.
“It was reported that (Hopper) had been skiing with a man tentatively identified as (Peterson) when they heard a ‘whoomp’ from the snow about 20 feet above them. Hopper reported it took him 2-3 hours to dig himself out. Once he was free he located Peterson’s glove and dug down and found Peterson deceased.” – Alaska State Troopers
Alaska State Troopers, Fort Greely Fire Department, and Rural Delta Fire and Rescue personnel responded to the avalanche accident. The avalanche victim was already deceased, so there was no rescue, only a recovery.
“The area Hopper was skiing in is widely unstable and continuing to deteriorate with the additional heavy snowfall. AST will attempt to recover the body when the weather and conditions permit.” – Alaska State Troopers
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