Avalanche
Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center is reporting the death of a backcountry skier in an avalanche on Sunday, January 14, 2024. The incident happened just before noon in Little Poudre, Prater Canyon, Wyoming.
The party of two ascended the skin track to the ridge after approaching via snowmachines to the summer trailhead, according to a preliminary report. The reporting party heard one collapse on the skin track, most of which had previously avalanched to the ridge where they transitioned. The party discussed staying on the sub-ridge feature, which had previously been wind-hammered during the Thanksgiving east wind event. Party skied several hundred vertical feet from the ridge without incident.
After regrouping and discussing specific route strategies, the second skier diverted from the intended route and triggered a soft slab, 2-3′ thick and 50′ wide, on a steeper terrain feature adjacent to a gully. Debris funneled into the gully and carried the victim through brush and trees. Skier 2 was buried under approximately 2 feet of snow. The first skier performed a beacon search and excavated the skier within 15 minutes. They found the victim pulseless with signs of a leg injury. The first skier performed CPR for 1.5 hours. The skier likely died of trauma. Both were extricated via helicopter due to dangerous avalanche conditions near the route and hangfire on the scene.
“Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist today. Triggering an avalanche large enough to bury, injure, or kill a person is likely in avalanche terrain at all elevations. In addition, destructive natural avalanches are of concern in the upper elevations. Traveling in, near, or under avalanche terrain is not recommended today.”
– Yesterday’s forecast from BTAC
Responding LEO witnessed another avalanche while on scene. The forecast team has made two trips to Prater in the past three weeks and observed NSFs and surface hoars.
The fatality is the third in the United States this winter and the fourth in North America.
