Avalanche
One skier was killed and another injured after both were fully buried in an avalanche in Wyoming’s Teton Range on Thursday.
- Related: Partner Performed CPR for 1 Hour on Skier Killed in Avalanche Near Steamboat Springs, CO, Saturday
The slide occurred in Game Creek, east of Victor, Idaho. Both skiers were located by companions. The victim, who was unconscious, could not be revived despite CPR. The other skier was evacuated by Teton County Search and Rescue.
At 3:20 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers responded to a report of two skiers caught in an avalanche in the Game Creek drainage on the western slope of the Tetons, near Victor, Idaho. Initial reports indicated that an older man and older woman were buried and uncovered by their companions. The man was unconscious and not breathing, and companions initiated CPR. The woman was breathing, conscious, and ambulatory. Exact circumstances of the slide event are unclear at this time.
TCSAR responded via helicopter as companions on the ground continued CPR. While TCSAR was en route, it was determined that the male skier had passed away. The volunteers arrived on scene and transported the woman via helicopter out of the backcountry to a waiting ambulance.
Identification of the deceased skier is awaiting notification of next of kin. More details about this event will be released as the accident is investigated. This was Wyoming’s second avalanche fatality of the season, and the first in the Tetons.
TCSAR extends its most sincere condolences to the skier’s family and friends and all those affected by this tragic accident.
– TCSAR
There have been 15 avalanche-related fatalities in the US this winter.
