Avalanche buries and kills skier in Wyoming canyon, officials say. ‘Not a normal year’
An avalanche killed a 41-year-old skier, who was swept away and buried in snow in Wyoming, officials and news outlets reported.
David Rice of Alpine was skiing with another person at about 11:45 a.m. Jan. 14 in Prater Canyon, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and the Cowboy State Daily.
Prater Canyon is within the Salt River Range, a mountain range in western Wyoming.
The two were skiing down a ridge when they stopped to strategize a route, the avalanche center said in the report.
Rice then “diverted from (the) intended route and triggered” an avalanche, officials said. He was swept away and carried through trees and brush before being buried in 2 feet of snow.
The other skier used an avalanche beacon to find Rice and spent 15 minutes digging him out, the center said.
Rice was found without a pulse, so the skier performed CPR on him for over an hour, but he “likely died of trauma,” according to the avalanche report.
A helicopter removed the two from the mountain area.
Many spots across the southern US awoke to dangerous, sub-zero wind chills, and NWS Wind Chill products in effect for 25 states.
If you're in an impacted area, avoid outside activities if possible, and when outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. pic.twitter.com/OhnUReEJSU— National Weather Service (@NWS) January 14, 2024
Winter storms, including an arctic blast, have swept across the U.S., bringing heavy snow, subzero wind chills, freezing rain and frigid temperatures.
The heavy snowfall and winds have created “dangerous avalanche conditions,” according to the National Weather Service.
Avalanche warnings are high in areas across Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Idaho.
“This is not a normal year, so please be extra conservative in your backcountry decision-making,” the Teton County Search and Rescue said in a Facebook post.
The rescue team received multiple calls within hours on Jan. 14 related to avalanches.
What to know about avalanches
Avalanches happen quickly and catch people by surprise. They can move between 60 and 80 mph and typically happen on slopes of 30-45 degrees, according to experts.
Skiers, snowmobilers and hikers can set off an avalanche when a layer of snow collapses and starts to slide down the slope.
In the U.S., avalanches are most common from December to April, but they can happen at any time if the conditions are right, National Geographic reported.
At least three people in the U.S. have died in avalanches this season as of Jan. 16, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
People heading into snow should always check the local avalanche forecast at Avalanche.org, officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, and have an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel ready.
“Emergency services are usually too far away from the scene of an avalanche, and time is important,” Simon Trautman, a national avalanche specialist, said. “A person trapped under the snow may not have more than 20 or 30 minutes. So, in a backcountry scenario, you are your own rescue party.”
If an avalanche breaks out, it’s best to move diagonal to the avalanche to an edge, Trautman said.
“Try to orient your feet downhill so that your lower body, not your head, takes most of the impact,” officials said. “You may also get into a tight ball as another way to protect your head.”
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