BOISE, Idaho– A backcountry skier has died after being buried by an avalanche in Idaho, officials said.
The avalanche occurred Friday while two experienced backcountry skiers were traveling on Donaldson Peak in Idaho’s Lost River Range, the Sawtooth Avalanche Center said.
One skier caused the slope to collapse while climbing down to where the couple went skiing. He was caught in a small avalanche, which caused a second larger avalanche.
The second skier used a satellite communications device to summon help, and then a rescue transceiver and probe pole to locate the first skier who was buried under about five feet of snow.
She performed CPR on the first skier after digging him out with a shovel. Search and rescue teams evacuated him, but he did not survive.
The fatality brings the number of avalanche deaths in the U.S. this winter to 16, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. In the US, an average of thirty people die every year from avalanches
Avalanche safety specialists say their work has become more difficult in recent years as climate change brings extreme weather. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers are also visiting the backcountry areas.