COOKE CITY, Mont. (AP) – A Washington snowmobiler has died following being buried in a large avalanche in southern Montana.
Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center forecasters say two snowmobilers were riding near Daisy Pass north of Cooke City on New Year’s Eve when one of them triggered the slide and was swept regarding 600 vertical feet (183 meters) vertical).
The buried runner, who was covered in 5 feet (152 centimeters) of snow, was wearing an avalanche airbag backpack, but it was not deployed. The two runners, whose names have not been released, had shovels and probes, but neither carried avalanche beacons.
Another group of snowmobilers helped locate the missing cyclist and found his body regarding an hour later. The avalanche was approximately 2 to 4 feet (61 to 122 centimeters) deep, 500 feet (152 meters) wide, and 600 feet (183 meters) long. It broke on light snow near the bottom of the snowpack.
The crash marked the third avalanche fatality this winter, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which tracks fatalities nationwide.
The Associated Press
