A backcountry skier was killed on an Idaho mountain Friday in an avalanche triggered by his girlfriend, according to a report.
The girlfriend desperately dug her boyfriend out of the 5 feet of packed snow, but he did not survive the accident, according to the preliminary report by Sawtooth Avalanche Center.
The pair — both experienced backcountry skiers — was traversing down Donaldson Peak in Idaho’s Lost River Range when the tragedy struck, officials said.
The girlfriend, who has not been named, had removed her skis and was walking down a portion of the mountain when she triggered a small avalanche.
She was swept up in the snowslide, triggering a second, much larger avalanche that cascaded over her partner.
After calling for help, she used her rescue transceiver and probe pole to find her boyfriend, who was trapped beneath 5 feet of snow.
Using a shovel, she managed to free him from the snow and began CPR.
“Search and rescue teams responded and evacuated Skier 1, but he did not survive the accident,” the Sawtooth Avalanche Center said.
Neither of the skiers were named in the report, but sources told Ski Magazine that the victim was a local ER doctor skiing with his girlfriend.
The tragedy comes just one day after two skiers, aged 23 and 32, were killed in an avalanche at Utah’s Lone Peak Canyon.
A third skier caught in the snowslide managed to dig himself out and is in fair condition.
At least 16 people have been killed in avalanches this past winter, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. An average of 30 people die in snowslides each year in the US.
Avalanche safety specialists say their job has become more difficult in recent years as climate change brings extreme weather.
