At approximately 4:30 pm on Tuesday, Cooper Landing Emergency Services was dispatched to MP 41 of the Seward Highway along with Moose Pass Fire, AST, Wildlife Troopers, and LifeMed Alaska for a reported avalanche involving three victims. It was initially reported that one victim was partially entrapped with CPR in progress and two victims were suffering head injuries.
The avalanche occurred more than a mile off the highway at a significant elevation. First responders were able to access the remote scene and extricate the three victims off the mountain. One victim was pronounced deceased on scene and two others were transported by Cooper Landing Medics with serious, not expected to be life-threatening injuries.
[Rescue crews] were able to access a fire service road at about mile 42 and were able to go up the mountain quite a ways on snow machines,” said Clay Adam, Deputy Chief of EMS for Cooper Landing Emergency Services. ” [Crews] tracked the rest of the way on the snowshoes and got to the scene fairly quickly. Once they got there, they were able to extricate the victim that was partially entrapped. And unfortunately, he did not survive.”
According to Deputy Chief Adam, the victims had chosen to ski this particular mountain since they had never tried it before. “They had gone up there, they had elected this particular area because they had not done it before, skied that particular slope. They got close to the top and apparently an avalanche gave way above them … and carried them about 800 to 1000 feet down the side of the mountain.”
At this time the names of the victims have not been released.
Always be prepared with the appropriate safety gear regardless of how safe and experienced you might be! These victims had all the necessary safety gear and it still proved deadly.