Jackson, Wyo — One skier is dead and another is injured after an avalanche occurs while climbing a mountain in western Wyoming.
The avalanche occurred Saturday in a remote area about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Grand Teton National Park.
As a group of four people climbed a steep slope at 3,150 meters above sea level, a large snow slab about 1.5 meters thick broke off and slid, completely burying the victim and partially burying the second skier. , according to Teton County Search and Rescue and the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center.
Authorities were alerted to the incident just before noon. It took rescuers almost four hours to reach the scene on skis after a helicopter tried to arrive but had to be diverted due to storms.
National Weather Service forecaster Jason Straub said a series of snowstorms have swept through the region in recent weeks, including Saturday.
The skier’s death marks the fifth person to die in an avalanche in the United States this winter.
