Heli-Skier Dies After Avalanche in Alaska's Chugach Mountains

A 63-year-old man was caught by an avalanche in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains near Lake George while heli-skiing and died at an Anchorage area hospital on Friday, Alaska State Troopers said in a news release.

According to a preliminary investigation, State Troopers said, the slide happened around 2:00 p.m. Guides extricated the man—identified as a California resident—and brought him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Next of kin have been notified, State Troopers said.

Local news outlets reported that Silverton Mountain Guides was leading the trip. 

In a statement shared with KTUU, the company said the group was on a run that had been skied several times that day.

After the avalanche, the guides and the other skiers took immediate action to locate the buried skier, Silverton Mountain Guides said. “Efforts to dig him out began promptly. Once the skier’s head was uncovered, life-saving measures began immediately.” The company's statement added that, thanks to his beacon, the skier was found quickly.

The Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center said the skier triggered the avalanche remotely. He was unable to deploy his airbag, was caught, carried, and fully buried before being brought to the hospital. 

Preliminary details about the avalanche are limited, the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center said, noting that the organization plans to update its report when more information becomes available. 

“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends, and the guides and responders involved,” Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center said in a social media post.

Silverton Mountain Guides also shared its “deepest condolences to the skier’s family and friends, as well as anyone else who was impacted by this loss.”