Skier swept length of 4 football fields in avalanche in Grand Teton, park rangers say
A skier was swept 1,500 vertical feet — the equivalent of more than four football fields — in an avalanche on a mountain in Grand Teton National Park, rangers said.
The 29-year-old local woman was with a group of four men near the peak of Prospectors Mountain at 10,800 feet when the group triggered the avalanche Sunday, Feb. 4, the National Park Service said in a news release.
All five of them were caught in the slide down the Banana Couloir, a steep mountain gorge, officials said. Dramatic photos show the steep gully with what looks like clouds obstructing the peak.
Three of them were able to stop themselves from sliding while one of the men slid 500 feet, officials said. The woman was carried 1,500 feet — the entire length of the Empire State Building.
Neither of the skiers was completely buried, but the 29-year-old was seriously injured, officials said.
A crew from Teton County Search & Rescue flew into the gorge and attached the injured skier to the belly of the helicopter to short-haul her off the mountain, officials said.
Short-haul is a rescue method often used in steep terrain where landing the helicopter isn’t possible, officials said. It involves securing the injured person and a rescuer “to a fixed rope that is connected to the belly of the helicopter for a short flight out of the backcountry.”
The crew flew her to a National Park Service ambulance at Windy Point Turnout while the rest of the skiing party skied out on their own, officials said.
New snow is still falling on the Tetons, and backcountry users should pay careful attention to the daily avalanche forecast at bridgertetonavalanchecenter.org, officials said.
What to know about avalanches
Avalanches happen quickly and catch people by surprise. They can move between 60 and 80 mph and typically happen on slopes of 30-45 degrees, according to experts.
Skiers, snowmobilers and hikers can set off an avalanche when a layer of snow collapses and starts to slide down the slope.
In the U.S., avalanches are most common from December to April, but they can happen at any time if the conditions are right, National Geographic reported.
At least four people in the U.S. have died in avalanches this season as of Feb. 6, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Thirty people were killed by avalanches in the 2022-23 avalanche season.
People heading into snow should always check the local avalanche forecast at Avalanche.org, officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, and have an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel ready.
“Emergency services are usually too far away from the scene of an avalanche, and time is important,” Simon Trautman, a national avalanche specialist, said. “A person trapped under the snow may not have more than 20 or 30 minutes. So, in a backcountry scenario, you are your own rescue party.”
If an avalanche breaks out, it’s best to move diagonal to the avalanche to an edge, Trautman said.
“Try to orient your feet downhill so that your lower body, not your head, takes most of the impact,” officials said. “You may also get into a tight ball as another way to protect your head.”
This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Skier swept length of 4 football fields in avalanche in Grand Teton, park rangers say."
