Overview
- Nicholas Bringhurst, 31, of Springville, Utah, died Sunday after being buried about two feet in an avalanche near LaBarge Creek, Wyoming, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center.
- Two men in Washington—Paul Markoff, 38, and Erik Henne, 43—were found dead near Longs Pass after a Friday slide that caught a four-person party using two snowmobiles, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said.
- Rescuers in Washington evacuated two survivors that night but delayed recoveries due to danger, later using three avalanche K9s and a helicopter to remove the bodies and transport them to the coroner.
- The National Avalanche Center reported four U.S. avalanche fatalities this season not counting the Washington incident, as recent atmospheric river-enhanced storms and variable temperatures have increased instability.
- Authorities urge backcountry users to check forecasts and carry beacons, airbags, probes, and shovels, noting recent non-fatal slides in Colorado and Utah and evacuation warnings for at-risk areas near Juneau, Alaska.