Alaska State Troopers have named the three heli-skiers killed in Tuesday's massive avalanche near Girdwood, with recovery efforts still pending due to dangerous conditions in the area.
In an updated report Thursday morning, troopers said David Linder and Charles Eppard, both 39, and Jeremy Leif, 38, were killed in the slide near the west fork of Twentymile River. The men were from Florida, Montana and Minnesota, respectively.
They were on a backcountry ski trip with friends, Minnesota Public Radio reported, with a fundraising page describing it as a trip of a lifetime in Alaska. The men were skiing with Girdwood-based Chugach Powder Guides.
Minnesota ties
Linder most recently lived in Miami but was born and raised in Mankato, Minn., according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. He co-owned several radio stations across Minnesota and leaves behind a wife and three young sons. His managing partner at Radio Mankato, Matt Ketelsen, described Linder as an experienced skier and devoted father.
“Whenever we would talk on the phone, we would just talk about each other’s kids,” he told the Minnesota newspaper. “First and foremost he was about his kids.”
The Star Tribune said the other two skiers also had ties to the state: Leif was a Minneapolis resident and Eppard had attended a college in St. Peter.
Eppard is survived by his wife and their daughter. A fundraising page set up for his family describes him as “a loving father, devoted husband, incredibly thoughtful and hardworking employee and an overall amazing human being.”
The three skiers were buried in a huge avalanche Tuesday afternoon in an area that’s only reachable by air, just northeast of Girdwood. Troopers said guides with the heli-ski company attempted to rescue the men but they were buried between 40 and 100 feet deep.
A fourth skier who was in the group and not caught in the avalanche was safely rescued, according to a lawyer representing the heli-ski company.
The lawyer could not be reached Thursday and an employee who answered the phone at the company declined to comment.
Initial efforts to revisit the avalanche site Wednesday were prevented by poor weather. Troopers said they, along with avalanche and recovery experts, were again attempting Thursday to conduct an aerial assessment of the slide.
Dangerous conditions continue
Meanwhile, avalanche danger persists.
The Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center's Thursday forecast for the area indicated very dangerous avalanche conditions at elevations above 1,000 feet. Additional snowfall Wednesday had overloaded a weak layer of snow, creating the possibility of both natural and human-triggered avalanches.
"Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended," forecasters wrote.
Andrew Schauer, a forecaster at the center, said Thursday morning that the situation posed the threat of sudden avalanches at any time.
"We are concerned with those dangerous conditions, since it won’t be immediately apparent to people out there for the recovery or people in the area," he said.
