A 54-year-old was snowmobiling with a friend in Idaho when he was buried in an avalanche and killed, officials said.
Lance J. Gidley, 54, of Sandpoint, was caught in the avalanche at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 1, the Boundary County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post.
He was with a friend in the southern Selkirk Mountains in the Idaho panhandle region, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported.
When the avalanche hit, Gidley was buried under 4 feet of snow and his friend was “barely able to outrun” it, rescuers said.
Gidley was wearing an avalanche beacon, which helped his friend find him under the snow, rescuers said. When his friend dug him out, rescuers said he was dead.
Rescuers faced high avalanche risk, rugged terrain and rough weather when theywent to the area to recover his body the next day, officials said. It took nine hours to retrieve Gidley’s body.
His remains have been turned over to the coroner’s office, officials said.
The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center is investigating the incident and will release a report.
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 10 people in the U.S. have died in avalanches this season as of March 4, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
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.”
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