Authorities in Alaska say they will attempt Thursday to reach the site of an avalanche that trapped three skiers earlier this week
Recovery teams planned to reach the site of an avalanche near Girdwood, Alaska, on Thursday, March 6, 2025, where three skiers were buried. The avalanche occurred on Tuesday in the Chugach Mountains after the skiers were dropped off by helicopter. Witnesses saw the skiers deploy avalanche airbags as the slide began. The snow deposit was up to 100 feet deep, burying the skiers at depths greater than 30 feet. Poor weather hampered Wednesday's recovery efforts. The avalanche appeared to have started at about 3,500 feet and came to rest around 700 feet, said Tracey Knutson, a spokesperson for Chugach Powder Guides, which operated the trip. An ongoing avalanche concern for the region has been a weak layer of snow that was buried up to 2 feet or more beneath the surface, said Andrew Schauer, lead avalanche forecaster with the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center.
