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Date: 2002-03-12
Submitted By: BTNFAC
Place: Grove Creek, near Victor
State: ID
Country: USA
Fatalities: 1
Summary: 1 snowmobiler caught buried and killed
A solo 16 year old snowmobiler was found deceased March 12th after
probing for three hours by the Teton County Search and Rescue group. The
slide occured in the Grove Creek drainage of the Big Holes-a small range
to the west of Victor and Driggs, Idaho and parallel to the Tetons. He
had been reported overdue the evening before by his family. It appeared
that he had triggered the slide that buried him when a cornice he was on
collapsed. He had no transceiver. The five days prior to the slide there
had been over three feet of snow with nearly three inches of water at
Jackson Hole Ski Resort twenty miles to the east. More details on the
slope, snowpack etc. When we get them.
More details
The slide path was just a couple miles from the victim's home. The path
was in a low, wind protected area and there was apparently no slab
involved. The slide origin (area that the "entrained"snow started from)
was about 50 meters by 50 meters and ran less than 60 meters vertically.
The debris piled deeply in a ravine and the snowmobile was on the
surface. The victim was not near the machine or in line with it in the
path and his head was approx. 90 cm deep. He was located by an avalanche
dog with handler from the Targhee Ski Resort. The Search and Rescue
group was from Teton County, Idaho.
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