Skier killed, another injured after avalanche triggered in Wyoming

A skier was killed and another injured after the group they were in triggered a large avalanche while ascending a mountain in western Wyoming.

The large snowslide happened Saturday in a backcountry area about 20 miles east of Grand Teton National Park.

The Teton County Search and Rescue said it received a call to respond to a known avalanche burial on Togwotee Pass just before 12 p.m. on Saturday.

As the group of four people, according to authorities, went up a steep slope at an elevation of 10,400 feet, a large slab of snow about 5 feet thick broke away and slid, fully burying the victim. The second skier was partially buried and had an injury to his leg.

It took rescuers about four hours to reach the scene by skis after a helicopter tried to reach the site but had to turn around because of “challenging” weather conditions.

“(Teton County Search and Rescue) extends its most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased skier,” it said in a Facebook post.

The Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center is investigating the avalanche.

A series of snowstorms have swept through the area in recent weeks, including one on Saturday, said National Weather Service forecaster Jason Straub.

The skier’s death marks the fifth person to be killed by an avalanche in the U.S. this winter.