Skier Dies in Avalanche, Unstable Snow Conditions Warning

0:00It's March 25, Anchorage News Today starts now, AI-powered and ready. A skier died in a large avalanche near Haines Pass in British Columbia over the weekend. The incident happened Sunday in the Rainy Hollow area, with a group of five people on a backcountry trip. One skier triggered a small slide that set off a much bigger one, completely bearing the victim. The others escaped unharmed, dug the person out and tried CPR, but it was too late. Two teams from atlin search and rescue, along with Canadian police, airlifted the group out by helicopter. Forecasters note this tragedy highlights unusually unstable snow conditions for late March, more like mid-winter than spring. Experts point to a widespread crusty layer formed during a freezing fog event on February 13th, now weakened by extreme cold above and below it. This set up makes slides harder to trigger at first, but far more dangerous when they do happen. The terrorists show up in Alaska spots, like Gerdwood, in turn again pass, where a recent

1:01slide injured another skier. The cold winter has left persistent weak spots in the snow pack across the region. Forecasters urge everyone to avoid avalanche terrain until a good warm-up settles things, as these conditions could linger into spring.