Image from SE Alaska Backcountry Adventures
Aaron Karitis, a guide with SABSA, is in critical condition after being buried in an avalanche Saturday morning. The avalanche occurred around 11 a.m. as Karitis was finishing a conditions check downslope of his four clients.
A spokeswoman for the State Troopers said that Karitis had decided he didn’t like the conditions on the slope, and wanted to move the group elsewhere. At that point, the avalanche triggered.
“He was the only one caught up in the avalanche and buried,” said spokeswoman Beth Ipsen. Ipsen went on to say that Karitis was buried under seven feet of snow and was unconscious when he was pulled out about 30 minutes after the slide. He was then flown by helicopter to a clinic in Haines where he was listed in critical but stable condition.