A active winter weather pattern took its toll on backcountry locations across the North American West this past week with Choteau, MT being the latest to experience an avalanche-related fatality.
Teton County Sheriff was the first to report the incident, which occurred near Teton Pass, MT. The Great Falls Tribune is reporting that the man, 35 year-old, Eric Greyn was riding with 3 others when the slide released. The victim was not wearing an avalanche beacon at the time.
“The avalanche was a persistent slab, unintentionally triggered by a snowmobiler. It failed 1 to 5 feet deep on a faceted crust layer near the ground. It was a hard slab, ~2000 feet wide and large enough to destroy a car or wood frame house (D3).” – Flathead Avalanche Center
Search and rescue personnel responded to the scene shortly after receiving word of the avalanche. They reached the victim and performed CPR while waiting for a helicopter to evacuate Greyn. They then transported him to a nearby hospital where he died from trauma related to the avalanche.
Avalanche Details:
- Trigger: Snowmobile
- Type: Hard Slab
- Category – D3
*Our deepest condolences go out to the victim’s friends and family