At least three people have died in separate incidents over the last week after getting caught in an avalanche while snowmobiling in Washington and Wyoming.
A 31-year-old man from Utah was snowmobiling with a friend Sunday afternoon near La Barge Creek in Wyoming when he got caught in an avalanche, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said it was contacted via satellite communication device for the emergency incident.
The man's friend was able to dig him out of the snow and attempted CPR, but he was ultimately pronounced dead, officials said. He was identified as Nicholas Bringhurst of Springville.
RELATED STORY | Farmer’s Almanac releases winter outlook: ‘Chill, snow, repeat’
On Friday, in Washington state, two men were killed in an avalanche while backcountry snowmobiling in Kittitas County, according to the sheriff's office there.
The men were part of a group of four that got caught in the avalanche around 4 p.m near Longs Pass, officials said. The two survivors were able to send a distress call to first responders on a satellite device.
Their bodies couldn't be recovered until the next day because of the dangerous conditions.
The Washington residents were identified as 38-year-old Paul Markoff of North Bend and 43-year-old Erik Henne of Snoqualmie Pass.
It's unclear what caused the deadly avalanches.
According to National Geographic, these are some expert tips for avoiding and navigating avalanches:
- Avoid areas with wind-blown snow, fresh snow or recent avalanches
- Experts recommend three essential gear items for backcountry snow travel: an avalanche probe for locating a partner in the snow, a shovel for digging out, and an avalanche transceiver that can transmit and receive signals when buried under snow. Additional recommended gear includes an avalanche airbag, GPS for navigation (also accelerates rescue if you can provide GPS coordinates), and a first aid kit
- If you do get caught in an avalanche:
- deploy your airbag, which helps you stay on top of the slide
- Get off the snow slab. Aim 45 degrees down the slope and move across the flow of snow. Grab trees or branches to pull you out of the slide
- Try to keep your head above the surface
- If stuck, swim with your feet downhill to see where you are going. Push an arm up as the slide slows, and create an air pocket around your face by clearing snow
