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JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) has reported that an avalanche claimed the life of a skier on Togwotee Pass on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Teton County Coroner Brent Blue confirmed that the deceased skier was identified to be 36-year-old Kenneth Goff of Lander, Wyo.
According to TCSAR, just before noon on Saturday, TCSAR was mobilized to respond to a known avalanche burial on Togwotee Pass, which was called in via iPhone satellite text-to-911. Initially, it was unknown whether the avalanche had involved skiers or snowmobilers, just that a party of four had been recreating in the Breccia Cliffs area when they triggered an avalanche. Soon it emerged that four skiers had triggered the avalanche as they were ascending a skin track, partially burying one skier and fully burying another. The partially buried skier suffered a lower leg injury.
The TCSAR team departed with its helicopter, but the ship was forced to return to the hangar due to weather conditions. A rescue team on snowmobiles was also thwarted by “challenging conditions,” TCSAR wrote. A team of skiers was successful in reaching the site of the incident around 3:45 p.m.
Volunteers began attempting to recover the deceased skier for transport, while also treating the injured skier and the other two members of the group. TCSAR said its volunteers worked into the evening, transporting the injured skier out of the backcountry using a litter, meeting a waiting Grand Teton National Park ambulance. The deceased skier was transported via sked stretcher.
“TCSAR extends its most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased skier,” TCSAR posted to Facebook.
The incident is being investigated further by the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center (BTAC).
“This serves as an important reminder of how much longer a mission can take when the helicopter is grounded, and is another factor to consider in your backcountry planning should an accident occur,” TCSAR wrote.
The agency also encouraged those using the iPhone satellite text-to-911 function to include as much detail as possible in the initial message.
“For anyone using this relatively new function, please include the nature of your emergency, mechanism of injury and number of people in your party,” TCSAR wrote. “Including that info can help first responders efficiently develop solutions to the problems.”
According to BTAC’s Saturday forecast, avalanche danger for Togwotee Pass was considered “moderate,” noting that it would be “possible to trigger an avalanche on weak layers buried 1 to 3 feet deep.” In its Sunday forecast, BTAC had elevated the danger in the area to “considerable,” and shared condolences for “the family, friends and rescuers involved in this tragic event.”
