LaBarge Creek, Wyoming – The number of people killed in a string of Western U.S. avalanches late last week and early this week has risen to three following the death of a snowmobiler in southwestern Wyoming, authorities confirmed.
Nicholas Bringhurst, 31, of Springville, Utah, was riding a snowmobile in the LaBarge Creek area on Sunday when he was caught in an avalanche. Local first responders said they were alerted at approximately 2:15 p.m. after receiving a distress signal from Bringhurst’s GPS device.
Avalanche Triggered on Steep Slope Near LaBarge Creek
According to the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, a citizen report indicated that the snowmobiler triggered an avalanche on a small but steep slope above LaBarge Creek.
The avalanche buried Bringhurst under roughly two feet of snow. A friend who was with him managed to pull him from the debris in the runout zone and began CPR, but Bringhurst did not survive, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement released Monday.
The Lincoln County coroner’s office will determine the exact cause and manner of death.
Washington Avalanche Killed Two Snowmobilers
Bringhurst’s death adds to two avalanche fatalities reported over the weekend in Washington.
Authorities said the bodies of Paul Markoff, 38, of North Bend, and Erik Henne, 43, of Snoqualmie Pass, were recovered Saturday morning after an avalanche near Longs Pass in the mountains of northern Kittitas County.
The two men were part of a group of four using two snowmobiles when they were caught in an avalanche around 4 p.m. Friday, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office.
Dangerous Conditions Delayed Recovery Efforts
With the assistance of search-and-rescue volunteers, sheriff’s deputies used snowmobiles and winter backcountry equipment to escort the two survivors out of the area. However, officials said conditions were too dangerous to recover the victims that night.
The following morning, three avalanche search dogs and a helicopter crew assisted in locating and removing the bodies. They were transported to the Kittitas County coroner for a final determination of cause and manner of death. A ground team later recovered the group’s snowmobiles.
The sheriff’s office said the National Avalanche Center sent representatives to analyze the incident.
Avalanche Deaths Continue Across the West
Excluding the two Washington fatalities, the National Avalanche Center reported that the season’s avalanche death toll in the United States stood at four as of Monday night. That count includes Sunday’s fatality in Wyoming, another Wyoming death on Dec. 20, and two deaths in California on Jan. 5 and Dec. 26.
Officials also noted that several other snow enthusiasts survived avalanches across the West over the weekend as snow conditions continued to deteriorate.
Storm Pattern Creating High-Risk Conditions
Avalanche experts say the deadly conditions are being driven by a series of winter storms that moved eastward from the Pacific earlier in the season. These storms were intensified by atmospheric rivers, which pull moisture from tropical regions and are known to deliver heavy snowfall in a short time.
Relatively deep fresh powder, windswept cornices, and an incoming stretch of sunny weather have increased the risk of large snow releases across mountainous terrain, officials warned.
Authorities continue to urge snowmobilers, skiers, and backcountry travelers to check avalanche forecasts and avoid steep, unstable slopes during periods of elevated danger.
