22 People Died In Avalanches This Year—Here's What Happened
According to Dullin, McQuinn & Young, an average of 22.5 Americans die from avalanche-related causes each year.During the Winter of 24/25, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) recorded 22 avalanche-related fatalities. These accidents included backcountry skiers and snowboarders, snowmobilers, snowbikers, and a ski patroller.The first fatality occurred on December 15, 2024 and the most recent occurred on March 22, 2025. Avalanche fatalities occurred in the following states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.Continue reading for a short summary of each avalanche fatality in chronological order. Avalanche.org was used as the primary resource for this information.Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.
Number of Persons Involved: 2Fatalities: 1User Type: SnowbikerTrigger: Unintentional releaseSize: D2Details: An avalanche broke under a hard wind slab that was triggered by the riders descending a steep slope. The avalanche broke 2-3 feet deep and 240 feet wide. It ran 120 vertical feet. Both riders were caught and carried. Rider 1 did not survive.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 4Fatalities: 1User Type: Snow bikersTrigger: Unintentional releaseSize: D2Details: An avalanche released above Riders 1 and 2 during a snow bike outing in the Ruby Mountains. The avalanche was "several feet deep" and approximately 90 feet wide. Confusion around proper avalanche beacon usage delayed the rescue.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 1Fatalities: 1User Type: Ski TourerTrigger: UnknownSize: D2Details: A solo skier was found days after the accident when his dog was found by fellow backcountry skiers. Avalanche danger was HIGH across the state of Utah and the skier was recreating alone. Since the incident wasn't observed, little is known about its cause. The Utah Avalanche Center believes a soft slab failed on a persistent weak layer. The debris was 1-2 feet deep and 70 feet wide.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 1Fatalities: 1User Type: SplitboarderTrigger: UnknownSize: D2Details: A solo splitboarder was buried 20 feet deep by a large avalanche. The victim was recreating alone and details related to the trigger cause are scarce. The avalanche was 300 feet wide and ran for 400 vertical feet down the slope. Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 4Fatalities: 1User Type: Ski TourerTrigger: RemoteSize: D2Details: A group of four triggered a large avalanche that carried two skiers and killed one. The avalanche was remotely triggered from below due to a persistent weak layer. The avalanche crown propagated 350 feet uphill and spread 400 feet across. Debris ranged from one to four feet thick. One skier did not survive his injuries.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 1Fatalities: 1User Type: Ski TourerTrigger: UnintentionalSize: D2Details: Skier 1 was recreating by himself and missed a check-in with his spouse on the day of the accident. The spouse notified the Ouray County Sheriff and snowshoed to the slope the skier intended to ski. After spotting avalanche debris, the spouse initiated a transceiver search and located a signal. Skier 1 was caught, buried, and killed by an avalanche that was 45 feet wide and ran for 122 vertical feet.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 2Fatalities: 1User Type: SnowmobilersTrigger: SnowmobileSize: D2Details: Two snowmobilers were recreating near Powder Mountain, Utah when a large avalanche was released on a wind slab. One of the two riders was caught, buried, and killed by the slide. Neither snowmobiler was carrying an avalanche beacon. An avalanche rescue dog from Power Mountain assisted in locating the victim's body.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 2Fatalities: 1User Type: Ski tourersTrigger: UnintentionalSize: N/ADetails: A ski guide and his client were caught in a large avalanche in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The client is believed to have triggered the avalanche after following the guide's instructions to follow him down a 35-40 degree slope. The client was badly injured in the slide but survived. The guide was caught, buried, and killed by the slide. The avalanche was a soft slab that was roughly 2 feet deep.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 2Fatalities: 1User Type: Ski patrolTrigger: N/ASize: N/ADetails: Two ski patrollers were conducting avalanche mitigation at Mammoth Mountain following a storm that dumped six feet of snow in 36 hours. Both patrollers were buried by the slide. One was uninjured. The other passed away from her injuries.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 2Fatalities: 2User Type: Ski tourersTrigger: UnknownSize: D2Details: Two skiers were buried and killed by a Size 2 storm slab. There were no witnesses to the slide, but experts believe the pair triggered the avalanche while skinning uphill. Authorities were alerted by friends and neighbors to conduct a search and rescue effort after the pair did not return home.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 1Fatalities: 1User Type: Ski tourerTrigger: UnknownSize: N/ADetails: A solo skier was caught, buried, and killed by a persistent slab avalanche that he triggered near South Lake Tahoe. The skier was carrying all of the recommend avalanche safety gear, but did not manage to deploy his airbag. He was found buried under 4.5 feet of avalanche debris by friends. The slide ran for 650 vertical feet and had two crowns. Slope angles ranged from 38 to 40 degrees.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 2Fatalities: 1User Type: Ski tourersTrigger: UnintentionalSize: 2.5Details: Two skiers were staying at a backcountry hut near Ophir Pass. Skier 1 was a 40-year-old male. Rider 2 was a 41-year-old female. The pair elected to ascend and ski a steeper slope after taking safer laps on lower terrain. Skier 1 triggered an avalanche almost immediately after descending the slope. He was able to escape to the skier's right but Rider 2 was caught, buried, and killed. The avalanche was a soft slab with a crown that was 2-3 feet deep and spread up to 1,300 feet wide. It ran 1,400 vertical feet.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 1Fatalities: 1User Type: Pow SurferTrigger: UnintentionalSize: 2.5Details: A lone pow surfer (snowboarding without bindings) was recreating by himself bear Berthoud Pass. The rider is believed to have triggered a large avalanche above trees and rocks. It carried him 400 vertical feet and was approximately 550 feet wide. Debris were measured to be over seven feet deep.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 3Fatalities: 1User Type: SnowmobilersTrigger: SnowmobileSize: 2.5Details: Three riders triggered a large slab avalanche while riding the same slope. Two riders were caught and carried. One rider was full buried and killed. The final rider was partially buried and injured. Details are sparse at this time about the full incident.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 3Fatalities: 3User Type: Heli-SkiersTrigger: N/ASize: N/ADetails: Three clients from a Girdwood, Alaska based heli ski operation were caught, buried, and killed by a massive avalanche during a guided tour. The skiers were buried by 40-100 feet of avalanche debris. Their bodies were unable to be recovered due to the depth of the debris.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 1Fatalities: 1User Type: Ski tourerTrigger: UnintentionalSize: N/ADetails: A solo skier was reported missing after not returning home from his planned ski tour route. The overdue skier was found the day following the incident due to hazardous weather conditions that prevented Search & Rescue teams from reaching the area. The avalanche was 150 feet wide and ran 1,000 vertical feet.Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 13Fatalities: 1User Type: Backcountry guided cat skiingTrigger: SkierSize: D2Details: A commercially-guided cat skiing operation of three guides and 10 guests were involved in a D2 storm slab on a steep slope. It is believed that the 7th rider to descend the slope triggered the slide. The avalanche was two feet deep, 200 feet wide, and ran for 700 vertical feet. Five of the six riders who had previously descended the slope were caught by the slide. One was completely buried and killed. Full Accident Summary: Here
Number of Persons Involved: 1Fatalities: 1User Type: SnowmobilerTrigger: Snowmobile/UnintentionalSize: D3Details: A lone snowmobiler triggered an avalanche in a popular zone. The rider was caught, buried, and killed by the avalanche. Other snowmobilers responded quickly, but the rider was deceased. The avalanche crown was two to three feet deep and 500 feet wide. The rider was buried by more than 10 feet of debris. The avalanche failed on layer of deep surface hoar.Full Accident Summary: Here
Avalanche deaths happen every season. Learning from them is a valuable practice for backcountry skiers, snowboarder, and snowmobilers to decrease their likelihood of being involved in a similar accident.Of the 22 avalanche deaths that occurred in the United States this year, seven of the victims were recreating alone. Please consider always traveling in the backcountry with a friend, knowing before you go, and pack the gear— beacon, shovel, probe.22 People Died In Avalanches This Year—Here's What Happened first appeared on Powder on Jun 6, 2025
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