Idaho authorities announced late Friday that they had recovered the body of a person killed in an avalanche near Stephens Peak in Shoshone County.
The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office announced Friday morning that two people were safely rescued from a deadly avalanche and a third person is presumed dead. A few hours later, the death was confirmed and the names of the three people involved were released.
“Today, the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office conducted a rescue mission for an individual believed to have been killed in an avalanche. We were able to extricate the individual early this afternoon. Death The skier was identified as Corey J. Zalewski,” the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
“The two other skiers rescued last night have been identified as Landon E. Cresselius and David R. Sitzer. Our thoughts are with Corey's family as they remember the life of this great man. We offer our prayers,” the statement continued.
Idaho emergency teams rescue two men from deadly avalanche near Stevens Peak
An avalanche crashed down a mountainside in the Idaho panhandle. (AP Graphics)
The recovery effort was a collaboration with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, Kootenai County Search and Rescue, Silver Valley Search and Rescue, Silver Mountain Ski Patrol and Shoshone County Groomers.
According to the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, authorities began rescue efforts around 2:53 p.m. Thursday after receiving a Garmin GPS alert indicating a possible death.
“The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office has organized a rescue effort to recover three men believed to have been caught in an avalanche near Stevens Peak,” the release said.
Rescuers work at the scene of an avalanche at Palisades Tahoe Ski Area near Lake Tahoe, California, Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Winter sports enthusiasts headed to ski as a major winter storm dumped snow across much of the western United States. Hit the slopes at your resort or backcountry before the Martin Luther King Jr. Day long weekend. However, in many areas, the storm posed a high risk of avalanches. (Mark Sponsorer, via AP)
“We were able to establish communications with two of them through GPS messaging equipment. Through this communication we were able to determine the location of two of the three men and their last known location. A targeted search was initiated in the vicinity of his location,” the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office added.
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The men were found and rescued several miles southwest of Lookout Peak Ski Area.
The U.S. Air Force, Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, Silver Valley Search and Rescue, and Silver Mountain Ski Patrol assisted in the effort.
The sheriff's office said it had gathered enough information to rescue the two victims and presume the third victim dead.
On Thursday, January 11, 2024, explosives were detonated near the site of Wednesday's fatal slide at Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, to eliminate an avalanche hazard. As a massive winter storm dumped snow across much of the western United States, winter sports enthusiasts hit the ski resorts and backcountry slopes ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. His Day long weekend. going now. However, in many areas, the storm posed a high risk of avalanches. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle, via AP)
“While debriefing the two men, we received information that led us to believe that a third man had died at the scene of the avalanche. As a result of this information, to ensure the safety of all involved, we have concluded the search operation tonight. I did,” he said. The agency announced this on Friday morning.
The area was experiencing strong winds and snowfall, and an avalanche warning had been issued for several days before the deadly disaster.
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The first reported U.S. avalanche fatality of the season occurred in California on Wednesday.
An avalanche at Palisades Tahoe Ski Area near Lake Tahoe killed four people, including one fatality.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
