Rescue teams have found the body of one of the three heli-skiers who died in a significant avalanche on an Alaskan mountain back in March, according to officials.
David Linder, aged 39, and Charles Eppard, also 39, were caught in what Alaska State Troopers described as a “major avalanche” during a guided heli-skiing trip in the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood on March 4.
Authorities noted that the skiers were likely buried under snow that was “40 to nearly 100 feet deep.”
On Friday, volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group and the Girdwood Volunteer Fire Department returned to the avalanche area and recovered one skier’s body, as mentioned in a police update on Tuesday.
This man’s remains were found “caught in a log jam in the river below the avalanche zone,” authorities reported.
The body will be sent to the state medical examiner for identification and an autopsy. The identity of the skier who was found has not yet been disclosed.
Meanwhile, recovery operations faced challenges, as “helicopter flights were not possible due to adverse weather conditions” and the risk of further avalanches loomed large.
A fourth skier from the group was rescued and recounted the terrifying moment when they heard shouts of “avalanche” before being hit by a massive wall of snow at 3,500 feet.
Linder, from Miami, was a co-owner of Sub Arctic Media, which runs over 20 talk shows and music radio stations across Minnesota.
Eppard, a Bigfork, Montana resident, was described as “a loving father, devoted husband, and an overall wonderful human being,” with a GoFundMe set up to support his family.
Eppard is survived by his wife, Brittany, and their daughter, Belen.
Jeremy Leaf, who lived in Minneapolis and had founded Leaf Consulting Group in December 2023, is also among the deceased. He was an enthusiastic Minnesota Vikings fan and leaves behind a wife and two kids.
This incident marks one of the deadliest avalanches in the U.S. since 2023, when an avalanche in Washington’s Cascade Mountains resulted in three fatalities.
Authorities have announced plans for further search and rescue operations for the other two missing heli-skiers.
