Slide victim to return to Utah

The body of a Bountiful man killed in an avalanche while snowmobiling in a remote area of Montana is expected to be returned to Utah soon.

Ryan Douglas White, 25, was snowmobiling just before 3 p.m. Monday on Mount Jefferson with six friends when he was caught in an avalanche apparently triggered by his snowmobile as he tried to ride to the summit of the mountain. The slide in the narrow and extremely steep canyon was approximately 80 to 100 feet wide and about a half-mile long. The avalanche started near the 8,500 foot level.

White was buried under about 8 feet of snow in an area also known as Hell Roaring Canyon. The accident happened in Beaverhead County, Mont., but search and rescue crews from Fremont County, Idaho, were closer and responded to the incident.

But even though they were closer, Fremont Search and Rescue Commander Brett Mackert said they still had more than a 90-minute drive on the main road followed by a seven-mile ride on snowmobiles.

Rescuers were in contact with the other members of the snowmobile party by cell phone. Mackert said he instructed them to find a stick and start probing for White. He was not wearing a locating beacon. Other snowmobilers in the area who witnessed the slide helped locate White.

"They had his foot exposed by the time we got on site. They had just found him," Mackert said. "He was head down, feet in the air. His head was the lowest part."

White was estimated to have been buried for a hour and 45 minutes.

The other members of the group were from Idaho Falls; Rexburg, Idaho; Vancouver, Wash.; and one man was reportedly from Salt Lake City, according to Beaverhead County Sheriff's deputy Jay Hansen. One other man was caught in the avalanche but was only partially buried and able to swim and dig himself out fairly quickly, Mackert said.

Avalanche hazard in that area Monday was "considerable to high" and there had already been several slides, he said.

"Considerable means human-caused avalanches are possible," Mackert said. "And there will be pockets that are 'probable to extreme."'

It's just another reason people need to take precautions before they go into the backcountry, including checking avalanche conditions, he said. The area where White was killed is very popular for snowmobiling, and unfortunately an area common for accidents. It has seen at least one death every other year, Mackert said.

"People just don't care enough to look at avalanche conditions and worry about it," he said. "People are just not heeding the avalanche warning. We run into this about every year."

The problem is people plan trips weeks and sometimes months in advance and once they get there, even if "the conditions are such they shouldn't be going," they will still "do everything in their power to get to that location," he said.

Outdoor recreationists need to be willing to be flexible. Also, take the necessary equipment and survival gear, Hansen said.

"We need to caution everyone going into the back country to take the precautions necessary for the conditions they have," Mackert concurred.

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