A 36-year-old man recently died when he was caught in a backcountry avalanche in western Wyoming. The incident occurred at Togwotee Pass in the Breccia Cliffs region on Saturday, where the snow buried two skiers, killing Kenneth Goff. The skiers were part of a group of four trekking up the mountain near Grand Teton National Park before they triggered the avalanche.
One of the individuals was completely engulfed by the snow, while the other was only partially buried, sustaining leg injuries. First responders took four hours to reach the skiers due to challenging weather conditions. A helicopter rescue was not possible, so authorities were forced to resort to snowmobiles and skis.
The Teton County coroner identified the deceased man as Kenneth Goff, described as an experienced outdoorsman who even worked within his local search and rescue team. “We are deeply saddened to report that a skier has died as a result of an avalanche on Togwotee Pass on Saturday, January 4, 2025. More details about the accident will emerge following an investigation by the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center,” a statement from Teton County Search and Rescue read.
“Just before noon on Saturday, Teton County Search & Rescue was called to respond to a known avalanche burial on Togwotee Pass. The emergency alert came in via iPhone satellite text-to-911, but it was unclear whether the avalanche involved snowmobilers or skiers. For anyone using this relatively new function, please include the nature of your emergency, mechanism of injury, and number of people in your party. Including that info can help first responders efficiently develop solutions to the problems,” the press release added.
Illustrating the response from first responders, the statement added, “TCSAR responded with teams in the helicopter, on snowmobiles, and on skis. The helicopter team lifted off but returned when weather conditions did not permit an air response. The snowmobile team was also unable to reach the party of skiers due to the challenging conditions.”
The authorities further noted, “They began to apply treatment to the injured skier and remaining members of the party. The volunteers also worked to begin recovering the deceased skier for transport out of the backcountry. The volunteers worked into the evening, skiing the injured skier out of the backcountry in a litter to a waiting ambulance from Grand Teton National Park. The team also skied the deceased skier out via a sked.”
While extending condolences to the friends and family of Goff, the TCSAR sent a warning to those planning outdoor excursions in challenging conditions. “This serves as an important reminder of how much longer a mission can take when the helicopter is grounded, and is another factor to consider in your backcountry planning should an accident occur. TCSAR extends its most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased skier,” the statement concluded.
A video statement from the the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center explained the conditions which led to the avalanche. “The slope is significantly wind loaded. The ground is four feet thick on what is, on average, three-foot thick snowpack. The bottom layer of the snowpack consists of very weak, sugary, rotten snow. Right now it’s hard to share this kind of avalanche, except in these wind load and very steep areas. Going forward, this is going to continue. We’re going to continue to stress that layer and you may not see or hear signs of weak Snow fails. Be Careful,” a man explained.
Featured image credit: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lawine.jpg
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