JACKSON HOLE AVALANCHE: One Death In Wyoming Ski Resort Disaster

JACKSON, Wyo. -- An avalanche has killed a skier at a Wyoming ski resort.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort spokeswoman Anna Olson says David Nodine, of Wilson, was skiing down an expert trail with a companion Saturday when the avalanche buried him under 8 feet of snow. The companion was not injured.

Olson says ski patrollers found Nodine within six minutes but could not revive him. The 31-year-old was pronounced dead at a clinic at the resort base.

Olson says ski patrol had taken precautions to reduce avalanche danger in the area.

At least six people have died in U.S. avalanches this ski season, including 38-year-old firefighter Brian Kopp and 19-year-old Mark Goetz. They died Saturday in Colorado while snowmobiling.

TWO INBOUND AVALANCHES IN ONE DAY

Reports around the Internet said that there were more than just one Jackson Hole avalanche:

One happened in the Alta 2 area, and a larger slide occurred in the Tower 3/Toilet Bowl area below the Thunder Lift.

There is word that 2 people were caught in the Tower 3 slide. There appears to be one fatality: a 31-year old local who was found about 10 minutes after the avalanche and was buried under eight feet of debris. One survivor was buried up to their neck.

Numerous avalanche warnings are in effect throughout Montana and Wyoming. A backcountry avalanche warning is in effect for the southern Gallatin and southern Madison ranges, the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone, the mountains around Cooke City, and the Washburn range in northern Yellowstone National Park.