Girdwood is a tourist community that caters to winter events, with downhill skiing and snowboarding at the Alyeska Resort in a spectacularly scenic location. After a gondola ride 3,200 feet (975 meters) up Mount Alyeska, diners can view seven glaciers from the restaurant named for that view.

A trio of skiers is likely buried under an avalanche near Anchorage, Alaska, that occurred Tuesday afternoon, but dangerous backcountry conditions have so far stymied recovery operations, officials announced.

Three people are feared to be dead after being buried by a large avalanche while on a guided heli-skiing trip near Girdwood, Alaska, authorities said. (Dreamstime) Three skiers identified Thursday as feared killed in an Alaskan avalanche had Minnesota connections.