Officials at the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center have confirmed that three skiers on a heli-skiing tour died in an avalanche near Girdwood, Alaska, southeast of Anchorage, this week. The avalanche occurred on March 4 at about 3:30 pm.

Dangerous avalanche conditions in the area persist, stalling recovery efforts and prompting warnings from forecasters.

It appears to be the first fatal avalanche this winter in Alaska and the country's deadliest since an avalanche in Washington's Cascade Mountains killed three climbers in 2023.

This is Alaska’s first fatal avalanche reported this season. It is also the country’s deadliest since February 2023.

Authorities in Alaska said they would attempt Thursday to reach the site of an avalanche that trapped three skiers, all of whom have Minnesota connections, who were believed to have died after being buried in snow.

The slide caught the heli-skiers late Tuesday afternoon in the Chugach Mountains near the skiing community of Girdwood, located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Anchorage, said McDaniel. Heli-skiers use helicopters to reach mountains in remote backcountry areas where there are no ski lifts, and then they either ski or snowboard down.

Charlie Eppard, originally from Mankato, and Jeremy Leif are two of the three skiers who went missing following an avalanche near a ski resort in Alaska.