A radio station owner and his two friends were killed after heli-skiing onto a rugged Alaskan mountain and getting trapped in a massive avalanche on Tuesday. David Linder, 39, Charles Eppard, 39, and Jeremy Leif,

The Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center also issued a special bulletin warning of dangerous avalanche conditions in the mountains across a wide swath of Southcentral Alaska.

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.

Efforts to recover the three men who died in an avalanche Tuesday while they were on a guided heli-ski trip in the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood were halted because of dangerous conditions and difficult terrain — and may not resume until conditions improve,

Poor weather prevented Alaska State Troopers, avalanche experts and recovery teams from reaching the slide near Girdwood, about 40 miles (54 kilometers) south of Anchorage, on Wednesday, troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel said. Officials said they were optimistic that weather conditions would improve enough for flights on Thursday.

Alaska State Troopers said three skiers are likely dead after an avalanche buried them in the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood, Alaska, on Tuesday.

The large avalanche occurred Tuesday afternoon in the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

Alaska State Troopers on Thursday released the identities of the three missing men caught in the slide: Dave Linder, 39, of Florida; Charles Eppard, 39, of Montana, and Jeremy Leif, 38, of Minnesota.

Three men are feared dead after being hit by a massive avalanche while on a backcountry heli-skiing trip in the US state of Alaska, say officials. Officials believe the party is buried in up to 100ft (30m) of snow,

Radio Mankato identified one of the skiers caught in the backcountry avalanche as David Linder, who was part of a heli-skiing group.

They were likely killed under the weight of snow nearly as deep as a 10-story building, Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday.

If the deaths are confirmed, it would be the deadliest U.S. avalanche since three climbers were killed in a slide in Washington’s Cascade Range two years ago.