A skier who died after getting caught in an avalanche Saturday afternoon was on a heli-ski outing with a group east of Matanuska Glacier, a spokesman for the state troopers said Monday.
The avalanche occurred roughly 7.5 miles from the Glenn Highway, east of the Matanuska Glacier, according to public information officer Austin McDaniel.
At about 2 p.m. Saturday, Alaska State Troopers received news of the avalanche that occurred somewhere between Palmer and Glennallen, state troopers wrote in an online report Saturday. Fairbanks resident Erin Lee, 40, was transported to Mat-Su Regional Hospital via helicopter where she was pronounced dead, according to the statement.
“Ms. Lee was heliskiing when the avalanche was triggered,” McDaniel wrote in an email. “There were other individuals in the heliskiing party present at the time of the avalanche.”
Information was not available about what may have triggered the avalanche or what safety equipment the party was carrying.