Avalanches killed three people in separate incidents across three states on Friday.
KIFI-TV reported Saturday that Jarad Spackman, 40, was killed after getting caught in an avalanche that carried him about 1,000 feet down a slope as he and a friend ascended Wyoming's Apocalypse Couloir near the mouth of Death Canyon in the Teton Range at Grand Teton National Park, about 10:30 a.m. MST Friday.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported James Childs, 32, died after he was buried in a avalanche 350 yards wide and about two feet deep while snowmobiling in Utah's Long Valley around 4 p.m. MST Friday.
WMUR-TV reported James Watts, 24, of New York was swept 1,000 feet down a portion of New Hampshire's Mount Washington by an avalanche while solo ice climbing.
At about 3 p.m. EST Friday, a hiker discovered his body in a gully and called 911. The hiker, an emergency room physician, checked for vital signs and found none.
This raises the United States death toll from avalanches this winter season to 12. Five states have recorded avalanche fatalities including Utah (3), Colorado (3), Wyoming (3), California (2), New Hampshire (1).
Over the last 10 winters in the United States an average of 25 people died in avalanches every year, according to avalanche.org. Last winter season (2011-2012), 34 people were killed.
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