Body recovered after avalanche near Stevens Peak
This Google map shows the location of Stevens Peak, in a remote area of Shoshone County, where one man died and two were injured when caught in an avalanche.
The search for a third person caught in an avalanche Thursday in a remote area near Stevens Peak concluded Friday after the body of a man was recovered.
The other two avalanche victims were located Thursday and transported to hospital.
“We were told by the family that these men were avid outdoorsmen, they had avalanche training, they are experienced skiers, that they had the proper safety equipment, understood how to use the equipment and they had medical training to boot," said Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey. "Even with all this preparedness, sometimes mother nature has other ideas for us that we can't compete with. She's too powerful."
The names of the men were released by law enforcement Friday night to be Landon E. Crecelius, and David R. Sittser. The deceased individual was identified as Corey J. Zalewski.
A search and rescue mission for three individuals was undertaken Thursday after law enforcement received a Garmin global positioning system alert of a possible fatality due to an avalanche near Stevens Peak, a social media release from the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office said.
Lindsey said recovery of the body of the missing third individual was made possible with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office search and rescue helicopter. First responders repelled from the chopper to the avalanche site and hoisted the deceased out of the area.
The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office indicates that the three individuals caught in the avalanche Thursday afternoon may have been cross-country skiing.
The SOS call on Jan. 11 had come in just before 3 p.m., and the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the United States Air Force, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Silver Valley Search and Rescue, Silver Mountain Ski Patrol and Spokane County Sheriff's Office.
The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office reported that they were able to establish communications with two of the individuals through the GPS texting device in order to locate two of the three missing individuals. A targeted search was conducted near their last known location.
The two individuals indicated a third person may be deceased at the avalanche site.
“The family has been on my mind as a constant, and my heart goes out to them. The community as a whole is praying for them. I'm just so sorry this happened,” Lindsey said.
The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center in Sandpoint issued a backcountry avalanche warning Friday through 7 p.m. Saturday for Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties in Idaho. It also includes Lincoln, Mineral and Sanders counties in Montana.
"Recent heavy snow combined with wind will likely create widespread areas of unstable snow in the backcountry at upper elevations," said the warning relayed by the National Weather Service. "Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended."