Alaska Department Of Public Safety,State Troopers Public Information Office

Dispatch Text:

On February 13, 2024, at 2:45 pm, the Alaska State Troopers received a 911 call that an avalanche had occurred east of the Seward Highway near mile 41 in the Chugach National Forest. Three adult male backcountry skiers were ascending a mountain to ski back down when they triggered an avalanche and were all swept away. Two of the adult males were able to self-rescue; however, the third skier was unaccounted for. The two backcountry skiers were able to locate the missing skier, dug him out of the avalanche, and began performing life-saving measures, which were ultimately not successful. The Alaska State Troopers, US Forest Service Law Enforcement, Cooper Landing EMS, and Moose Pass EMS responded to the area. The two adult men who survived were transported to a Kenai Peninsula area hospital for treatment of their injuries. The third man is identified as 28-year-old Anchorage resident Joseph Allen. Allen’s body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage, and his next of kin have been notified.