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Skier swept away by avalanche dies in Grand Teton National Park

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Posted at 4:46 PM, Feb 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-23 18:46:22-05

MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) — An avalanche swept a skier 1,000 feet down a mountainside to his death Monday in Grand Teton National Park.

Officials said 33-year-old Matthew Brien of Jackson, Wyoming was leading a group through a narrow couloir known as the Broken Thumb when an avalanche broke off above him.

READ: Utah dealing with unprecedented avalanche danger

He was found by members of his party and others who were skiing in the area.

Park officials say Brien was partially buried and attempts were made to resuscitate him, but he died at the scene.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says Brien's death marks the 32nd avalanche fatality in the U.S. this season.

It is also the latest in a recent string of fatal avalanches in states bordering Utah. Two fatal avalanches occurred in Idaho on Friday and Saturday, and another Saturday in Nevada. All three of these instances were snowmobilers.

Utah has not seen a fatal avalanche since Feb. 6 when four backcountry skiers were killed in a slide in Millcreek Canyon.