A professional sledder from Alpine, Wyoming, was killed by an avalanche Thursday in eastern Bonneville County near the Wyoming state line.
Bonneville County sheriff’s deputies, along with Lincoln County, Wyoming, Search and Rescue responded to a report of an injured man caught in an avalanche while riding his snowmobile at about 11:40 a.m.
The victim, Josh Roth, 35, was riding in the McCoy Creek area of Bonneville County near the Wyoming state line when an avalanche was triggered in a drainage.
Roth was the owner of Hoback Peak Outfitters and ran snowmobiling clinics out of Alpine for people wanting to learn how to ride a snowmobile.
Bonneville County sheriff’s deputies say a friend of Roth’s who had been riding with him saw that an avalanche had occurred and was able to locate Roth using an avalanche beacon. Roth was buried under 2 to 3 feet of snow and his riding partner was able to dig him out, call for help via cellphone and begin CPR.
After a short while it was determined that Roth was deceased from injuries suffered in the slide.
Deputies and Search and Rescue personnel were able to safely recover Roth’s body and transport him out to the Alpine area.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind backcountry recreationists of the extreme avalanche conditions all over Eastern Idaho at this time.
If you choose to snowmobile or enter those areas make sure to use every safety precaution available, carry avalanche beacons and emergency equipment, and tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return.
