IRWIN — A 47-year-old snowmobiler from Idaho Falls was found dead on Tuesday after being buried by an avalanche near Palisades Reservoir.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said the body of Troy Leishman was found near the upper bowl of Sheep Creek about 6 miles from the trailhead at approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday.
According to authorities, Leishman was snowmobiling with friends in the area when he was buried by an avalanche.
Though he was pulled out of the snow, authorities said he succumbed to his injuries.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Bonneville County Search and Rescue, Star Valley Search and Rescue, Swan Valley Fire and Idaho Falls EMS. Leishman’s friends and families also assisted in the recovery.
The incident on Tuesday near Palisades Reservoir is the latest in a string of snowmobile deaths in the region. Last month, two snowmobilers were killed by avalanches in the Island Park area.
On Jan. 10, Idaho Falls resident Adam Wayne Andersen was killed while snowmobiling following an avalanche in the Centennial Mountain Range. Less than two weeks later on Jan. 20, Raymond John Moe of Missoula, Montana, was killed by an avalanche while snowmobiling with friends near the Idaho/Montana border.
Authorities are warning that avalanche danger remains high throughout the region and will continue to increase as temperatures warm up during the rest of the snowmobiling season.
