BOUNDARY COUNTY, Idaho — Boundary County Emergency Management released the name of the person who died in an avalanche.
According to Boundary County officials, 54-year-old snowmobiler Lance Gidley was snowmobiling with a friend on Friday afternoon, when an avalanche rushed toward the duo. Gidley's friend outran the avalanche and tried to look for Gidley once he was safe.
Both people have experience in snowmobiling and Gidley was wearing an avalanche beacon at the time of the incident.
Crews found Gidley already dead under four feet of snow at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. BCSO said it took rescuers nine hours to find Gidley because of the terrain and weather.
“My sincere condolences to his family and friends. I’m glad we were able to provide them some closure by completing this recovery today. The recovery team did a great job and the Chaplains Corps was really helpful to the family," Boundary County Sheriff Dave Kramer said.
Avalanche warnings were in effect at the time of the incident.
According to Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (IPAC), law enforcement responded to the possible avalanche fatality around 1:30 p.m. in the southern Selkirk Mountains near the Pack River drainage.
This investigation is ongoing.
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