21-year-old man killed in avalanche while snowmobiling
A 21-year-old man died after his snowmobile triggered an avalanche on Saturday in Cook City, Montana.
Washington State native Wyatt Coiteux was killed while snowmobiling alongside his teenage brother on Crown Butte, the Daily Mail reported Monday.
“Coiteux had climbed a slope and triggered the avalanche and was carried 600 vertical feet before being buried under five feet of snow,” the outlet said, adding that another group of runners arrived moments later. later and alerted the rescue teams.
When his body was found, the group performed CPR and also used an automated external defibrillator to try to save him.
Washington man, 21 years old. killed in Montana avalanche while snowmobiling with his teenage brother https://t.co/pJEX2025BO
— US Daily Mail (@DailyMail) January 3, 2023
“The brothers were riding alongside according to local authorities and Coiteux was carrying an air bag at the time of the avalanche,” said the Mail The report continues, however, “It is unclear if the airbag failed to deploy due to a malfunction or if Coiteux fired it.”
The pair also carried shovels and probes, but apparently did not have avalanche beacons used to find people buried in the snow.
On what appears to be his Facebook page, Coiteux described himself as a “motorsport enthusiast”.
Meanwhile, the Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center said on Sunday that they saw the avalanche that claimed the snowmobiler’s life:
It occurred on a southeast facing slope at 9,800 feet elevation. At the top, the avalanche was 1.5 to 2 feet deep on average, and up to 4 feet at the deepest. It broke 500 feet wide and ran 600 vertical feet. It was a hard slab avalanche that broke up on light, sugary snow and was large enough to snap trees or destroy a car.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim, and those involved in the rescue and recovery,” the message read.
Today we looked at the avalanche that killed a snowmobiler yesterday near Cooke City. It occurred on a southeast facing slope at 9,800 feet elevation. At the top, the avalanche was 1.5 to 2 feet deep on average, and up to 4 feet at the deepest. It broke 500 feet wide and ran 600 vertical feet. It was a hard slab avalanche that broke up on light, sugary snow and was large enough to snap trees or destroy a car. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim, and those involved in the rescue and recovery.#cookecity
Posted by Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center on Sunday, January 1, 2023
Speak Mail article, the 21-year-old loved snowmobiling and had experience in this field.
According to Ready.gov, once an avalanche stops moving, the snow becomes solid and a victim trapped underneath is unable to extricate itself.
“People caught in avalanches can die from suffocation, trauma or hypothermia,” the website says.
In December, emergency crews in Washington rescued a man trapped in an avalanche in the Table Rock Mountain area after he was knocked off his snowmobile and tumbled down the hill, Breitbart News reported.
“The man was eventually transported to a hospital in Walla Walla. He suffered a fractured femur near his hip and after the operation was due to return home,” the article read.
breitbart
