Minnesota men missing after Alaska avalanche

GIRDWOOD, Alaska (FOX 9) - Minnesotans were in a group of skiers who are believed to be dead after an avalanche south of Anchorage this week, authorities have confirmed.

3 skiers missing after Girdwood avalanche

What we know:

Authorities said the three heli-skiers had been flown on Tuesday to a remote mountain range near Girdwood, Alaska – just southeast of Anchorage in the Chugach range – when they were swept under by the avalanche.

The avalanche happened around 3:30 p.m. Alaska time and authorities were notified about 90 minutes later.

Authorities estimated the skiers have been buried under approximately 40 to 100 feet of snow, and the weight of the snow likely killed the group.

The three skiers who are missing were identified Thursday as: 

• Jeremy Leif, 38, of Minnesota.
• David Linder, 39, of Florida, and owner of Radio Mankato in Minnesota.
• Charles Eppard, 39, of Montana, and originally from North Mankato, Minnesota.

The backstory:

Heli-skiing involves skiers being taken to the top of a mountain via helicopter and skiing their way down the mountain.

Search efforts continue

Big picture view:

Officials had listed the avalanche risk for the Turnagain Pass, which includes the avalanche zone, was forecast as "considerable."

Search efforts:

Guides that were with the skiers initially tried to rescue the victims, but authorities say they were unable to get to the skiers. The guides were able to use avalanche beacons to identify the likely area where the skiers were buried.

Because of the avalanche risk, authorities were unable to search for the skiers on Tuesday. Search efforts began on Wednesday and were suspended in the evening hours.

Authorities said on Thursday they would attempt to conduct an aerial assessment of the slide area to determine additional avalanche danger and recovery options.