Avalanche kills 17-year-olds skiing and snowboarding on Idaho mountain, officials say

An avalanche killed two 17-year-old boys who were skiing and snowboarding on an Idaho mountain, officials said.

The teens were buried in an avalanche near Relay Ridge west of Driggs in East Idaho on Friday, Dec. 17, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office said.

“The reporting party advised the sheriff’s office that one person was riding a snowmobile and another was skiing at the time the avalanche occurred,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Their bodies were recovered from the site of the avalanche near Ryan Peak. The Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center said both were 17.

The avalanche’s cause is under investigation. The sheriff’s office did not release the names of the teens.

An avalanche can happen quickly and catch people by surprise. Avalanches can move at speeds between 60 mph and 80 mph, and typically happen on slopes of 30-45 degrees, according to officials.

They can be triggered by a change in the weather or by people recreating on a slope, officials said.

Skiers, snowmobilers and hikers can set off an avalanche when a layer of snow collapses and starts to slide down the slope. People trigger about 90% of avalanches, according to National Geographic.

In the U.S., avalanches are most common from December to April, but they can happen at any time if the conditions allow for it, National Geographic reported.

One other person has been killed by avalanches during the 2021-2022 avalanche season as of Dec. 20, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Avalanche kills 17-year-olds skiing and snowboarding on Idaho mountain, officials say."