Men with Minnesota ties believed dead after Alaskan avalanche
A number of skiers who are believed to be dead following an avalanche near a ski resort in Alaska have Minnesota ties.
Charlie Eppard, Jeremy Leif and David Linder were missing in the avalanche's aftermath and authorities believe they did not survive. Eppard is from Mankato, Minnesota; Leif is also from the state and Linder owned a local radio station.
As reported earlier by CBS News, the avalanche buried the three skiers under at least 40 feet of snow, creating a wall of debris that could be as deep as 100 feet.
Authorities said the massive avalanche occurred Tuesday afternoon near the small resort town of Girdwood in the southern part of the state. The three skiers, who were part of a heli-skiing group, became trapped in the avalanche at around 3:30 p.m. local time, their guides said.
Alaska State Troopers on Wednesday said they were not able to reach the skiers because of the depth. Additional recovery operations couldn't be conducted that night because of ongoing avalanche risks in the area, as well as limited daylight.
However, in a dispatch on Thursday, troopers said, "Troopers, avalanche, and recovery experts will attempt to conduct an aerial assessment of the slide area today to determine additional avalanche danger and recovery options."
Eppard's family wrote on social media:
"Our hearts are heavy and we are heartbroken at the loss of our son Charlie Eppard who was caught in an avalanche in Alaska on Tuesday. He was doing what he loved. He was not alone and we know others are feeling our same raw pain as we navigate through this loss."
"As little kids, I can't remember exactly what age it started, but I just always wanted to be like my big brother," Charlie Eppard's brother Jon Eppard said. 'And he was super into skiing, so it got me into skiing because I wanted to be like him."
Charlie Eppard was just weeks shy of his 40th birthday, Jon Eppard is two years younger. Both brothers settled in the West, Charlie Eppard in Montana and Jon Eppard in Anchorage.
"And skiing was always a part of that," Jon Eppard said. "I think he was really stoked when I ended up moving to Alaska.
Even if the brothers hadn't talked for a while, they would check in and talk about their shared passion of skiing.
"It was definitely the thing we connected on the most," Jon Eppard said.
Charlie Eppard and his wife, Brittany Mitchell, have a daughter, Belen. He worked remotely in software sales for IBM, which allowed them to pursue the lifestyle they wanted in the West.
"He was a super passionate guy and anything he did, he was like all in on," Jon Eppard said. "I just feel lucky to have had him as a big brother."
The family has set up a GoFundMe to support them during this time.
Attempts to reach Leif's family members were not immediately successful.
Subarctic Media, which owns radio stations across Minnesota, said Linder, 29, of Miami, was one of its owners.
Managing Partner Matt Ketelsen said Linder was on vacation with friends to do backcountry skiing in Alaska. Ketelsen said he didn't have details about the avalanche.
"Dave was a great skier, a very confident, good skier," Ketelsen said. "He'd done this before. This wasn't new for him."
Ketelsen described his business partner as a devoted father of three young boys.
"He loved the communities that his businesses and our radio stations served," Ketelsen said. "And it's a sad day around here when you lose somebody that is really passionate about the business that they're in."
