2 Jackson skiers die in avalanches

Two skiers from Jackson, Wyo., died in separate avalanches Sunday.

In Grand Teton National Park, Nick Gillespie, 30, was caught in an avalanche on the southeast face of Survey Peak in the northern Teton Range and died as a result of injuries suffered in the slide. Gillespie was a long-time seasonal employee of Grand Teton National Park who worked on the park’s trail crew for the past six years. Park officials said they began efforts to recover Gillespie’s body Monday.

And west of Bondurant, Wyo., Elizabeth “Liza” Gray Benson, 28, hit a tree after being carried away by a small avalanche. Rescue workers planned to recover her body from the area near Cliff and Cabin creeks on Monday.

Authorities are warning about avalanche danger in the region. The avalanche danger on Sunday was listed as low in the morning rising to moderate in the afternoon at elevations between 9,000 and 10,500 feet. Moderate danger means that natural avalanches are unlikely, but human-triggered avalanches are possible.

“Unstable conditions exist on steep slopes, and even small slides have demonstrated the ability to kill,” according to a bulletin from Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center on Monday for Teton, Lincoln and Sublette counties.

For up-to-date avalanche information, go to http://www.jhavalanche.org.