Posted: Feb 14, 2011 7:17 PM by KBZK Media Center
Updated: Feb 15, 2011 9:37 AM
Gallatin County officials confirm 22-year-old Caleb Acker died Monday afternoon after he triggered an avalanche on the west side of the Bridger Mountains.
Acker, originally from Missoula, was snowboarding with another man and a dog in the Truman Gulch area. The other man, whose name has not been released, immediately began searching for Acker following the slide.
At 1 p.m. 911 received a call from Acker's partner saying he was getting intermittent signals from Acker's avalanche transceiver. Gallatin County Search and Rescue and Bridger Bowl ski patrol responded to the call. The Truman area is the direct backside of Bridger Bowl, and the ski patrollers were able to reach Acker within 35 minutes. Acker died from trauma sustained in the slide.
Avalanche danger had been rated as moderate for the Bridger range, but high winds loaded northern and eastern slopes with snow, creating more dangerous areas.
The Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center will be investigating the scene tomorrow.
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