Avalanche Kills Valdez Heli Ski Guide

Legendary heli guide Mike Hamilton was killed following an avalanche on Thompson Pass last week. | GoFundMe photo.

A well-known heli skiing guide was killed in an avalanche on Thompson Pass outside Valdez, Alaska last week. Mike Hamilton, 46, was a long time and highly respected guide for Valdez Heli Ski Guides who had worked in the Chugach since 2006. He was scouting a run for his clients when he triggered an avalanche that pushed him off a cliff. He was able to deploy his avalanche airbag, which prevented him from getting buried, but sustained severe injuries in the fall. Hamilton was transported via helicopter to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to the Valdez Avalanche Center, the slide happened at about 5,800 feet on a northwest slope in the Pencil Glacier. The glacier is located about 35 miles southeast of Valdez. The avalanche was classified as a human-triggered storm slab triggered near a ridgeline. This spring, thanks to heavy snowfall and large temperature swings, Alaska has experienced periods of dangerous avalanche condtions. A fundraiser has been set up to support his surviving family.