Two snowboarders were caught in an avalanche on the NW aspect of Dude Mountain (5 ½ miles due north of Ketchikan, Alaska); Rider 1 was fully buried and Rider 2 was caught but able
to ride out of the slide. Rider 1 descended the slope and stopped approximately 400 vertical feet out of view of Rider 2 below a convex rollover. After at least one minute, Rider 2
descended behind Rider 1. While descending, Rider 2 saw the slide release around and above him. He was caught but remained upright and was able to ride out of the side. Rider 1 was buried 110-130cm deep and around a tree. It is unclear if the slide was triggered by Rider 1 while stepping out of his splitboard (found 400’ below burial site and still in ride mode) or by Ketchikan
Rider 2 while descending the slope. Rider 2 conducted a beacon search and was able to get a signal but after 1-1.5hrs of digging was unable to locate Rider 1. Search efforts were hampered by elevated avalanche hazard and weather. When the weather improved on March 1st, the body of Rider 1 was located and recovered by a rescue team (KVRS, JMR, SEADOGS) at ~3:45pm.