A trio of skiers is likely buried under an avalanche near Anchorage, Alaska, that occurred Tuesday afternoon, but dangerous backcountry conditions have so far stymied recovery operations, officials announced.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers said an avalanche buried three skiers under a blanket of snow between 40 and 100 feet deep in a small resort town.

The three men killed Tuesday by a massive avalanche during a guided heli-skiing trip in the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood came together in Alaska after meeting years ago in Minnesota.

It appears to be the first fatal avalanche this winter in Alaska and the country's deadliest since an avalanche in Washington's Cascade Mountains killed three climbers in 2023.

Three people are feared to be dead after being buried by a large avalanche while on a guided heli-skiing trip near Girdwood, Alaska, authorities said. (Dreamstime) Three skiers identified Thursday as feared killed in an Alaskan avalanche had Minnesota connections.

Multiple heli-skiers were trapped in an avalanche near Girdwood, Alaska, on Tuesday afternoon, and a search effort is underway to rescue them despite deep snow complicating recovery efforts

Charlie Eppard, originally from Mankato, and Jeremy Leif are two of the three skiers who went missing following an avalanche near a ski resort in Alaska.

Officials at the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center have confirmed that three skiers on a heli-skiing tour died in an avalanche near Girdwood, Alaska, southeast of Anchorage, this week. The avalanche occurred on March 4 at about 3:30 pm.

A massive avalanche in Alaska has buried three skiers, who are now presumed dead, while a fourth skier managed to escape unharmed. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing as authorities battle harsh conditions to locate the missing.