2nd Body Recovered 8 Months After 3 Skiers Were Buried Under 100 Feet of Snow in Alaska Avalanche

Authorities have recovered a second body after three skiers went missing in a March avalanche near Girdwood, Alaska.

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Alaska Department of Public Safety announced that remains were found following the earlier recovery of 39-year-old David Linder’s body in October.

“On November 2, 2025, DPS HELO 3 and a recovery team from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group were able to recover human remains from the slide area,” the department said in a statement. “The remains were taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification. Next of kin have been notified. The man’s identity will be released publicly once it has been confirmed.”

Officials previously identified the missing skiers as Linder of Florida, Charles Eppard, 39, of Montana, and Jeremy Leif, 38, of Minnesota.

Linder’s body was found on Oct. 7, “caught in a log jam in the river flowing underneath the avalanche slide area,” according to authorities.

The trio had been skiing with Chugach Powder Guides, as reported by the Anchorage Daily News.

Linder, Eppard, and Leif are believed to have been caught in the avalanche around 3:30 p.m. on March 4. The Alaska Wildlife Troopers were first alerted to the incident that day near the West Fork of 20 Mile River close to Girdwood, according to the state’s Department of Public Safety.

“Guides from the commercial heliskiing operation that the group was with immediately attempted to locate the three skiers,” authorities said. “Using avalanche beacons, the guides identified a probable area where skiers were buried between 40 feet and nearly 100 feet deep.” However, recovery efforts were not possible at that time due to the extreme depth.

The next day, on March 5, poor weather conditions prevented helicopters, troopers, and avalanche experts from reaching the area to evaluate further recovery options.

By March 7, officials determined that “due to a high risk of additional avalanches and the challenging location where the bodies of the three men are believed to be buried, recovery efforts were not possible until conditions improved to ensure the safety of rescue teams.”

One of the victims’ brothers told NBC affiliate KTUU that the three men had grown up together in Mankato, Minnesota, and were on a ski vacation when the tragedy occurred.

According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, an average of about 27 people die in avalanches each winter in the United States.