An avalanche in Oregon sweeps a skier up a volcanic cliff to his death, sheriff says

Authorities said two skiers in Oregon watched their friend drift off a snow-covered volcanic cliff and die as a result of the fall.

A search and rescue team was dispatched from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s office at approximately 12:45 p.m. Wednesday to report an avalanche at Paulina Peak in Newbery National Volcanic Monument.

The International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) informed MPs that they had received an SOS alert from a device and provided the GPS coordinates of the location.

A second alert from the machine stated that there had been an avalanche and CPR was in progress on a person who was not breathing.

The person caught in the avalanche was later identified as 33-year-old Eric Hefflefinger of Bend, Oregon.

According to his friends and other skiers at the scene, they witnessed the avalanche from below and saw Heffelfinger being carried up a slope band by the icy debris, authorities said.

Hefflefinger is located by his friends, who were not buried by the avalanche, and immediately begin a life-saving effort.

Snow conditions limited access for some first responders, but successful air rescues allowed crews to reach Hefflefinger about 3 hours after the avalanche.

Measures were taken to save his life after his faint pulse was detected. However, the man succumbed to his injuries.

As a result of the investigation, the deputies said the victim may have hit a tree while she was stuck in the avalanche debris.

Heffelfinger’s death was not the first in Deschutes County. Lawmakers said two previous cases of avalanche-related deaths since January had been investigated. Before these tragedies, 9 years had passed since an avalanche death was recorded.

At 7,984 feet, Paulina Peak is the highest point of Newberry Volcano, according to the USDA Forest Service.