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HUMAN-TRIGGERED AVALANCHE . THAT SKIER WAS TRAPPED FOR NEARLY AN HOUR BEFORE CREWS WERE ABLE TO FIND HIM AND DIG HIM OUT. FOREST SERVICE OFFICIALS SAY IT HAPPENED BETWEEN THE RAVINES IN AN AREA KNOWN AS RAYMOND CATARACT. THE SKIER DID HAVE AN AVALANCHE BEACON ON HIM . SNOW RANGERS WERE FIRST ALERTED TO THE AVALANCHE AROUND 1:30 THIS AFTERNOON. THEY FOUND HIM AND DUG HIM OUT OF NEARLY 5 FEET OF SNOW BY ABOUT 2:20. EVAN BURKS PHONER 0:37-0:55 NOTICED ONE SET OF SKI TRACKS GOING INTO THE AVALANCHE AREA AND NO TRACKS GOING OUT. BEGAN LOOKING FOR A BEACON AND FOUND ONE BURIED SKIER ABOUT A METER AND A HALF UNDER THE SNO RESCUERS PERFORMED C-P-R AS THEY TRANSPORTED HIM DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. A MEDIVAC HELICOPTER WAS ON SITE BUT MEDICS PRONOUNCED THE MAN DEAD. EXPERTS SAY THE SNOW CAN BE UNPREDICTABLE THIS TIME OF YEAR. MIKE CHERUM PHONER 2:07-2:27 "THE WINDS PACK IT DOWN AND CREATE WIND SLAB WHICH CAN CRACK AND BREAK AWAY AND LOTS OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN. IT’S WINTER ON MOUNT WASHINGTON. THAT’S NORMAL. IT’S SPRING EVERYWHERE ELSE. PEOPLE NEED TO WAIT FOR SPRING ON MOUNT WASHINGTON TO REALLY GET INTO THE SKIING AND BE CAREFUL THE WHITE MOUNTAIN AVALANCHE CENTER POSTED THE AVALANCHE DANGER TODAY AS BEING "MODERATE." THE VICTIMS NAME IS NOT BEIN RELEASED AT THIS TIME. LIVE IN PINKHAM’S GRANT, SIOBHAN LOPEZ, WMUR NEWS 9.

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A man was killed Thursday afternoon in an avalanche near Tuckerman Ravine.The man, who is believed to have been skiing solo, did pack the appropriate safety gear, officials said.>> Download the FREE WMUR appOfficials said the avalanche was human-triggered and that the man was trapped for nearly an hour before crews were able to find him and dig him out.U.S. Forest Service officials said the avalanche happened between the ravines in an area known as Raymond Cataract. The skier did have an avalanche beacon on him.Snow rangers were first alerted to the avalanche around 1:30 p.m. They found the skier and dug him out of nearly five feet of snow by about 2:20.“(They) noticed one set of ski tracks going into the avalanche area and no tracks going out,” said Evan Burks, public and legislative affairs officer for the Forest Service. “(They) began looking for a beacon and found one buried skier about a meter and a half under the snow.”Rescuers performed CPR as they transported him down the mountain. A medical helicopter was on site, but first responders pronounced the man dead.Experts say the snow can be unpredictable this time of year."The winds pack it down and create wind slab, which can crack and break away, and lots of things can happen,” said Mike Cherim of Redline Guiding in Intervale. “It's winter on Mount Washington. That's normal. It's spring everywhere else. People need to wait for spring on Mount Washington to really get into the skiing and be careful." The White Mountain Avalanche Center posted the avalanche danger for Thursday as being "moderate."The victim’s name is not being released at this time.Before the deadly avalanche, there were multiple other avalanches reported Thursday. According to observer Kurt Niiler, there were at least three human-triggered avalanches on a different part of the mountain. The first involved a skier, who was not caught up in it or hurt, near the base of Halfpipe Gully. The second one was apparently triggered by a party of three people near Double Barrell, with one of them potentially getting caught for a short time. No one there was hurt. The third, which involved a snowboarder who was not hurt, was triggered near the Airplane Bowl.