Avalanche Kills Denali National Park and Preserve Staff Member

An avalanche killed Denali National Park and Preserve staff member Eric Walter while he was backcountry skiing on a north-facing slope near Mile 10 on the Park Road on Thursday, May 4.

An individual reported to the Park’s kennels staff that they observed a skier trigger an avalanche on an unnamed slope south of Jenny Creek and East of Savage River. The skier was alone when the incident occurred. 

Denali rangers were dispatched and observed an unoccupied truck at the Mile 11 pullout. A ranger used a spotting scope to look for survivors in the area where the avalanche occurred. Two skis, one vertical, one lying flat on the surface, as well as an orange bag were observed in a debris field in the avalanche area.

The Park’s mountaineering rangers based in Talkeetna were dispatched with the park’s contracted helicopter. Mountaineering staff at the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station have extensive avalanche training, as well as rescue and response experience. The high-altitude helicopter needed for this type of response is stored in Talkeetna from April through July. 

Maureen Gualtieri (GAL-tee-AIR-ee) says that three team members from the Talkeetna Ranger Station conducted a quick aerial reconnaissance of the area. Two rangers with basic life support equipment were inserted via short-haul to the scene. This is done when the helicopter cannot land. Upon reaching the scene it was determined that the skier had died. The rangers recovered the skier via short-haul. The skier was later identified to be Eric Walter. Eric was a much-loved member of the Alaska Regional Communications Center (Denali Dispatch) and was known throughout the Alaska Region for providing radio-based safety support and dispatch services for National Park Service operations across Alaska.

Eric began working for the Park in 2011 as a student intern. He lived in the Park and also worked for a short time in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. He worked at the Park kennels as an intern and then as a seasonal ranger. He began working with the Communications Center in 2014. Gualtieri (GAL-tee-AIR-ee) says that Eric was an avid outdoorsman and was skiing in his free time when the incident occurred. 

“Our thoughts are with Eric’s family in this challenging time,” says Superintendent Brooke Merrell, “We are also incredibly grateful for the professional and compassionate response of our Talkeetna mountaineering team.” Eric was 32 years old.