At 10 am on Thursday, Alaska State Troopers in Haines were notified of an avalanche incident.

According to the caller, 29-year-old Bode Merrill of Utah “was snowboarding with a local guiding company.” According to the report, “Merrill stepped out of the helicopter and onto a cornice. The cornice broke before Merrill could grab his gear. Merrill went down with the avalanche about 600 feet.”

While he was not buried in the initial avalanche, another sl;ab of snow broke loose, burying Merrill under three feet of snow. After a brief search, Merrill was located and uncovered.

After digging him out, Merrill was transported to the Haines clinic then medevaced to the hospital in Juneau

It is believed that his injuries are non-life-threatening.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

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