Snowmachiner, skier die in accidents

ANCHORAGE - Two people died in separate accidents this weekend.

Alaska State Troopers and the Valdez Fire Department said 27-year-old snowmachiner Jordan William of Anchorage died after triggering an avalanche Saturday at Thompson Pass.

On Friday, 32-year-old skier Herve Mazieres of France died Friday six miles in from Mile 29 of the Richardson Highway.

George Keeney, chief of the Valdez Fire Department, said other accidents over the past few days in Thompson Pass included a snowmachiner who fell 50 feet into a crevasse, a backcountry ski guide who broke his neck skiing away from a separate avalanche, and several mishaps that left people with broken bones.