ANCHORAGE — Avalanche danger is continuing to hamper search efforts for a man missing at Hatcher Pass.
Anchorage television station KTUU reported 33-year-old Dr. Liam Walsh last spoke to family members Sunday afternoon. An avid backcountry skier, Walsh was reported missing Monday.
An Alaska State Trooper helicopter flew to the pass Thursday but an avalanche forecaster concluded that conditions were too hazardous for a ground search.
Avalanche expert Wendy Wagner of the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center says there’s a bad foundation for snow in the mountains and that newer snow is not able to stick.
An avalanche 100 feet wide put 8 feet of snow onto the road to Hatcher Pass. Alaska Department of Transportation spokeswoman Shannon McCarthy says Palmer-Fishhook Road likely be closed through the weekend.
