An avalanche inside western Wyoming buried two skiers this weekend, killing one and injuring the other.
Teton County Search and Rescue said the fatal incident occurred Saturday afternoon on Togwotee Pass in the Breccia Cliffs area.
The two skiers were part of a group of four climbing a backcountry mountain about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Grand Teton National Park when they triggered an avalanche.
One skier was completely buried, while the other was partially buried with leg injuries.
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A large avalanche in western Wyoming on Togwotee Pass killed Kenneth Goff, an experienced outdoorsman, and injured another skier on January 4, 2025. (Teton County Search and Rescue)
An emergency warning was issued just before noon on Saturday for a known avalanche burial, but due to weather conditions it took almost four hours for first responders to arrive on the scene.
Teton County Search and Rescue initially deployed teams to respond via helicopters, snowmobiles and skis. The helicopter eventually returned because “conditions did not permit an aerial response” and the snowmobile team also could not reach the skiers due to “challenging conditions.”
The team of skiers on skins – fabric that attaches to the bottom of skis to help climb hills – finally reached the party at 3:47 p.m. They treated the injured skier and used a litter to ski the person from the backcountry to an ambulance.
Teton County search and rescue teams had difficulty reaching the group of skiers due to challenging weather conditions. (Teton County Search and Rescue)
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They were also able to recover the skier’s body and used a sked to extract him from the backcountry. Teton County Coroner Brent Blue identified him as Kenneth Goff, 36, according to The Associated Press.
Goff, originally from Lander, Wyoming, was a experienced outdoorsman and worked as a nurse and on the city’s search and rescue team, according to his resume on a portfolio website.
Kenneth Goff, 36, was identified by the Teton County coroner as the skier who died in the avalanche. (Kenneth Goff / Portfolium web page)
He has worked in various capacities as a rock climbing instructor since October 2011 and has taught climbing and mountaineering courses at the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander since May 2017.
Goff is the fifth person killed by an avalanche in the United States this winter.
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“This serves as an important reminder of how long a mission can take if the helicopter is on the ground, and is another factor to consider in your backcountry planning should an accident occur,” Teton County Search wrote and Rescue on Facebook.
“TCSAR extends its most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased skier.”
