Grand Teton National Park, WY – A team of Grand Teton National Park rangers, Teton Interagency personnel, Teton County Search and Rescue members and the Teton County contract helicopter on Thursday recovered the bodies of two backcountry skiers who died in an avalanche within the park.
Chris Onufer, 42, of Teton Village, Wyo. and Steve Romeo, 40, of Jackson, Wyo. were found in avalanche debris just before noon on Thursday. Romeo was the founder of the backcountry skiing website TetonAT.com.
“The tragic loss of Steve and Chris is deeply felt by everyone in Grand Teton National Park,” said park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott. “These two individuals have touched so many in the park and in our community. Our sincere condolences are extended to the family and friends of Steve and Chris. Hopefully all who loved them can find a measure of solace knowing they died doing what they both loved: skiing.”
Romeo and Onufer on Wednesday were in a couloir on a ridge that forms the north wall of Waterfalls Canyon. Based on evidence at the scene, park rangers believe the pair was ascending with skins when a large soft slab avalanche released, sending them over 2,000 feet down the couloir. The crown broke at about 10,300 feet in elevation and the toe of the avalanche terminated around 7,100 feet in elevation. The crown was estimated to be approximately 600 feet long with a depth of about three feet, and the debris field that reached into Waterfalls Canyon had an estimated average snow depth of six feet. The avalanche danger was rated as moderate on Wednesday by the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center.
Onufer was reported missing to the Teton County Sheriff’s Office at 10:36 p.m. on Wednesday. Sheriff Deputies began a missing persons investigation on Wednesday night after Onufer failed to pick up his father from the Jackson Hole Airport at 7 p.m. At 10:47 p.m. it was learned that Onufer had intended to go skiing in Grand Teton National Park Wednesday morning with a friend.
At 11:16 p.m. a Grand Teton National Park ranger began sweeping trailheads popular for backcountry skiers in the park’s south district. As more information became available a ranger in the Colter Bay area began sweeping the areas in the north district of Grand Teton National Park. Onufer’s vehicle was located near the Colter Bay swim beach just after 12:30 a.m. Thursday.
With the support of Teton County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch, park rangers worked throughout the night to notify rescuers and establish a search plan. On Thursday at 2:23 a.m. the incident commander requested the Teton County Search and Rescue contract helicopter be made available at first light for the search efforts. A morning briefing was held at 6 a.m. at Colter Bay while two park rangers responded to the county search and rescue hanger to meet the helicopter.
Searchers in the helicopter that spotted the avalanche early on Thursday morning, and at 8:48 a.m. an avalanche transceiver hanging below the helicopter to search the debris had two positive beacon hits. The helicopter proceeded to a landing zone in the Colter Bay area on the east side of Jackson Lake. Just before 11 a.m., a team of seven rangers was flown to Waterfalls Canyon near the toe of the avalanche where they began a probe search of the debris. Romeo was found about 150 feet from the avalanche’s toe and Onufer was found about 1,500 feet above Romeo. Both were located near the surface of the debris.
By 11:45 a.m. the bodies of Onufer and Romeo had been flown to the west side of Jackson Lake. From there, rangers on snowmobiles transported Romeo and Onufer to the east side of Jackson Lake, where they were met by the Teton County Coroner Kiley Campbell, who determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.