Injured skier rescued from avalanche near Essex

A skier was air-lifted from backcountry terrain near Essex on Saturday after they were seriously injured in a large avalanche set off by their partner from the slopes above.

The Two Bear Air rescue helicopter extracted the partially-buried skier, who was swept by the avalanche more than 50 yards though a group of trees. Two Bear crews met the ALERT air ambulance at Hungry Horse Reservoir, and the skier was later hospitalized at Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell with serious injuries.

The accident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. in the Marion Lake area of the Flathead Range south of Glacier National Park at the tail end of a long day of backcountry skiing, according to a preliminary incident report from the Flathead Avalanche Center. The party of two had skied more than 7,000 vertical feet earlier in the day, including a descent of 7,690-foot Mount Adams.