Sandpoint man dies in avalanche

UPPER PACK RIVER — Searchers recovered the body Saturday of a snowmobiler who was caught in an avalanche the day before in the upper mountainous area of Pack River near Hunt Lake.

Lance J. Gidley, 54, of Sandpoint, was caught in an avalanche Friday afternoon in the remote area of Boundary County.

A group of experienced riders who were familiar with the area, in cooperation with Boundary County Sheriff and the County Search and Dive Rescue Team, recovered Gidley’s remains, which were received by the county coroner around 8 p.m. Saturday night, Andrew O’Neal, Boundary County public information officer, said in a press release. 

It took about nine hours to recover the man’s body due to the rugged terrain, challenging weather, and the high risk of further avalanche, Boundary County officials said. 

Boundary County Sheriff Dave Kramer commended the professional searchers and volunteers, some of whom were friends of the deceased man.

“My sincere condolences to his family and friends. I’m glad we were able to provide them some closure by completing this recovery today. The recovery team did a great job and the Chaplains Corps was really helpful to the family,” Kramer said.

Gidley had been snowmobiling Friday afternoon with a friend when they encountered an avalanche. The friend was barely able to outrun the avalanche on his snowmobile and immediately returned to search for Gidley, who was wearing an avalanche beacon. However, the man was found dead under four feet of snow.

The incident is still being investigated by the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center in Sandpoint. Avalanche warnings were in effect for the area at the time and were known to the riders. No other injuries were sustained in the incident.