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Alexander Hellweger, from Sand in Taufers in northeast Italy,
and a group of friends spent Sunday back-country skiing in an
area of the rugged Chugach Mountains, in the southern part of
the state, which they accessed by helicopter.
Hellweger and friends from Italy and Belgium then decided to
view Lake George Glacier before returning to Girdwood, a
year-round resort community within the Municipality of
Anchorage.
"As the group was viewing the glacier up close, a large piece of
ice calved off the glacier and crushed (Hellweger)," according
to a report by Alaska State Troopers.
Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said there were no reports of
any other injuries to the group.
Chugach Powder Guides, the service that took Hellweger's group
on the trip, said in a statement that guides administered CPR
and medical protocols but were unable to resuscitate him after
what it said was "a mass ice movement event."
"While this type of event is an inherent risk of mountain and
glacier exploration, Chugach Powder Guides has offered its
sincere condolences to the gentleman's family," it said.
The Chugach Powder Guides and the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group
retrieved Hellweger's body on Monday. It was flown to the
Girdwood airport, where the State Medical Examiner's Office took
possession of it, the Troopers said.
(Reporting by Steve Quinn in Juneau, Alaska; Editing by Eric M.
Johnson and Eric Walsh)
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