Bryce Astle, 19 and Ronnie Berlack, 20, both of the U.S. development-level ski team, were free-skiing together in the Soelden area of the Alps when they were caught in the avalanche.
“Ronnie and Bryce were both outstanding ski racers who were passionate about their sport – both on the race course and skiing the mountain,” the president of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, Tiger Shaw, said in a statement on their website.
“Both of them loved what they did and conveyed that to those around them.”
There were no other deaths reported in the avalanche and four other members of the U.S. development-level ski team were there but able to ski out of the avalanche. There were reports that the two skiers who died were not wearing avalanche emergency gear. It’s not known if the four who survived were equipped with avalanche emergency gear.
The avalanche warning level at the time was rated as 3 out of five, which on the Soelden website translates to: “On many steep slopes the snow is only moderately or weakly stable. Avalanches may be triggered on many slopes even if only light loads are applied. On some steeper slopes*, medium or even fairly large spontaneous avalanches may occur.”
Astle was from Utah and Berlack from New Hampshire.
