Wolling was reportedly buried for about 10 minutes under the snow  after being swept over a 25-foot cliff in the resort’s Cheyenne Bowl at 8:26 a.m. while working on avalanche hazard reduction duty.  The public was not on the mountain at the time of the incident, resort officials said.

Wolling’s partner, whose name ski area officials withheld Wednesday, found the patroller well down the 1,000-foot-long avalanche path using a radio transceiver. Rescuers uncovered Wolling from beneath about 6 feet of snow and began rescue breathing as soon as possible and he was transported by fellow patrollers to the Teton Village Clinic in a sled in six minutes.

An ambulance took Wolling to St. John’s Medical Center because weather was too bad for a helicopter to pick him up from Teton Village, and a plane subsequently transported him to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, where he was in the Intensive Care Unit on Wednesday night.

Wolling, 58, was a veteran of Rendezvous Mountain, where he had worked since 1978.  Mark  was widely known for his  gregarious nature, penchant for fun, and big heart.   He was a kayaker, skier and mountain biker, and had survived two serious parapent crashes that led him to launch the tradition of Goatstock fundraiser parties for injured valley athletes.

JHMR Patrollers Wednesday morning were expecting “considerable” danger and slab avalanches with crowns up to 3 feet deep, Elkins said.   Considerable translates to the possiblity of human-caused avalanches being probable.

The Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center on Wednesday afternoon listed the danger as “high” at mid and upper elevations.

Wolling was on Route 7 at the bottom of Rendezvous Bowl with his partner when he threw a hand charge onto the slope in Cheyenne Bowl, provoking no slide.  He apparently then skied to his bomb hole and began a traverse beneath Rendezvous Trail and above the cliff band, the two patrollers being about 120 feet apart. His partner followed and traversed farther to the east, arriving at a tree somewhat above Wolling.

Wolling then threw two more hand charges to the edge of the cliff and they detonated simultaneously. The charges each weighed 2 pounds, a resort official said.

“When that shot detonated, the slope above him failed,” resort officials stated. “Mark’s partner was able to self-arrest on a tree.”

Two other patrollers on Route 7 watched the slide carry Wolling over the cliff.

The avalanche cut a crown up to 3.5 feet deep and 130 feet long. Avalanche forecasters classified its size relative to its path as three on a scale of five. Its destructive capacity also was listed as three on a scale of five.

It started on a 34-degree slope facing northeast. The slope had not been opened to the public this season but had been bombed without provoking a slide.

The slide ran into the bottom of Cheyenne Bowl, which has been open to the public this season.

This incident took place prior to the lifts being open to the public. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort received 10 inches of snow in the previous 24 hours and substantial amounts in the previous week.

Further Information regarding the avalanche site:
Length of Avalanche Path – Approx: 1000 feet
Crown Height (Max): 42 inches. 3.5 feet
Crown Length: 130 feet wide
Avy Classification (1-5): R3D3
Cliff Band Height: 25-30 feet
Slope Angle: 34 Degrees

“It has been an extremely tough morning for all our patrollers and staff. I am very grateful to everyone for their efforts. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark and his family right now.” “He is an amazing person who has been on the JHMR team since 1978, he’s definitely part of our family.” stated Jerry Blann, President, JHMR.

In a statement on their website:  "Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has established standards and protocols for minimizing the risk of avalanche that are based on the current weather and snowpack conditions. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort receives over 400 inches of snow annually and is dedicated to making the skiing and riding as safe as possible for our guests. Avalanche conditions change hour-by-hour and day-by-day. JHMR Ski Patrol continuously monitors elements of the weather and snowpack conditions 24 hours a day throughout the winter and uses this information to continually assess potential hazards."

Further information can be found at the JHMR website here.

We send our condolences to the family and friends of Mark Wolling.