Skiers buried in Alaska avalanche had Minnesota ties

Three skiers identified Thursday as feared killed in an Alaskan avalanche had Minnesota connections.

They were Jeremy Leif, 38, who lived in Minnesota; David Linder, 39, who was born and raised in Mankato but most recently lived in Miami; and Charlie Eppard, 39, who attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, a college spokesman confirmed.

Their names were released by the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Linder was an owner of Sub Arctic Media, which owns more than 20 talk show and music radio stations across Minnesota. Managing partner Matt Ketelsen said Linder, an experienced and avid skier, was on a helicopter ski trip with friends.

Ketelsen described Linder as a devoted husband and father, who always was spending time with his three boys. He also said he was a man who cared deeply about the communities his radio stations served.

“Whenever we would talk on the phone, we would just talk about each other’s kids,” Ketelsen said. “First and foremost he was about his kids.”

He said Linder moved to Florida to attend law school and worked remotely as a company owner. Linder’s father, John, was also a well-known radio station owner and chief executive of Minnesota Valley Broadcasting and Radio Mankato. Ketelsen said his son took over his father’s role after his death in 2018.

Ketelsen said David Linder and his family were supportive of the Mankato community and that he “lived life to the fullest.”

“He was one of the smartest people I’ve known and was willing to ask challenging questions,” he said.

No city of residence was given for Leif, though his LinkedIn page lists him as a Minneapolis resident.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers were notified of the avalanche near the west fork of Twenty Mile River near Girdwood, south of Anchorage, at 5:10 p.m. Tuesday, according to a DPS news release.

The DPS said the heli-skiing company Chugach Powder Guides used avalanche beacons to identify the likely area where the skiers were buried in from 40 to 100 feet of snow.

Heli-skiing allows skiers to reach remote backcountry slopes inaccessible by ski resort lifts. The skier are flown by helicopter into the areas by such services as Chugach Powder Guides.

Chugach Powder Guides could not recover the skiers because of the snow depth, according to the DPS. Because of “considerable avalanche risk” and limited daylight, recovery operations were ended Tuesday evening.

Chugach Powder Guides declined to comment when reached by phone.

On Wednesday, poor weather conditions prevented recovery teams of troopers, avalanche experts and others from assessing the slide area for safety.

The teams attempted an aerial assessment of the area on Thursday.

The Avalanche Information Center in Chugach National Forest issued a warning on Thursday morning for “very dangerous avalanche conditions.” The warning said a weak layer of snow is currently buried under a thick outer layer, making for dangerous mountain conditions where the top layer could easily slip and cause an avalanche.