GIRDWOOD — Alaska State Troopers have identified the human remains recovered earlier this month from the site of the massive March avalanche near Girdwood that killed three out-of-state heliskiers.

According to an update from the Alaska Department of Public Safety, the State Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed the remains as belonging to 39-year-old Charles Eppard of Montana. Troopers said Eppard’s next of kin have been notified.

Eppard was one of three men buried beneath up to 100 feet of snow and debris when a March 4 avalanche struck near the West Fork of the Twentymile River, about 20 miles northeast of Girdwood. The group had been on a guided heliskiing trip with Chugach Powder Guides at the time of the slide.

Recovery teams from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, assisted by DP

See Full Page