Dylan Lenzie was was a beloved member of the Alaska mountain community. Photo: Crown Mountain Guides // Facebook
Dylan Lenzie, an Alaska-based heli-ski guide, instructor and professional observer for the Hatcher Pass Avalanche center was killed in an avalanche over the weekend.
“We are devastated to share that our friend and colleague, Dylan Lenzie passed away from injuries sustained in an avalanche accident outside of the forecast area this week,” wrote Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center in a social media post.
The accident occurred while Lenzie was heli-ski guiding Wednesday in the West Bench area of Gannet Glacier, located east of Anchorage. As Lenzie’s employer Crown Mountain Guides explained in another social media post, Lenzie was caught in an avalanche and quickly located by a fellow guide, then extricated from the snow and transported by helicopter to Matsu Regional Hospital. Three days later, he succumbed to his injuries, surrounded by his family and close friends.
“Dylan was a skilled guide and a respected senior member of our team,” wrote Crown Mountain Guides. “He was a beloved member of the Alaska mountain community and a colleague and friend of the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center. He was a cherished partner, a much-loved son and brother, and a friend to so many of us.
“There is no easy way to say what Dylan meant to us. He was the kind of person you wanted in the helicopter with you, on the boot pack with you, at the table with you at the end of the day. He loved this work, he loved this place, and he loved the people he shared it with. To everyone who skied with him, guided alongside him, or crossed paths with him in the Alaska mountain community, you know. He is one of the good ones. The mountains are quieter without him, and so are we.”
