Minnesota man dies in Montana avalanche

WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. – A Minnesota man died in an avalanche while he was snowmobiling about 19 miles (30 kilometers) north of West Yellowstone in Montana.

Gallatin County officials say 40-year-old Weylon Wiedemann of Pine City, Minnesota, was caught in the avalanche late Tuesday afternoon on the west side of Sage Peak, in the southern Madison Range.

The Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center says Wiedemann triggered the slide and was buried under 3 feet of snow. Fellow riders dug him out in 12 to 15 minutes, but he died at the scene.

The mountains around West Yellowstone got 2 to 4 feet (61 to 122 centimeters) of snow late last week.