Avalanche Victims Both From Cut Bank

The snowmobilers killed when they were buried by an avalanche near the summit of Marias Pass were identified Monday as Joseph Wipf and Jacob Kleinsasser, both of Cut Bank, Mont.

The men, both 27, were killed Sunday afternoon.

The slide occurred just south of Glacier National Park about midday. Both bodies were recovered by 6 p.m. Sunday.

Glacier County Sheriff Gary Racine said the two men were from the Seville Hutterite Colony, but had been working and living on a ranch near Cut Bank.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said the men were part of a group of five snowmobiling in a ravine in the Puzzle Creek area west of Summit.

Wipf and Kleinsasser had gotten off their snowmobiles to help another rider turn his snowmobile around.

“He took off back down, got down to the bottom, and the slide had occurred behind him,” Curry said. “They looked back up and the guys were gone.”

Two members of the party stayed to dig for the men while a third went for help, Curry said.

Originally, authorities said the party did not summon help for two hours.

“That was our initial information,” Curry said Monday. “However, it appears that someone did go out and get help” right away.

The Glacier County Avalanche Center issued a warning last Thursday rating the avalanche danger on steep slopes in the area as high.