Jedidiah Smith Wilderness, Teton Range, Wyoming – After going missing on December 23, 2016, the body of Lee Kidd, 34, was found at the bottom of a 500’ cliff under two feet of snow and debris on Thursday, December 29, 2016.
Kidd was an employee at Grand Targhee Ski Resort. His pass was last scanned at 10:45am at the Dreamcather Lift on 23 December. After not reporting to work, search teams were notified. Based on info provided by Kidd’s friends, rescuers began to search the backcountry terrain east if Grand Targhee. This required hundreds of man-hours in avalanche prone terrain. Rescuers used explosives to mitigate the avalanche hazard over unskiable terrain.
Searchers and dog teams focused in on an area where they “found a snowboard with its bindings sticking up out of the snow” (JHNewsandGuide.com). Further searching quickly located Kidd’s body on 29 December – six days after he went missing.
Authorities believe that Kidd walked too far out on a cornice causing it to fail. This occurred to the northeast of Steve Baugh Bowl. The cornice triggered an avalanche that swept Kidd over a 500 foot cliff. The body was found buried in avalanche debris in an area known as Beard’s Wheat Field. Kidd died of trauma.
The JHAvalanche.org Avalanche Fatality Report states that the incident happened on the Steve Baugh Bowl path on a 45 degree NE facing slope at an elevation of 9892’. It was a soft slab avalanche that is rated as R2, D2.5 with a depth of 30. JHAvalanche.org notes the trigger was a Snowboarder (AR).
Coordinates Taken from JHAvalanche.org Accident Report
Read more about the avalanche fatality east of Grand Targhee from the following sources:
- JHAvalanche.org Avalanche Fatality Report
- TetonSheriff.org
- CAIC Avalanche Accident Report
- JHAvalanche.org
- JHNewsandGuide.com
