1 skier dies, another injured in Montana avalanche

A 35-year-old California man has died in an avalanche while backcountry skiing in southwest Montana.

Madison County Sheriff Phil Fortner says another skier was injured when the avalanche occurred about 1 p.m. Friday in the Tobacco Root Mountains.

Fortner identified the man who died as Benjamin Hirsch-McShane, of San Francisco.

The Montana Standard reports that the skiers were part of a group of four men from Utah and California.

Alex Marienthal, of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, says the skiers were reportedly ascending a slope in a heavily treed area when the avalanche occurred. Two were carried away while the other two were reportedly able to grab onto trees and were not hurt.

The injured skier, whose name wasn't released, was taken to a hospital in Billings.

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Information from: The Montana Standard, http://www.mtstandard.com