Spending time outdoors in nature can be both wonderfully enjoyable and fraught with danger, particularly in remote areas of wilderness that are difficult to reach through normal modes of travel.

Sadly, three skiers in Alaska found out how dangerous the natural world can be the hard way when they were buried and killed by an avalanche while descending a snow-covered mountain on Tuesday, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

Multiple attempts were launched by an assortment of parties to rescue the three men but all failed because of the inaccessibility of the area, poor weather conditions, limited daylight hours, and the danger of would-be rescuers being caught themselves by additional avalanches.

Buried under an avalanche

On Tuesday afternoon, a group of skiers were dropped by helicopter for a backcountry run down the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood, Alaska, but three of those skiers are presumed to be dead after they ended up being buried in an avalanche that began around 3:30 pm.

The skiers were accompanied by trained employees of the Chugach Powder Guides company, according to a spokeswoman, and were equipped with special avalanche airbags and beacons that showed their approximate locations, but were estimated to be buried under anywhere from 40 to 100 feet of snow.

An initial attempt by the guides and others to rescue the buried skiers proved futile and authorities were soon notified, though an initial search by air was quickly called off due to deteriorating and dangerous conditions and a determination that the "victims were clearly unrecoverable."

Rescue and recovery efforts hindered by dangerous conditions

Alaska State Troopers noted the incident in a press release and relayed the minimal information that was known at the time about the three skiers caught in the avalanche and noted that the initial rescue operation was called off due to "considerable avalanche risk in this area and limited daylight."

Unfortunately, an update the next day revealed that "poor weather conditions" and the continued risk of additional avalanches prevented any rescue attempt at that time, though a third update stated that conditions had improved sufficiently by Thursday to allow for "an aerial assessment of the slide area today to determine additional avalanche danger and recovery options."

That final update also identified the three victims as David Linder, 39, of Florida; Charles Eppard, 39, of Montana; and Jeremy Leif, 38, of Minnesota.

Initial incident report

The deadly incident on Tuesday was also noted by the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center, which stated that "Three skiers were caught and buried in an avalanche around 3:30 p.m. in the west fork of the Twentymile drainage outside of Girdwood."

"Guides from the commercial heliskiing operation that the group was with immediately attempted to locate the three skiers," the incident report continued. "Using avalanche beacons, the guides identified a probable area where skiers were buried between 40 feet and nearly 100 feet deep. The guides were unable to recover the three skiers due to the burial depth."

The Center added, "We extend our deepest condolences to the friends and family of everyone involved."

Avalanche warnings had been issued for other nearby areas

The Daily News reported that avalanche warnings had been issued for some portions of the Chugach Mountains, though not for the particular runs that the group of skiers had been dropped on from helicopters operated by the guide company.

The company, which has been in operation for 25 years and has a stellar safety reputation with strict safety protocols, has temporarily suspended its operations and is assisting in the search and recovery efforts for the three buried skiers.