A Wallowa man died when he was caught in an avalanche while skiing in the backcountry of the Elkhorn Mountains near Anthony Lake on Wednesday afternoon, March 6.

Nicholas Scott Burks, 37, died at the scene on Gunsight Mountain, according to the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.

Burks was skiing with another man, William Sterling Sloop, 37, of Joseph.

Sloop was not hurt.

Both Sloop and Burks are experienced backcountry skiers who had avalanche beacons, which can help rescuers find people buried by snow, as well as backpack air bags that inflate when a person is caught in an avalanche and can create an air pocket that can help a person survive before being extricated, said Ashley McClay, public information officer for the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.

Burks’ air bag deployed during the avalanche, McClay said.

The pair were skiing down the chute near the summit of Gunsight Mountain, McClay said.

Gunsight Mountain is about a mile south of Anthony Lake. The 8,342-foot granitic peak, named for the notch, or chute, in its summit that resembles a gunsight, rises about 1,200 feet above the lake.

Sloop skied the chute first and arrive at the bottom safely, McClay said.

He watched as Burks started down the slope. An avalanche started above Burks and overtook him.

Sloop immediately turned on his beacon, and he was able to find Burks near a tree, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. Burks was not buried in snow because his air bag deployed, McClay said.

A group of people at the Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort lodge — the ski area was not open on Wednesday, and Gunsight Mountain is outside the area boundaries — called for help. The group also went to Gunsight Mountain, and one performed CPR on Burks until emergency crews arrived.

Sheriff’s deputies and search and rescue crews from Baker and Union counties responded to a 911 call reporting an avalanche on Gunsight Mountain. The Baker County Sheriff’s Office’s log recorded the call at 4:38 p.m. on Wednesday.

Baker County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Union County Search and Rescue, La Grande Fire Department, North Powder Rural Fire Protection District, Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, Life Flight and Baker County Search and Rescue.

The Wallowa Avalanche Center in Joseph posted on its website Monday, March 4 that two to three feet of new snow had fallen in the Elkhorn Mountains over the previous week.

“Much of this snow fell with moderate winds out of the south,” the report on the website reads. “Near and above treeline, storm slabs and wind slabs need time to settle and bond. Carefully evaluate any slope over 30 degrees before committing to riding it.”

The website also notes that “New snow avalanche problems are present. There are buried weak layers in the snowpack. Use caution and careful evaluation before getting on steep terrain.”