Avalanche kills director of Oregon avalanche center

The director of an Oregon avalanche awareness and educational center was killed earlier this week by an avalanche.

Kip Rand, who had been employed by the Wallowa Avalanche Center since last November, had been backcountry skiing when disaster struck.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Rand, an experienced skier, was "caught at the very top of an avalanche" where he was swept down a near-vertical slope approximately 600 feet, Wallowa County Sheriff Steve Rogers told Oregon Public Broadcasting.

"Kip Rand survived the avalanche but died before rescuers could arrive," states an incident report on Avalanche.org.

Rescue teams had received a signal from Rand's GPS beacon at 4:30 p.m., but it took them five hours to reach the location near Chief Joseph Mountain, arriving just behind a group of other responding skiers. 

By then, Rand was already dead.

Via Giphy

The report notes it usually takes about one hour, and sometimes longer, for a beacon-initiated 911 call to reach the local authorities.

His colleagues received the tragic news Wednesday morning.

"We are simply stunned with sorrow," said Keith Stebbings, a previous director and board member at the center, in a post on its website.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Rand was remembered by the center as someone who brought "extensive avalanche training, [and] many years of experience as a guide, avalanche educator and pro observer" and who maintained a "humble, collected and thoughtful demeanor as he spoke and shared his knowledge."

Others called him an "amazing guy" whose "enthusiasm was inspiring" in comments on the center's Facebook page.

The incident is still under investigation.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.