Alaska national park worker dies in avalanche witness says worker triggered

Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska — A Denali National Park and Preserve employee died when he was caught in an avalanche while skiing in the backcountry, not far from the park's entrance, officials said Friday.

Eric Walter, who provided radio-based safety support and dispatch services for National Park Service operations across Alaska, died in the Thursday avalanche, the park said in a prepared statement.

An individual told the park's kennel staff that they saw a skier trigger an avalanche on an unnamed north-facing slope about 10 miles into the park, near the sprawling park's only road.