“The sudden onset of sunny and warm weather on Thursday afternoon, combined with recent new snow from the previous weekend, created unstable surface snow conditions,” Erich Peitzsch, a scientist with the U.S.
The wife was ahead of the other two bikers and she tried to warn them to stop but the avalanche came down between them.
But because of the conditions, rescuers decided to wait until the sun was off the slope to decrease the chance of further slides before starting the rescue attempt.
Gina Kerzman, the park’s spokesperson, said road plowing crews are reporting typical snow depths, the Flathead Beacon reported.