COOKE CITY Mont. -- A Minnesota snowmobiler killed in the second fatal avalanche in two days near this Yellowstone National Park gateway community was identified as Tracy J. Narragon, 38, of Atwater.
Narragon was snowmobiling with two friends near Miller Mountain on Friday when the slide occurred shortly before 3 p.m., Park County Undersheriff Gary Tanascu said.
The group had gotten their snowmobiles stuck while trying to climb a steep grade in an area known as Sheep Basin Bowl, he said.
"When they were talking to each other, the victim saw the avalanche and told the other two snowmobilers there was an avalanche coming," Tanascu said.
The two men were able to run to the side and grab hold of several small trees, he said.
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Narragon was caught in the slide, and was buried under 7 feet of snow and his snowmobile, Tanascu said. It took rescuers more than 50 minutes to reach Narragon, who was wearing a transmitter.
The avalanche occurred about five miles from the spot where Loren Samuelson, 49, of Big Lake, Minn., died on Thursday.
He was snowmobiling with four friends in an area that had received about 8 feet of snow in the past week. Deputy Coroner Larry McKee said the group likely triggered the slide by climbing on a heavy load of snow.
Avalanche danger was rated moderate to considerable in the area Saturday, the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center said.
Word of Narragon's death reached Atwater on Saturday. His father, Vernie Narragon, told the Tribune on Sunday that he had not yet heard details of the incident, but had learned that his son had been able to warn the others in the party of the avalanche. Tracy Narragon was believed to be at the highest point among his group when the avalanche occurred.
Friends in the Atwater area knew Narragon as an avid snowmobiler. He has been making an annual, winter trip to Montana to snowmobile for possibly the last 14 years, according to Ron Garner of Atwater, a friend of the family.
Garner said that Narragon has always enjoyed the sport, and is known as an accomplished snowmobiler. He was not married and worked for a pipeline company.
Narragon is remembered in Atwater by a large circle of friends he kept. "He had a lot of good friends around here,'' said Garner.
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Narragon was one week into the Montana trip with a group of snowmobilers from the area when the tragedy occurred. Garner said Narragon would usually spend five to six weeks in Montana snowmobiling each winter.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this article
