Bondi real estate agent 'killed in US avalanche'
A 48-year-old Sydney man is believed to have died in an avalanche in the US state of Wyoming, alongside his American travelling companion.
Bondi surfer and real estate agent, Dave Hannagan, and 36-year-old American Cathy Grimes were in a hazardous out-of-bounds area of the Jackson Hole Mountain resort.
A third person was reportedly trapped by the snow but survived.
The pair met on a New Year ski holiday and “clicked instantly”, Fairfax Media reported.
In recent days, they had posted photographs of nights out together on social media.
Reports say the pair were killed when the avalanche hit on Sunday, shortly after 2pm, in an area that local media said was marked with warning signs.
A spokeswoman for the resort, Anna Cole, said it seemed the three skiers were not ready for what they faced.
“It’s upsetting because these folks, because we don’t think they we’re properly prepared for the backcountry,” she told Jackson Hole News & Guide.
“They didn’t have transceivers and they apparently didn’t know the terrain very well.”
Mr Hannagan worked for the Raine and Horne real estate group in Double Bay and was previously a ski instructor at the Perisher ski resort in Kosciuszko National Park.
Australian officials were working with local authorities to confirm Mr Hannagan's death, a Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
"We stand ready to provide consular assistance, should it be required," she said.
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