Hatcher Pass search teams find body believed to be missing skier

WASILLA — Search teams in Hatcher Pass Wednesday said they had recovered a body believed to be that of a Wasilla doctor who disappeared prior to an intense avalanche cycle in the area late last year.

Skier Liam Walsh, 33, was last seen in the Independence Mine parking lot the afternoon of Nov. 22, 2015. He was reported missing the next day.

According to Alaska State Troopers, members of the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group were participating in a scheduled recovery effort with Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs when they discovered the body. The remains were transported to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy and positive identification. Walsh’s family was notified of the discovery, troopers said.

Walsh’s disappearance was the beginning of the deadliest winter on record for Hatcher Pass, which saw three avalanche related fatalities that included a snowboarder and snowmachiner.