A Washington state man, 21, was killed when his snowmobile triggered an avalanche in Montana over the weekend.
Wyatt Coiteux of La Center, Washington, was killed on New Year's Eve while snowmobiling with his 17-year-old brother on Crown Butte in Cooke City, Montana.
Coiteux had been climbing a slope and triggered the avalanche and was carried 600 vertical feet before being buried beneath five feet of snow.
'We are devastated by the passing of our beloved son Wyatt Coiteux while snowmobiling yesterday. He went out on cloud 9 doing what he loved' his parents wrote on Facebook.
Wyatt Coiteux, right, was killed when his snowmobile triggered an avalanche in Montana
Coiteux and his snowmobile were buried under five feet of snow, according to officials
After the avalanche was triggered, a nearby group of riders arrived at the scene moments after the incident and were able to contact a search and rescue team.
The group searched for an hour using a probe line before they ultimately located the man's body and performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator to no avail.
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ShareThe brothers were riding adjacently according to local officials and Coiteux was wearing an airbag pack at the time of the avalanche.
It's unclear if the airbag did not deploy because of a malfunction or if Coiteux did not pull it.
The two also had shovels and probes but were not wearing avalanche beacons, an electronic device that emits a steady radio signal used to locate buried victims in the aftermath of an avalanche.
Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center shared video from the south side of Crown Butte where the avalanche was triggered Saturday.
'It occurred on a southeast-facing slope at 9,800 feet elevation. At the crown the avalanche was 1.5-2 feet deep on average, and up to 4 feet at the deepest,' the group captioned their video.
'It [the avalanche] broke 500 feet wide and ran 600 vertical feet. It was a hard slab avalanche that broke on weak, sugary snow, and was large enough to break trees or destroy a car,' the caption continued.
Coiteux's mother and father confirmed his death Sunday in a post on Facebook
The Washington resident loved outdoor activities
The group said in another post they urge anyone planning to hit the slopes to take the proper precautions and avoid dangerous or troublesome areas.
'This fatality is the clearest possible indicator that the snowpack remains capable of producing large and dangerous avalanches,' they said.
The group also shared a photo from the bottom of Crown Butte, showing off the slab of snow that had broken off and crushed the young man.
'Holy cow! That slab that broke is MASSIVE! Shows just how dangerous those weak layers can really be. Hope this encourages others to be better prepared and exercise additional safety precautions out there,' wrote one Facebook commenter.
According to his public social media pages, the 21-year-old was an avid snowmobile rider and had experience on the slopes.
The 21-year-old had aspirations of being a race car driver
Coiteux was a regular on the slopes and loved being on his snowmobile, his family said
Wyatt Coiteux (right) and his father Sean Coiteux (left)
Coiteux's girlfriend in an Instagram post Sunday confirmed her boyfriend had been the victim of the Montana avalanche, sharing a series of photos along with a picture of a local news article covering the incident.
'I am truly heartbroken my handsome is no longer with me. He was an amazing man my love, my everything. We were supposed to get married, have children and grow old together but he was taken away to early, but he was doing what he loved,' she wrote.
'My heart is not full without you I will forever and always miss you and have a piece of me gone. You were my soulmate and I knew it from 4th grade. I knew I was going to date you,' Erika Hopman said.
'I don’t know how to function without you my love, my handsome. I love you so much, you will never be forgotten,' she wrote.
Coiteux's girlfriend publicly identified him as the victim of the avalanche Sunday
'I am truly heartbroken my handsome is no longer with me,' the girlfriend said
In her Instagram post, Erika Hopmann shared a photo of a local news article covering the incident
According to his public social media pages, the 21-year-old was an avid snowmobile rider.
'My best friend, my brother, my family,' wrote one person in a tribute Coiteux.
'On December 31, 2022, the rock of my life passed from an avalanche while snowmobiling in Montana.
'I am torn that you were taken from all of our lives so soon. We are all heartbroken. You will be missed. Love you Wyatt Coiteux, the friend wrote.
Coiteux was a lover of cars and had dozens of photos of vehicles on his Instagram
This is Crown Butte where the deadly avalanche was triggered
'My boy. My racing coach. My hip hop partner. My drone specialist. My source of unending awesome stories and adventures,' the woman wrote.
The 21-year-old described himself on Instagram as a 'motorsports enthusiast' and 'wannabe race car driver.'
'I can’t look at photos, videos without smiling. Yours was a life so inimitably full, fueled by passion and joy and adrenaline. Seeing my brother adore you, being in the audience of your greatest moments, will stay with me forever. God how I love you,' the aunt said. 'Forever in your pit crew.'
DailyMail.com reached out to officials with the Park County Coroner's Office but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
In addition to being an avid snowmobile rider, Coiteux was a car and motorsports enthusiast
Coiteux's aunt posted this photo of the two of them to Facebook Sunday evening
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