Two prospects from the U.S. Ski Team were killed in an avalanche Monday while skiing near their European training base in the Austrian Alps.

The U.S. ski team said Ronnie Berlack, 20, and Bryce Astle, 19, died in the incident near the Rettenbach glacier near Soelden, the venue for the annual season-opening World Cup races.

Berlack, from Franconia, New Hampshire, and Astle, from Sandy, Utah, were part of a group of six skiers who were descending from the 3,056-meter Gaislachkogel when they left the prepared slope and apparently set off the avalanche. The other four skied out of the slide and escaped unhurt.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2897549/Two-U-S-ski-team-prospects-aged-19-20-die-Austrian-avalanche-setting-avalanche-training-glacier.html#ixzz3NzD4JQ00 

Bryce Astle
Sandy, UT
Snowbird Sports Education Foundation
Birthdate: Jan. 16, 1995 (19)

Utah’s Bryce Astle, 19, grew up racing with the Snowbird Ski Team. He was 13th in giant slalom at the U.S. Alpine Championships in Squaw Valley last March, finishing as the top junior. He had been invited to train with the development team this season. He posted strong results in South American Cup races in Chile this summer, and was coming off a pair of top-10 slalom and giant slalom NorAm Cup finishes in Canada last month, where he was on the junior podium in all but two events.

The Astle family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to a memorial fund or to the Snowbird Sports Education Foundation.