LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County Coroner confirmed the identity of the hiker who died after getting injured in an avalanche in the Spring Mountains on Tuesday.
Friends and family of 32-year-old Punan Zhou, of Las Vegas, remember him fondly as an avid lover of the outdoors.
At the time of his death, Zhou was part of a group of five back-country skiers hiking on Mummy Mountain at Mt. Charleston. Suddenly, the hiker was caught in an avalanche and carried down the mountain for about 500 feet, according to police.
Friends say they were able to locate Zhou by his personal locator beacon and performed CPR for about 30 minutes, though it was ultimately unsuccessful. Zhou's friends contacted Mt. Charleston Protection District, who reached out to LVMPD Search and Rescue.
Zhou was declared deceased once medical personnel arrived on the scene.
Zhou's friend assisted Search and Rescue units in bringing his body down the mountain. Law enforcement, the U.S. Forest Service and firefighters went one mile up into the forest, meeting Zhou's friends at the Deer Creek Parking lot.
Authorities say it took about three hours to recover Zhou's body.
