German National Identified as Woman Who Died in Hokkaido Avalanche

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:05 JST, January 17, 2023

Hokkaido Prefectural Police on Monday identified the woman who died after being caught in an avalanche last week as Jessica Tamara Naiser, 31, from Germany.

The cause of her death was asphyxiation from being buried under snow.

According to the police, Naiser arrived at the 1,898-meter Mt. Yotei at around 7 a.m. Friday with about a dozen other foreign tour participants in addition to their guides. The group reached the summit in about four hours.

After some members headed down the mountain, Naiser remained in a group of 10 that began backcountry skiing around 1:30 p.m. This group was caught in an avalanche shortly after 2 p.m.

Naiser was wearing an avalanche beacon that transmitted her location. She was found by other members of the group and then transported to a hospital, where she was confirmed dead.