Provided by Vail Ski Patrol Vail local Johnny Kuo, an experienced backcountry skier who was a regular in the East Vail Chutes, felt he was in a safe zone when he was engulfed by snow in the Feb. 4 avalanche that took his life. released Friday, on the fatal slide. Kuo, 41, was with another skier when she triggered the avalanche in an area known as Marvin’s West or Big Marvin, according to the report. The pair had entered the popular sidecountry area from Vail Mountain through a backcountry access gate around 10:15 a.m. They then hiked for about 30 minutes to an area locally known as Benchmark before descending along the ridgeline to the top of a large open bowl locally known as Marvin’s West or Big Marvin.