New snow heightens avalanche risk
Two slides in two days affect snowmobilers
One man was injured and another barely escaped harm in two separate avalanches on the Whitefish Range this week, and the avalanche danger for Northwest Montana is expected to persist for several days.
The Glacier Country Avalanche Center on Friday rated the regional avalanche danger as "considerable."
That "means that natural avalanches are possible and triggered avalanches are probable," said Stan Bones, a Forest Service avalanche specialist who issued the report.
Bones said there is a weakness in the snowpack that will be preserved by cold and clear nights that are in the weather forecast. The avalanche potential is worsened by heavy snow that fell on the northern tier of Northwest Montana this week.
On Wednesday, 19-year-old Cole Meyer suffered a broken femur after being caught in an avalanche on his snowmobile in the Canyon Creek area north of Big Mountain.
Meyer and two other snowmobilers were "high marking" in an area known as Fiberglass Hill because of the snow machine debris that is often found. The avalanche occurred at about 11 a.m., carrying Meyer an estimated 300 feet downslope into a tree, according to a report posted by the avalanche center.
"After the avalanche the victim's companions quickly began a search and found him at the tree, mostly buried, but head above the snow," the report says. "After digging the victim out, one companion remained with him while the other snowmobiled to the near summit of the Big Mountain to alert the Whitefish Mountain Resort Ski Patrol."
A patrol team returned to the site, and with the help of other snowmobilers, evacuated Meyer back to the resort. He was transported by ALERT helicopter to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
At about 11 a.m. Thursday and not far from the Wednesday slide, a lone snowmobiler found himself in the midst of a large avalanche after his snowmobile got stuck in deep snow.
"Struggling to single-handedly free the mired machine, the lone rider had removed his jacket and helmet and was digging using a break-down shovel," the avalanche center says in a report. "He had stepped back to assess his progress and catch his breath when he reports hearing a sharp, loud noise. Looking uphill, he saw the snow begin to move. He turned to run, but quickly realized his escape route was also cut off by moving snow."
Bones said the avalanche was deflected around the man by a cluster of trees above him.
"He just happened to be in a spot where I'm sure the vegetation above him just separated the flow," Bones said Friday. "He was left unscathed. But his snowmobile and his jacket and his shovel and his helmet were all buried."
The man started to hike out, with plans to return to recover his belongings. Along the groomed trail, the man crossed debris where several avalanches had occurred sometime after he rode in. He eventually was given a ride by other snowmobilers.
Bones said he and Tony Willits, another specialist, happened to be in nearby Kimmerly Basin on Thursday, observing worsening avalanche conditions as snow continued to fall.
"It was a fairly strong snowfall," Bones said, noting that there were about 8 to 12 inches of fresh snow on the Canyon Creek groomed trail system. "As the clouds started to lift later in the day, we could see around the basin, and there were about six different avalanches … There were a lot of avalanches that occurred yesterday, and there is certainly potential for more to be hanging out there."
Bones said the snowpack will not settle until there is some milder weather that persists for at least a couple of days.
For more information on avalanche conditions, check the center's Web site at:
http://www.glacieravalanche.org
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com