Latest avalanche victim identified

 The man who died in an avalanche near Marias Pass Saturday has been identified by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office as Francis Skierka, 23, of Cut Bank.

Skierka and a companion were riding snow bikes in a drainage off Skyland Road when the avalanche was triggered. The companion was only partially buried and was able to dig himself out.

Skierka’s hand was visible so the companion was able to partially dig him out, but Skierka already had suffocated, said Sheriff Chuck Curry.

Skierka was the third person to die this month in Northwest Montana avalanches. Seven people have died statewide this winter.

Heavy recent snowfall in the mountains has caused considerable loading on avalanche-prone slopes, prompting the Glacier Country Avalanche Center to elevate the danger to “high” for terrain between 4,500 feet and 7,500 feet.

Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended, with natural avalanches being likely and human-triggered avalanches being very likely, states the advisory that was issued Sunday.

While the mountain snowpack in Northwest Montana lagged behind the 30-year average early in the winter, recent snowfall has boosted the snowpack to 95 percent of average in mountains above the Flathead Basin.

Whitefish Mountain Resort received 22 inches of snow over a 24-hour period from Saturday through Sunday, which was the biggest single-day snowfall on the mountain since the mid-1990s, according to resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus.

The settled snow depth atop Big Mountain now is at 112 inches.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.