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Last Saturday (1/3/98) a snowmobiler was reported missing (and presumed caught in an avalanche) on Reas Pk, which is located near Island Park on the ID/MT border. Reas Pk is just about 4 miles WSW of Sawtell Pk, where another snowmobiler was caught, buried and killed in an avalanche on Saturday.
Yesterday (1/6/98) Ron Johnson went down to assist in the search efforts. The suspect avalanche is big - about 2 to 3 feet deep, 1500 feet across, and it ran about 700 to 1000 vertical feet. Parts of the debris are estimated to be up to 20 feet deep and the search area is threatened by other avalanche paths that have not slid. As a result of the danger to searchers, the search has been suspended.
Karl Birkland, Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center
GRAY WOLF AVALANCHE ACCIDENT REPORT
Date: 1-3-98 Time of Accident: 0930 hrs
Exact Location: In the Mission Mountain Tribal Wilderness northeast of Arlee, Montana, southwest of Lower Riddle Lake, SE 1/4, SW 1/4, Sec 34, T18N, R18W, PMM
1 person caught, totally buried, and killed Rod Sutherland, Missoula, MT, experienced mountaineer
1 other person in the party Chuck Maffei, Arlee, MT, experienced mountaineer
Accident Summary:
The two climbers left Missoula at noon on Friday, 1-2-98. They snowshoed in about 4 miles from the Twin Lakes / Riddle Lakes trailhead to tree line where they spent the night. They were following the Riddle Lakes trail but found it hard going with brush and the shallow snowpack slowing them down. Their goal was to do a winter climb on Gray Wolf Peak (9001 ft) on Saturday.
Saturday morning they broke camp and had traveled about 1/4 mile to where they encountered the open slope. They realized that it was a wind loaded slab and decided to rope up to cross the slope. Chuck was doing a standing hip belay behind a large rock. When Rod got out about 80 ft. Chuck called that he was at 1/2 rope. Rod called back OK because he was over 1/2 way to a couple of small tree where he would belay Chuck. Soon after this there was a "whomph" and the slide released. Chuck was able to pull in some rope before it became tight, then he gave rope slowly trying to hold the belay. Knowing he was near rope end he held tighter and the rope cut on the rock releasing Rod on down the mountain.
Chuck was hidden behind the rock and did not see the slide release nor see the victim again. Rod had entered the slide area approx. 100 ft slope distance below the future fracture line.
Rescue: The climbing rope acted as an avalanche cord mostly staying on the surface. Chuck hurried down slope, found the broken end of rope, and continued down the rope pulling it out of the snow at times to a point where he could not pull any more out. In his hurry he did not check the length of rope remaining. Chuck dug for 2 hours along the buried rope getting about 10 feet distance, 8 feet deep. He then snowshoed out approx 4 miles and drove to call for help. The accident was reported to Lake Country authorities at 1500 hrs. 1-3-98.
Because of the weather and late hour the search was organized for the next morning (1-4-98). Lake Country Search and Rescue (7 members), Western Montana Mountain Rescue (8 members), Salish Kootenai Tribal Search and Rescue (5 members), Lake Country Sheriff, Chuck Maffei, and 3 friends were involved in the recovery. They met at the Arlee Fire Hall at 0700 hrs then drove to the Jocko to await helicopter assistance. Airlift was delayed for 3 hrs because of valley fog. Started flying at 1230 hrs with Joe Geldrich, Lake Country Sheriff, Incident Commander and Ken Cornelius, Lake Country Search and Rescue, On-Scene Leader. On-scene rescuers were 3 groups of 4 each. Last group arrived on-scene at 1330 hrs.
Upon reaching the scene the recovery team measured the rope from the mid marking and determined that another 10 feet remained to the victim. They probed some within 10 feet of the rope, but the ski pole probes being used were not working well because they were the twist lock type. Ten foot conduit probes arrived on a later flight, but were not used because digging down the rope had begun. Victim was uncovered at 1330 hours. Chuck had tunneled down the rope the previous day. The recovery team enlarged the hole, dug down the rope, and probed to locate. Victim was buried approx 12 feet deep, recovered 28 hrs after burial, was lying on right side in a fetal position, level from head to toe, with head downslope. No ice mask or evidence of melting around mouth or nose was found. No autopsy was performed so exact cause of death in unknown. Probably died quickly from suffocation.
It was 2 hours from first rescuer on scene to victim airlift. All personnel out by 1530 hrs. The climbing rope used for the victim's belay was a new B.D. 9.7 rope (its first belay). The rope acted as an avalanche cord with only 20 feet not on surface. The rope was tied around the victim's waist. Recovery team dug approx. 12 feet deep somewhat up slope.
Weather, Snowpack, and Avalanche Data: Weather for the fall and early winter prior to the accident had been relatively mild and dry. At the North Fork Jocko Snotel site (6330 feet) near the accident scene the first significant snowfall of the season was received around the 1st of November. At that time the snowpillow picked up 3 new inches of snow water equivalent. Dry conditions prevailed until the 18th of November to the 25th. Approx. 5 inches SWE was received that week period. Prior to this new snowfall the snow base had turned to a cohesionless mass of faceted and angular grains very loosely bonded. Dry returned until mid December, then somewhat steady snowfall over the next 17 days brought 6 more inches of SWE, 1.5" of that in the two days prior to the accident. This latest snowfall was accompanied by strong W-SW winds.
Between Christmas and New Years air temperatures had been steadily increasing each day. On the 1st of January temperatures at North Fork Jocko remained above freezing for 24 hours. By the 2nd the temperature had plunged to near zero.
On the date of the accident snowpack was approx. 4 feet deep with bottom foot depth hoar facets, middle 2 feet consolidated older snow, and surface 1 foot fresh wind deposited snow over the last 3 days. Avalanche was climax sliding on beargrass bed surface. Released slab was 300 feet wide, running 900 feet slope distance, 400 vertical feet. Fracture line depth was 4 feet. Slide debris was 15 feet plus deep and victim was carried approx. 800 feet slope distance, 300 feet vertical.
Starting zone elevation approx. 7300 feet, east -southeast aspect, 30-35 degrees. Runout zone elevation approx. 6900 feet. Slope was open beargrass covered with scattered rocks and few small scattered trees. Path was open at the top, transitions into a gully, then fans out in the runout zone. There was a safer route by dropping 400 feet along a finger ridge and then climb along creek to Lower Riddle Lake.
Avalanche debris was hard to dig and probe. With the victim uncovered except for 1 foot of snow, 6 people could still not pull him free. They had to dig out completely to free the body. A digging spade worked well in tight spaces. Rescuers used dirt shovels and grain scoops. Dirt shovels made digging easy and scoops moved the volume of snow up large steps several times to clear the digging area. Collapsible backcountry shovels would not cut the debris. Ten foot probes would not have reached the victim.
The backcountry avalanche advisory issued by Glacier Country Avalanche Center the day before the accident rated the avalanche hazard in this area as "Considerable" on steep open wind loaded slopes. The climbing party had left not knowing this rating.
Reported by Ken Cornelius, Lake Country Search and Rescue.
Submitted by Stan Bones, Glacier Country Avalanche Center
By JANE RIDER/of the Missoulian
... In another weather-related tragedy, a group of three or four Bitterroot Valley snowmobilers became trapped about 1 p.m., Saturday, in an avalanche near Shadow Lake, a popular snowmobiling area southeast of Hamilton near the Granite and Ravalli county line.
All but one of the snowmobilers managed to dig themselves out, according to initial reports received Saturday afternoon by the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office.
Detective Jim Chinn said a group of nine or 10 snowmobilers from the Philipsburg area came to assist the Bitterroot Valley group in its search for the missing snowmobiler.
After four to five hours of searching, the body of Martin Vincent Litvin, 53, of Corvallis was recovered. Litvin was a retired schoolteacher who is currently employed by the Forest Service. He was president of a Bitterroot snowmobiling club and had taught a class on snow machine safety.
On Saturday, January 3, 1998, a snowmobiler was buried in a small avalanche near Sawtell Peak, Idaho. He and his partner were high marking on a small slope when he triggered an avalanche. The avalanche occurred at about 3:30 PM. His partner was not caught and went for help. Local authorities were notified at about 4:00 PM. A search was made of the site and a snowmobile was found. Due to poor visibility and concerns about the avalanche danger, the search was suspended at about 6:00 PM.
The search was contined on Sunday morning around 9:00 AM. The body was located, by probing, shortly before noon. He was buried about 3 feet deep and was about 10 feet across the slope from where his snowmobile was found.
The avalanche was about 100 feet wide and ran about 300 vertical feet. The steepest slope angle was about 36 degrees. The slope has an east aspect and is at about 9500 feet. Because of near blizzard conditions, it was difficult to find the crown face. However, the slope was wind loaded and it looked as though the avalanche fractured on a weak layer of faceted grains which were near a buried ice crust. This area had received about 1-2 feet of new snow during the previous few days.
Ron Johnson, Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center
NELSON, British Columbia, Jan. 4 (UPI) Royal Canadian Mounted Police say bad weather has halted all search and rescue missions at avalanche sites in southeast British Columbia.
One person in still missing in the Kokanee Glacier region, some 280 miles (450 km) west of Vancouver, where a snow slide hit six skiers Friday, killing five.
Their bodies were spotted by helicopter Saturday, but could not be reached because of weather conditions.
Kaslo RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dave McCowan says search and rescue teams are on standby hoping for a break in the high winds and near-zero visibility.
McCowan says the skiers had been warned Thursday that avalanches threatened the area.
He also says avalanche conditions remain high.
NELSON, British Columbia, Jan. 4 (UPI) Royal Canadian Mounted Police say bad weather has halted all search and rescue missions at avalanche sites in southeast British Columbia.
Avalanche conditions remain high.
The weather has also thwarted efforts to recover the bodies of two skiers killed in an avalanche Saturday in the New Denver region.
The area is north of Nelson, British Columbia.
Police have not released the names of the victims.
Reuters - 04:20 p.m Jan 04, 1998 Eastern
By Jeffrey Jones, CALGARY, Alberta, Jan 4 (Reuters)
... avalanche at Elliott Lake, British Columbia, close to Alberta and the Canada-U.S. border, buried four friends on snowmobiles on Friday, killing one of them.
The three survivors dug themselves out but were unable to rescue Murray Gray Perrin, 38, of Medicine Hat, Alberta, who was covered by about 10 feet (3 metres) of snow, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Steve Small said. ...
On Tuesday December 30, Colorado had its first avalanche fatality of the season. A 39-year-old man was snowshoeing with a friend when they triggered a small hard slab avalanche near Guanella Pass in the Front Range of Colorado.
The victim was found by spot probing after about a one-hour burial under 2 feet of snow. Advanced life support techniques failed to revive the man. The avalanche stopped at the feet of the victim's friend.
This was a very sad incident. The two men were snowshoeing behind a mountain cabin at Duck Lake where they were spending the Christmas holidays with their wives and young children. The avalanche occurred less than 200 feet from the cabin.
The avalanche was classified HS-AF-2?-O. The slide was triggered from the compression area and ran only 60 vertical feet at its longest place. The crown face was 3-4 feet deep by 295 feet across.
Colorado Avalanche Information Center
Synopsis:
Two skiers were caught in self-triggered deep slab release, with one nearly completely buried and one partly buried with equipment lost.
Background:
On Sunday Dec. 28, three backcountry travelers, Steve, Donnie, and Mark were involved in a self-triggered deep slab avalanche while descending a 45°-50° route called Excursion, located between the switchbacks of the Richardson Highway south of Thompson Pass in the Chugach Mountains of Alaska. They had skied more than a dozen runs in the area that day and this was to be their last run. They hadn't skied Excursion in the past two years because of insufficient snow and heavy brush. Though no wind was blowing earlier in the day, the wind was blowing 35-40 mph by the time they reached the top of the run which was a leeward slope. Because of the hardness of the surface layer and the absence of any clues to instability all day long, they assumed the entire snowpack was bullet-proof. All were experienced backcountry skiers/boarders, familiar with the local terrain and extreme conditions. All carried beacons, but no shovels or probes (except for Mark's ski poles). Donnie and Steve had participated in a 3 day avalanche workshop the previous year, but Mark had no previous formal training.
Report:
Using a snowboard, Donnie was the first to descend. Once Donnie reached a safe spot on a bench, located approximately 800 vertical feet below the top of the run, Steve jumped in riding a mono-ski to a point 150-200 feet above Donnie, and to skiers right. Before Steve had a chance to finish his run and tuck into a safe spot, Mark jumped in, on skis, to skiers left of his partners route and descended approximately 200' to a patch of alders where the snow consistency changed from hard pack to soft. When he hit the alders, he triggered a small ± 3' deep slap which broke immediately above him and propagated upslope releasing a 6-9' deep by 200' wide slab above Steve. Both Mark and Donnie yelled "Avalanche".
Mark was caught by the smaller slab (missed by the big one) and carried a couple of hundred feet. In the process, he lost a ski pole and was partly buried but able to dig himself out. Steve looked upslope in response to the yell, saw the small slab above moving toward him and skied immediately to his right to avoid it. Unfortunately, he skied directly into the path of the larger slab and was almost instantly hit from behind by a 10-12' wall of snow which blasted him approximately 50' into the air, carrying him over the next corniced hill and approximately 800' downslide, roughly 600' beyond Donnie's position. The slide missed Donnie by 10-15 feet.
Because he had inhaled considerable spindrift as he was being tumbled, Steve had great difficulty breathing and found himself gagging and hyperventilating as the snow came to rest pressed tightly around his body. He was buried upside down diagonally, with his head approximately 2 to 2 ½ feet under the snow surface and his arms extended in front of him, still clutching his poles. At one point, his gagging cleared his airway and helped to create a small air space in front of his mouth. Initially he was unable to move, but after calming down a bit, he started to survey his situation and found that he could wiggle one foot and thrust his boot out of the snow.
The bindings on Steve's mono-ski had been set in the non-release mode, but the board was ripped from his boots nonetheless. Alders 4" diameter were found snapped in half along the descent route. The lettering on his new Solomon boots had the paint completely sand- blasted off so that you could no longer read the label. And the headlamp tab riveted to his helmet was likewise sheared off. He attributed the helmet with saving his life or at least, preventing a concussion, thus, allowing him to have the presence of mind to push his boot out of the snow.
A quick visual search down slope along the fall line by Donnie and Mark revealed nothing initially. While Mark probed the last seen area, Donnie continued visually searching further down slope. Looking over the next corniced drop he spied Steve's boot sticking out of the snow among the blocks of debris 40-50 vertical feet below and more than 100 feet onto the flats. They estimate it took about 5 minutes to locate him and another 5 minutes to dig him out using a snowboard and hands. Steve said the worst part for him, other than being completely out of control on the descent, was when he was being dug out, because snow kept plugging his airway and causing him to gag and hyperventilate. Once he was able to communicate with his rescuers, he had Donnie put a hat in front of his mouth to prevent snow inhalation, and that helped considerably. Miraculously, Steve broke no bones, though his whole body was covered with bruises the next day. Rather than skiing/boarding the remainder of the route and possibly getting caught again, the group climbed back up 1500 vertical feet using a windblown ridge.
Lessons Learned:
Commentary:
The area known as the Switchbacks has been used extensively since the early 1980s and contains may such runs, which are frequented by aspiring local boarders and skiers. Most of these enthusiasts are kids who have had no previous avalanche training and carry no avalanche rescue equipment. Human triggered avalanches occur weekly, and often daily, in this steep, booby-trap terrain, and numerous people are caught and/or buried yearly. Steve is the first mono-skier known to have been caught in an avalanche in Alaska.
Doug Fesler,Alaska Mountain Safety Center, Inc.
On Dec 21, 1996, 3 Alberta snowmobilers were caught in a large avalanche in the Hasler Flats area. 2 of the three managed to escape/dig out or were dug out by other snowmobilers but the other fella was swept away. Conflicting reports state that the 3 were at the bottom of the slope while another machine was highmarking and sidehilled across in front of them triggering the release down onto them. Another report from one of the searchers (who also was involved and was rescued from a slide in the same area last year) said that all 3 were on the slope at the same time when the release occurred. None of them had transievers, probes, shovels or training. Bad weather hampered the search and recovery. A search team was assembled and a dog brought in. The victim, a 19 year old college student from Alberta was found on Christmas eve under a very large volume of debris - one report was 9 feet the other was 9 metres - the debris in the slide was well over 20 feet deep. The young man appears to have succumbed to the trauma of the incident when he was carried down into and through the trees. There have been quiet a few near misses already in this region this year before this incident and since - unfortunately they are not very well reported.
Terry Sawchuk
Four teens die in avalanche
CANMORE, Alta. (CP) -- Four teens were killed Saturday in an avalanche in Alberta's Rocky Moutains after they hiked into the back country in search of snow.
The teens -- three males and one female -- were all 17 and from Calgary. Searchers retrieved the bodies from near the Fortress ski hill west of Calgary on Sunday after a parent reported the youths missing when they did not return home Saturday.
Their bodies were found close together under a metre of snow and investigators believe they were walking through a gully when the avalanche hit. "Nobody was skiing at that point and they were all together .. because they were together they were probably joking and laughing," and probably didn't hear the sound of the avalanche, said Kananaskis Country ranger George Field.
Unseasonably mild temperatures and lack of snowfall have kept most Alberta ski hills closed this season.
A search was launched Saturday, but called off at nightfall. (Westwide Editors note: The previous statement is incorrect. Jeff Haack has informed us that the search actually continued through the night.) At first light Sunday, park rangers discovered tracks leading into a fresh avalanche site. A national park warden scouring the site with a rescue dog found the bodies after a brief search.
Parents of the dead teens gathered at the Fortress ski hill lodge while the bodies were taken to a waiting ambulance at the bottom of the hill.
Tracks indicate the teens had hiked up the front of the closed ski hill and over a ridge in search of some snow where they could ski and snowboard. Searchers believe the four were still hiking because they found a backpack with a snowboard still inside.
"Everybody feels that going into these gullies that have snow in them ..is the place to go because that's where it's deep," said Field. But warm Chinook winds that have blown across Alberta for the past week have built up unstable layers of crust on top of the snow.
"There has been some crust layers set up because of Chinook-type temperatures and then they're frozen again. These are the layers that caused the problem here," said Field.
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