Separate non-fatal avalanches were reported in Northwest Montana recently, reminding recreationists of the dangerous conditions that still exist in the backcountry.
According to a report submitted to the Glacier Country Avalanche Center, a pair of snowmobilers successfully escaped a slide that occurred west of Eureka in the Kootenai National Forest on March 3. The avalanche on Caribou Mountain in the Yaak knocked one rider off their snowmobile, but the person was able to stay above the surface because the slide was slow moving. The person ended up roughly 15 yards away from their sled. The other rider activated an airbag backpack and was able to accelerate off the avalanche.
The Glacier Country Avalanche Center also received reports of two other large magnitude avalanches recently, one in the Whitefish Range and another at Mount Cameahwait near Essex.
Last Friday, one person reported witnessing a large fracture that triggered seven other slides near the south face of Whitefish Peak. The depths of the slides were estimated to be four- to eight-feet deep and the debris pile was reported at more than 25 feet deep.
The Cameahwait slide was described as being similar in size.
“This, along with the observation from the Whitefish Range, should serve as a heads up that we have activity occurring that can result in severe consequences,” the reporting party wrote.
In another incident, a party of skiers reported triggering a large avalanche by Divide Mountain near Glacier National Park on March 7. The group managed to escape unharmed. The slide broke on a relatively flat slope, alarming the people involved.
“Very scary at the time, but an extremely good learning experience,” the reporting party wrote in a report to the U.S. Forest Service. “The fact that we triggered the slide from flat ground was humbling.”
In an avalanche advisory released Tuesday, the U.S. Forest Service said backcountry danger is considerable between 5,000 and 7,500 feet for Glacier National Park and the Flathead and Kootenai national forests. Hazard conditions may trend upward after Wednesday because of increased freezing levels and the possibility of rain in the mountains, the report from Tony Willits of the Flathead National Forest said.
Investigate the snow pack with snow pits to determine whether the areas you are riding over are safe, Willits wrote in his advisory.
“Don’t let yourself grow complacent, determine what snow instabilities exist where you are traveling,” he added.
Willits advised that all backcountry recreationists avoid avalanche paths and run outs.
New dense snow will continue to pile on a weak layer of buried surface hoar from early February, especially on lee sides of upper elevation ridges, Willits said.
Over the last 10 winters in the U.S., an average of roughly 29 people have died in avalanches every year, according to the American Avalanche Association. Through Tuesday, there have been 27 fatalities this winter, including five so far this month.
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