Page 7 - Flathead Beacon // 3.12.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
MARCH 12, 2014 | 7

One of the most gruesome accounts ing down a drainage near the Goat Lick

came from 1912, when an avalanche took Overlook east of Essex. The slide went
out a snowplow east of Essex and carried under the highway bridge before plug-
it down an embankment. The engineer’s ging the Middle Fork of the Flathead
body was found days later, pinched be- River.
neath the plow. The newspaper reported On March 6, BNSF applied for an
that the tips of his ingers were worn of emergency special-use permit from
from “clawing in the snow and dirt try- Glacier National Park to conduct ava-
ing to efect his release.”
lanche mitigation along the railroad, us-

Another tragedy struck on March ing a “daisy bell” suspended from a he-
4, 1929, when a mail train was swept licopter. The “daisy bell” is a hydrogen
down a mountainside by an avalanche. combustion cylinder that ires pressure
Three men died and more were injured. waves at the snowpack to trigger slides.
To combat the slides, the railroad built While avalanche control was conduct-
snowsheds over the tracks in areas that ed, U.S. Highway 2 was closed between
are particularly prone to avalanches. West Glacier and East Glacier Park. The

But problems still arise on occasion, and railroad and highway reopened later
on Jan. 28, 2004 an empty grain train that day and Steiner said valuable infor-
derailed when two separate avalanch- mation was gathered by conducting the
es hit it. The railroad was closed for 29 mitigation.
hours.
How avalanche conditions will
That incident led to the creation change in the coming weeks is anyone’s
of BNSF’s Avalanche Safety Program. Debris left behind by an avalanche near Essex that dammed the Middle Fork Flathead River. Avalanche guess. Flathead Avalanche Center In-
Steiner, who works for David Hamre conditions caused the closure of U.S. Highway 2 between West Glacier and East Glacier on March 6. terim Director Erich Peitzsch said the
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
and Associates, an avalanche mitigation weather will determine what happens
and consulting company, was tapped to in the mountains along Glacier’s south- in Essex. The course is about six hours USGS’ Blase Reardon.
lead the program and between Novem- ern boundary and the surrounding area. long and includes transceiver training Last week’s avalanche cycle began
ber and April is based in a small oice On March 10, the center issued a special and rescue techniques.
when rain and wet snow fell on a weak
in Essex. From that oice, Steiner stud- bulletin advising backcountry travel- “We’re very fortunate to have a rail- snowpack established earlier in the year.
ies weather patterns and, at least once ers of an elevated avalanche danger. The way in this community that is as focused The slide that hit the tracks on the night
or twice a week, heads into the ield to bulletin said natural and human caused on safety as BNSF is,” Steiner said. “The of March 2 was the irst to impact the

dig snow pits and test the conditions. avalanches were likely in the coming railroad has been top notch in this re- rails since 2011.
The information Steiner gathers in the days.
gard.”
Larger slides began coming down
ield and from forecasts is then given to “Last week’s storm tipped the The railroad also uses ive weather early on March 6, including one that
the railroad. But perhaps the most im- scales,” he said. “You put that much stations in the canyon, two owned by went over a railroad snowshed, once
portant aspect of Steiner’s job is safety. weight on a weak snowpack and you’re the U.S. Geological Survey and three again closing the line for the rest of the
Every winter, he leads avalanche safety going to get big avalanches.”
by BNSF. The irst one was installed day. Two others came down near U.S.
courses for BNSF employees who work
[email protected]
around 2002, a project spearheaded by
Highway 2, the most spectacular travel-

AVAILABLE

NOW!

130 Hutton Ranch Rd., Kalispell LUNCH 11AM-4PM

406-755-0757
DINNER 4PM-CLOSE
MONGOLIAN GRILL