Lone skier triggers out-of-bounds slide
A lone skier triggered a slide last week on the southeast side of Hellroaring Mountain, which is above Hellroaring Basin and west of the hill with the TV and radio towers, which is west of Whitefish Mountain Resort's Summit House.
On Dec. 22, members of the Whitefish Mountain Resort Ski Patrol noticed the slide from a distance and skied to it to investigate. The slide debris is visible from atop Chair 1 on a clear day.
The ski patrollers encountered a lone skier walking out. The man, who was skiing out of bounds, had lost both skis and one pole, had cuts to his face and a broken rib, and his clothing was torn.
The man told the ski patrollers that he had tumbled for a distance in the slide before being hit by a subsequent slide in the same area, which carried him a little further down the slope. When he came to a full stop, he was buried up to his chest.
Whether the man had avalanche rescue equipment on him was not reported, but in any event, he was alone so there was no one around to locate him with a beacon and probe or to dig him out with a shovel.
According to Tony Willits, an avalanche specialist with the Flathead National Forest, the slide occurred on a slope averaging 38 degrees. The fracture line varied in depth, with the trigger point at 21 inches below the surface.
The slide was about 120 feet wide at the top and flared out to about 150 feet. The debris that slid across a road below was 66 to 100 inches deep. The slide continued another 200 feet past the road for a total length of 450 feet.
Willits' on-site investigation revealed that the slab broke away from two lower layers. He described the uppermost of the two layers as "the Thanksgiving melt freeze/ice crust."
"Initial observations seemed to indicate that the slide triggered on the Thanksgiving melt freeze ice and stepped down to the old faceted layer on the rock roll," Willits said.
Willits' backcountry avalanche advisory for Tuesday, Dec. 29, rated the hazard as moderate between 5,000 and 7,500 feet and low for under 5,000 feet.
There has been no new storm or wind-loading since Christmas, he said, but the melt-freeze crust seven to 12 inches below the surface will continue to pose a hazard when a new storm comes in.
For those who want to travel the backcountry safely this winter, the Flathead National Forest and Glacier Country Avalanche Center will sponsor a basic avalanche awareness class at The Wave on Tuesday, Jan. 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
They will also sponsor an advanced avalanche awareness class for skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers and mountaineers at the Flathead Forest Supervisor's Office, 650 Wolfpack Way, in Kalispell, on Jan. 4-16, with field sessions on Jan. 9 and 16. A class for snowmobilers will be held Jan. 25 and 27, and Feb. 1 and 3, with field sessions on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6.
Additional topics will be presented throughout the winter. For more information and avalanche advisories, call 758-5295 or visit online at www.glacieravalanche.org.