Avalanche
Both the crown and the victim’s location are marked on the photo. The skier was carried 1500 vertical feet downslope and buried near the toe of the debris. Rescuers reached him 75 minutes after the slide occurred, but the avalanche was fatal. Photo: GNFAC
A solo backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche off the north summit of Saddle Peak, MT yesterday – Saturday April 14th, 2018.
He triggered the avalanche.
The avalanche was 1-3′ deep, 100′ wide, and it carried him 1,500-vertical-feet.
Large cornices loom over the slope where a skier triggered a fatal slide on Saturday (4/14) on Saddle Peak in the Bridger Range. Photo: P. Maleski
Skiers at Bridger Bowl ski resort watched the avalanche and notified ski patrol.
3 ski patrollers climbed Saddle Peak and skied down the avalanche path and found an avalanche transceiver signal at the toe of the avalanche debris.
The avalanche was triggered by a solo skier, the first tracks of the day. The crown is marked, and the slide carried him down the path where he was fatally buried. Photo: GNFAC
The avalanche victim’s gloved had was sticking out of the snow and the patrollers quickly dug out his head.
Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
About 75 minutes passed from the time of the avalanche until the victim’s head was extracted.
A skier triggered the slide a few hundred feet from the top on a 37 degree rollover that was wind-loaded with the previous days 30″ of new snow. The crown was 1-3 feet deep and 75-100 feet wide. Photo: GNFAC
Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center Press Release:
Yesterday morning a solo skier triggered an avalanche descending off the north summit of Saddle Peak. A few hundred feet from the top he triggered an avalanche that broke 1-3’ deep, 100’ wide, and carried him 1500’ vertical distance down the narrow path. Our investigation at the crown revealed dense wind-drifted snow resting on a thin ice crust (the bed surface). Skiers on a chairlift at Bridger Bowl witnessed the slide and alerted the ski patrol who then responded as volunteers for Gallatin County Search and Rescue (GCSAR). Three patrollers climbed Saddle Peak and descend the slope picking up a beacon signal near the toe of the debris. The victim’s gloved hand was sticking out of the snow and the rescuers were able to reach his head quickly. Resuscitation efforts were not successful. Approximately 75 minutes elapsed from the avalanche to extrication. I visited the scene yesterday afternoon and will have more information later today and a full report early in the week.
All of us at the avalanche center are deeply saddened by this accident. The skier was known to many and we offer our sincere condolences to his friends and family.
- GNFAC
A sad and tragic day. Condolences to the family. The mountain community has lost another one of our own. I will say a prayer today for our brother.