Backcountry
Avalanche
The Ruby Mountains Wilderness in northeastern Nevada is a popular destination for backcountry skiing and snowmobiling. On Friday, March 1, a snowmobile triggered an avalanche on a northeast facing aspect that buried one individual. The individual was safely extricated after reportedly being buried upside with just his boots visible above the slide.
- Related: 2 Snowmobilers Killed in Separate Avalanches in Washington and Idaho This Weekend – SnowBrains
The avalanche occurred at Castle Lake where there was an avalanche fatality in 2021 during a similar snowmobile triggered slide. Castle Lake is within the vast Ruby Mountain Wilderness which prohibits motorized vehicle use including snowmobiles. The map below highlights the Ruby Mountain Wilderness where snowmobiling is prohibited. It is suspected that the group of snowmobilers traversed from the Lamoille Canyon which is a common zone for snowmobiles and other recreational activities to the Castle Lake area. This means the snowmobilers were roughly two miles out-of-bounds in motor vehicle prohibited terrain at the time of the avalanche.
Currently, there is no avalanche forecast for the Ruby Mountains. However, there are three SNOTELs located in the wilderness which provide recreational users some insight into the current conditions. A SNOTEL is used to monitor snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and other climatic conditions.
Undoubtedly, the snowpack is still slowly healing as it recovers from a persistent weak layer within its snowpack that is creating dangerous avalanche conditions. This a reminder to “know before you go” because areas are out-of-bounds for good reason, stay on permitted areas, and do your research before heading out into the backcountry.
