I just wanted to post a few photos of an avalanche we had here to remind fellow winter travelers of one of the dangers lurking out there. I work from Cooke City, Montana in the winter, where moderate sized avalanches are normal. Last week we had an unusually snowy period where we in excess of 9 inches of water content (8 to 10 feet of snow) in 7 days. Lots of new snow is a red flag since it adds weight to a snowpack and stresses bonds between layers. Even in flatter country avalanches can get people. Relatively small slopes like those on road cut slopes or in small creek bottoms can easily bury a skier or snowshoer above their head. Asphyxiation is the typical cause of death after 10 minutes, but trauma from being dragged through trees or other obstacles can do it too. I encourage winter travelers to learn about telltale signs of avalanche danger, travel with a partner, make good route decisions to avoid potential avalanche zones, and carry a beacon, shovel and probe when in avalanche terrain. Find a class and get some practical training on avalanche awareness, it might come in handy and there's always great information about snow science.
Two days ago this particular avalanche slid all the way from the top of the peak, about 1300 feet, filled the valley down below and up the other side 100 feet above the valley bottom. Snow piled up on a winter road to a depth of 20 or 30 feet. There were trees blocking the view of the slide path from the road, about where the snowmobiles are parked.
To get an idea of the scale of this slide, the same machines are the little dots on the left side of this photo.
Lots of trees are incorporated into the debris.
Mark
Two days ago this particular avalanche slid all the way from the top of the peak, about 1300 feet, filled the valley down below and up the other side 100 feet above the valley bottom. Snow piled up on a winter road to a depth of 20 or 30 feet. There were trees blocking the view of the slide path from the road, about where the snowmobiles are parked.
To get an idea of the scale of this slide, the same machines are the little dots on the left side of this photo.
Lots of trees are incorporated into the debris.
Mark
