January 12, 2005, Avalanche Death at Snoqualmie

I am posting this for folks who may not live in the Puget Sound area. I imagine there will be a formal report on this in the future. <br><br>From: www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_0112...ncheaxSW.727275.html

Skier dies in avalanche at Snoqualmie Pass

09:11 PM PST on Wednesday, January 12, 2005


From KING5.com Staff and Wire Reports

SEATTLE - A 28-year-old skier died Wednesday afternoon after being buried in an avalanche at Alpental at Snoqualmie Pass, according to the King County Medical Examiner's office.

A spokesman for The Summit at Snoqualmie, which includes Alpental and three other ski areas, said the avalanche struck around 12:30 p.m., burying the skier below the International Cliffs, an area that was closed because there wasn't enough snow.

A friend who was skiing with the victim was partially buried, but was able to dig himself out, Summit spokesman Jon Pretty said.

Two other skiers were in the area at the time but weren't caught in the snow slide. One helped locate the buried skier, and the other notified ski patrol, Pretty said.

A ski patrol crew found the buried skier, who, like his friend, was wearing an avalanche beacon, about 40 minutes after the avalanche. He was unconscious and airlifted to Seattle, Pretty said.

The avalanche was triggered when snow at the base of International Cliffs broke loose, Pretty said.

There are signs posted in the area saying it's not open for skiing.

Alpental has a vertical drop of 2,280 feet and over 300 acres of skiable terrain.

A winter storm warning was in effect for the Cascades through Wednesday evening. Snow accumulations of around a foot of snow were expected, with a few locations receiving up to 18 inches of snow. The heaviest snow amounts were expected to be between Stevens and Snoqualmie passes.

The snowpack at the area was not particularly deep, however, but high winds can create unstable slabs of snow even when the overall risk is low.

"With the winds last night that we had up high, we get a lot of snow that loads up. It may not have to fall from the sky to build up a deep pocket," said Jay Wiseman, spokesman for the Alpental ski area.

I guess it's a little shocking that this accident happened in a ski area. However, here is an excerpt from the official avalanche forecast for the day of the accident:<br><br>....WEDNESDAY<br>Strong west winds and continued snowfall is expected Wednesday <br>mainly near and west of the crest. West winds may be strongest <br>and snowfall heaviest in the central Cascade passes namely <br>Stevens and Snoqualmie. This should maintain or continue to build <br>slab layers on lee aspects mainly near and west of the crest. <br>This should be mainly steeper east aspects at higher elevations <br>and in the central Cascade passes which is where human triggered <br>slab avalanche should be probable. Winds and snowfall should <br>begin to decrease Wednesday afternoon and evening. This should <br>allow the snowpack to start to stabilize and begin to slightly <br>decrease the avalanche danger.<br>

Ruxpercnd, there are now 4 threads on TAY which discuss this incident. It may be more productive if we consolidate our comments into one thread.

I guess it's a little shocking that this accident happened in a ski area.

<br>I think this is a mistake many of us subconsciously made yesterday, assuming a higher margin of safety because we were "at the ski area" - in reality, Alpental pre-season is just another big, steep mountain subject to all of the conditions that every mountain is . . . lesson learned.

My sympathies go out to anyone who knows the victim. There must be a lot of pain going around right now.<br><br>I've even seen some scary conditions while the area is open - traversing way to skiers right in Edelweiss bowl during a storm with strong west winds. Snow doesn't know where it is, eh?<br><br>I hope this isn't a portent of the near future - let's all stay vigilant! As has been noted repeatedly on TAY, it's a funky snowpack. It's easy to think "I know more, I can manage the risk" etc, but I try to remind myself that good runs are never totally risk free, no matter how careful I've been.

Big and scary avy debris is pretty much a weekly thing on Lower International, even when the area is open daily . . .

We all love you and are inspired by you Eric. You were someone who kept me going back into the backcountry rather than resorts. It was great to see the look on your face when you found out what I have acheived the last time I saw you at the climbing gym. It was great to know your family and to see them on Christmas day a few years ago and to know that you grew up only 2 blocks from Nunu. It was fun working with you at REI for that breif period of time. <br><br>I will never forget the great moments of bouldering at Marrymoore Park or giving you a hard time about your tree collection or making first turns at Pinapple Pass. I try to hold the tears back knowing that I have lost another friend and partner to the Cascade Mountains. No luck, you are one my close friends dude! <br><br>Have fun up there. I will remember you always. <br><br>T-man

Sorry about too many threads re: this item... just a brain fart on my part - will try to be more careful in the future. - Rux

From: seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews...70_avalanche13e.html

Skier, 28, dies after Alpental avalanche

By Ashley Bach and Sara Jean Green

Seattle Times staff reporters

Two skiers tried to tackle an unstable hillside yesterday, likely triggering the release of a 100-foot-long wave of speeding snow that killed one of them.

Eric Lewis, 28, was buried under the small avalanche at the Alpental Ski Area and airlifted more than two hours later to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died. An autopsy is planned for tomorrow.

The second man was partially buried and freed himself from the snow. He found Lewis with the help of an electronic avalanche beacon and dug him out, Snoqualmie Pass Fire Department fire officials said.

At least one avalanche expert worries that this season's loose snowpack could mean more and larger avalanches throughout the Olympic and Cascade mountains. Yesterday's avalanche fatality was the second in the state since October. Washington usually averages two such deaths each winter.

The Alpental ski area, one of four at the Summit at Snoqualmie resort, has been closed because of a lack of snow on slopes, but some skiers still use the area for unpatrolled runs, said Summit spokesman Jon Pretty. The men were "ski touring" - a type of backcountry skiing - up the mountain with specially equipped downhill skis. They had stopped to rest around noon below the International Cliffs area when the hillside started to rumble above them, Pretty said.

Two other men skiing nearby went over to help; one stayed with Lewis and his friend while the other skied to get help, said Lt. Ron Linde of the Snoqualmie Pass Fire Department.

The accident comes in the midst of a ski season hampered by poor snow conditions throughout the region. The Summit's four ski areas usually open in December, but only two, Summit West and Summit Central, are open so far this year, Pretty said.

"It's been a very frustrating start to the season, and now, it's a very saddened start to the season," he said.

Pretty said there were signs posted that indicated the ski area was closed.

Mark Moore, director of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center in Seattle, was just returning from Eastern Washington, where he was conducting avalanche-education classes for members of the U.S. Forest Service, when he heard about yesterday's fatality. Though he couldn't speak in detail about the Alpental avalanche, Moore said, "Ninety percent of avalanche accidents and fatalities are triggered by the victims themselves.

"It's choice, not chance - we've met the enemy and it's us," he said.

Because the Alpental ski area was closed, avalanche mitigation - which generally means releasing snow slides with explosives - hadn't been done, he said. Venturing into such an area means "accepting whatever consequences happen," said Moore, adding that the avalanche danger was high yesterday.

That danger could last through the winter, Moore said. Usually by early January, there's between 60 and 100 inches of snow in the mountains; this year, the range is between 12 and 60 inches. For the past week or so, the region has seen small accumulations of snow, coupled with strong west winds.

The combination has created wind slabs over light, fluffy snow, making steep slopes particularly unstable.

The risk of avalanches will depend on how the winter evolves. If the area gets rain, it could initially trigger slides but would eventually help strengthen the snowpack, Moore said. Conversely, if a lot of snow gets deposited on top of the weak layers already on the slopes, "we could get large avalanches, although it will take time for them to develop," he said.

"The weaknesses we see in the snowpack could last until spring," Moore said.

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

- Link to a preliminary report by Garth Ferber, Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center<br> <br>www.nwac.us/documents/accidents/2004_2005/Alpental_01_12_05.htm