*** 18 Skiers & Climbers Caught in a Rash Of Avalanches ***

From: Bruce Bowler <cozylog@Alaska.NET>
To: sarinfo@mindlink.bc.ca
Subject: Avalanche News

Anchorage Daily News 4/20/97
By NATALIE PHILLIPS
Daily News reporter

  A group of snowboarders out helicopter skiing 11 days ago near
Girdwood triggered an avalanche that carried some of them 800
feet, said an owner of the helicopter skiing company. No one was
buried by the avalanche, but one skier suffered a broken kneecap.
"These things happen," said David Marshall, a co-owner of

Chugach Powder Guides, the helicopter skiing outfit that had taken
the group of eight snowboarders and two guides to the site on
April 9th. "The mountains are a wild environment. Snow pack is one
of the toughest variables. We do our best to minimize the risks."

  The heliskiers were just a handful of 18 skiers, climbers and
snowmobilers who were caught in avalanches between April 5th and 11th
when back country snow conditions were very unstable and the days
were particularly sunny, said Doug Fesler of the Alaska Mountain
Safety Center, which keeps records of avalanches and promotes
safety in the back country. A snowmobiler was killed in one of
those accidents.

  It appears that all the avalanches were triggered by the
individuals, according to Fesler's records. That's not surprising.
Historical records show that more than 95 percent of the victims
of avalanches trigger the snowslides that catch them, he added.
  "We had a stretch of warm weather where we had two layers of
unstable snow, one was about 2- to 3-feet down, the other 4- to 5-
feet down," he said. "It's not unusual to have this many people
caught in avalanches when we have this kind of unstable snow and
good weather."

  Since those reported slides, the weather has gotten cooler and
the snow is probably more stable now, Fesler said. But he was
quick to caution that conditions in the back country are always
variable.

  Marshall said the slide that caught the heliskiers happened just
after the group of skiers was dropped off near Winner Creek. One
of the guides skied about 20 feet away from the group onto a 15-
to 20-degree slope to dig a pit to determine if the layers of snow
were stable. The guide discovered that there was a weak layer
under the snow and as he skied away from the pit, the area slid,
Marshall said. Three of the snowboarders and one guide were
"snapped up" by the tail end of the slide and carried 800 feet
down the mountain, he said.

  The skier who broke his kneecap "probably hit it on a rock,"
Marshall said.

  All of heliskiers were wearing avalanche beacons, which are
transmitters used to find bodies buried in debris, Marshall said.
They had undergone an hourlong safety training session before
being taken to the back country, which is standard procedure for
the company, he added.

  The helicopter was nearby when the slide occurred and safely
ferried the skiers out of the area after the incident, Marshall
said. The injured skier was taken to the Girdwood medical clinic
for treatment then released. An incident report was filed with the
U.S. Forest Service, which issued the operating permit to the
helicopter skiing company.

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