Many agencies in the US try to predict avalanche conditions, to prevent disasters that on average kill about 30 people a year. At least four people have died this winter.
Those who died were one in a rare avalanche near the Lake Tahoe ski resort, and skiers and snowboarders in backcountry areas of Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming.
Avalanche prevention experts say their task has become more difficult in recent years, as climate change causes extreme weather and an increase in the number of skiers and snowmobilers visiting backcountry areas since the pandemic.
Experts say dangerous conditions have formed in winter in many mountainous regions. Snowfall was light across much of the Western US early in the season, creating an unstable layer at the bottom of the snowpack. That means dangerous conditions will likely continue for months, said Doug Chabot, director of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Monitoring Center.
An avalanche probe that can be used to search for victims buried in the snow is seen in the backcountry of the Gallatin National Forest, near Cooke City, Montana, Jan. 29, 2024. (AP/Matthew Brown)
Chabot is one of avalanche prevention specialists across the US, raising attention to the dangers of avalanches, and teaching the public how to stay safe. These experts say their efforts have helped prevent the death toll from rising, even as more skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers venture beyond limits in remote mountain areas.
“If you're caught in an avalanche, you have an 80 percent chance of surviving, if you're found within 10 minutes,” Chabot said.
“It's not a smooth move when you get dragged down. You will get hit. You could hit a rock, you could hit a tree, you could experience trauma. And even in the best case, you see there are still 20 percent of people who don't survive. So, getting caught in an avalanche is a serious problem,” he added.
More people means more opportunities to trigger a fatal avalanche, although safety equipment technology is advancing, including airbags that help wearers float above the snow if they trigger an avalanche.
Avalanches have killed 21 people in the Cooke City, Montana area over the past 25 years, making it one of the deadliest avalanche locations in the US.
The Beartooth Mountains of Southwest Montana are inherently dangerous, but that doesn't stop people from risking their lives there.
Chabot's goal is to make sure they at least know what they're getting into. For 29 years he observed the weather in the region, and visited backcountry areas to survey snow conditions, gauge hazards, and make avalanche forecasts.
Doug Chabot, of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, climbs the side of Mount Henderson to examine the site of a recent avalanche, Jan. 29, 2024, near Cooke City, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)
If the pile is thick, he explains, the snow will remain well insulated, meaning those billions of flakes will remain trapped at a relatively stable temperature, creating a strong bond that makes avalanches less likely.
But as temperatures change, which is more likely and more dramatic when the snowpack is thin, a variable that changes with climate change-induced droughts, the snow turns into sugar-like crystals, which quickly split when the pile above them becomes too heavy, for example after heavy snowfall or when the wind blows snow into a thick pile on one side of a mountain.
Safety equipment is expensive, and some service providers at snow resorts now require it before renting out snowmobiles or taking visitors skiing. One of them is Shannon Abelseth, who rents snowmobiles in Cooke City. “I'm sure these people are tired of hearing, you know, hearing us preach to them about salvation. But it has to be done,” said Abelseth.
“Yes. “For everyone in this community, we don't like sending people home in body bags,” he added. (ns/ab)