Unstable snowpack, new storms raise fears of more avalanche deaths

KIE RELYEA - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Worried that storms blowing into the region could dump more than four feet of new snow onto an already unstable snowpack in the Cascades and Olympics through Friday, Jan. 2, authorities are warning those heading into the backcountry of some of the worst avalanche conditions in decades.

"If you make a mistake, you're going to die. It's that simple," said Michael Jackson, executive director of the Bellingham-based Alpine Safety Awareness Program.

"It's not time to trifle with the snowpack. It's not time to take risks," echoed Mark Moore, director of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center.

BEFORE YOU GO

With the snowpack unstable and avalanche danger high, authorities recommend you take the following precautions before heading out and while you�re playing in the snow:

• Check mountain weather forecasts and snow conditions at the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center�s online site at www.nwac.us.

• Stay in flatter terrain. Avoid slopes that are 25 degrees or steeper, or those that are connected to larger slopes above. Try to stay in areas that have plenty of trees.

• Don�t go into the backcountry without a shovel, beacon and probe.

• Go with a partner and make sure you can see each other, even if you�re in a more controlled atmosphere such as a ski area.

• Use greater caution. Instead of launching yourself down the middle of a large slope, ride a smaller slope and see how the snow responds.

• Avalanches aren�t the only threat to safety. You could suffocate if you fall head-first into a tree well or deep powder, get trapped and can�t free yourself or be pulled out. Learn more by going online to www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com.

Sources: Michael Jackson, executive director of the Alpine Safety Awareness Program; Mark Moore, director of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center
HOW TO LEARN ABOUT AVALANCHE SAFETY

• Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center are teaming up with Bellingham-based Alpine Safety Awareness Program to offer free snow-safety classes. The effort is part of the Know the Snow Ava-lanche Awareness Initiative and is geared toward skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, snowshoers and whoever else plays in the snow.

• The introductory sessions last for two hours. To learn more or sign up for classes, send an e-mail to Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center at info@avalanchenw.org or go to www.avalanchenw.org.

• Alpine Safety Awareness Program is teaching two levels of avalanche courses. Sessions start Wednes-day, Jan. 14. Call Western Washington University�s Outdoor Center at 650-3112 for sign-up information.

• Mt. Baker Ski Area also offers a mountain safety program. Learn more at www.mtbaker.us.

Strong winds could add to the danger.

Avalanches have caused 11 fatalities in the U.S. and eight in Canada since Dec. 14, officials said.

The eight deaths in Canada occurred Sunday, Dec. 28, when a group of snowmobilers were hit in back-to-back avalanches in the backcountry near Fernie, B.C. That same day another snowmobile rider was killed in an avalanche near Harts Pass in Okanogan County in Washington state.

As Moore explained it, the cold temperatures and shallow snowpack that existed earlier in the month resulted in a recrystalization within the snowpack, and those new crystals are weakly bonded.

"We have a very weak snowpack close to the ground," Moore said.

Add significant snowfall to that - a process Moore compared to throwing a growing brick on top of potato chips - and you've got some of the most unstable avalanche conditions he's seen in the Northwest in 20 years.

The conditions are now common in Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado to Montana and likely across southern British Columbia and southern Alberta, Moore said.

Although warmer temperatures have helped stabilize the snowpack in some areas in recent days, officials are worried about the potential for large, destructive avalanches.

In the Cascades and Olympics, avalanche danger increases substantially on Thursday, Jan. 1, going from high to extreme above 4,000 feet and high below that level, according to the center's avalanche forecast.

"We're not trying to scare people out of the mountains. We're trying to educate them," Moore said.

Authorities also are warning people about high winds and that significant snowfall could cause tree wells, which are holes that form around the bases of trees. Skiers or snowboarders who fall headfirst into them can suffocate if they can't get out.

Gwyn Howat, one of the operations managers for Mt. Baker Ski Area, said skiers and snowboarders shouldn't venture out alone.

"It's a good idea to ride with a partner all the time, but especially if you're off the groomed runs," Howat said.

Jackson and others are warning people to use common sense as they head into the holiday weekend.

Be cautious inside ski areas and obey signs that tell you a run is off limits, they said, and if you must go into the backcountry, curb risky behavior.

"The mountains, including the ski area, belong to nature first. We are all visitors there and with that comes not only a personal responsibility but also a general sense of respect for the forces of nature," Howat said. "It's no Disneyland, and it's not the mall."