Broken cornice triggers deadly avalanche
Whitefish Pilot | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 13 years, 5 months AGO
The
body of a 42-year-old Bigfork man was recovered Feb. 2 by
search-and-rescue crews from an avalanche site in the Jewel Basin
hiking area along the Swan Range.
Mark Albee was killed when he and his
brother Iain were backcountry skiing Feb. 1 on the Swan Crest and
unknowingly skied over a cornice, triggering an avalanche,
according to a release from the Flathead County Sheriff’s
office
The cornice, a wind-loaded snow ledge,
fractured and started the avalanche. Iain attempted an initial
search, but when he could not reach his brother he returned to his
vehicle to call for help.
The avalanche occurred around noon on
an east-facing slope between Wildcat and Twin Lakes in the Jewel
Basin. A storm system moved into the area that afternoon. The
system prevented search and rescue efforts from reaching the site
until the next day.
Flathead Emergency Aviation Resources
reached the avalanche site late Thursday morning.
Mark Albee was recovered from under
five feet of snow and transported by helicopter out of the site.
The victim and his brother were both highly skilled and experienced
backcountry skiers, according to the Sheriff’s office. Both had the
appropriate training and safety equipment for the environment.
The avalanche triggered near 7,100 feet
at the ridgeline. It had a vertical drop of about 500 feet, and a
run of 600 feet long and 200 feet across.
Some 60 responders participated in the
search.
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