Backcountry users have had a series of close calls involving avalanches over the last few days, and the Northwest Montana avalanche danger continues to be rated “high.”

According to the Flathead Avalanche Center, six snowmobilers were traveling in the McGinnis Creek drainage off the North Fork Road north of Columbia Falls on Saturday when one rider ascended a slope, triggering an avalanche.

The man was knocked off his machine but he was able to deploy an airbag with which he was equipped. He was carried about 150 to 200 yards downslope, coming to a rest nearly fully buried in a reclining position with the airbag visible to his companions. He was able to extricate himself.

Another rider was able to stay on his machine at the outer edge of the avalanche but he was carried about 70 yards downslope, where his machine ended up partially buried.

A third rider was able to get away from his snowmobile and stay out of the avalanche but his machine was totally buried near the toe of the avalanche.

The snowmobilers estimated the avalanche was about 200 yards wide with debris traveling about 1,000 vertical feet downslope. All people involved escaped injury.

The same day, a group of seven people on snowmobiles and snowbikes were traveling in China Basin on the Whitefish Divide when one snowbiker in front triggered a slide.  

The avalanche knocked the last rider off his machine and carried him downslope about 30 to 40 feet, where he ended up on top of the debris with no injuries.

The avalanche was estimated to be about 700 feet wide with debris 4 or 5 feet deep.

Most recently, there was a close call in the Canyon Creek drainage on Tuesday involving three skiers.

The group was hiking out along the Canyon Creek Road from Flower Point when a natural avalanche released along Skook Chutes, burying one of the skiers up to his neck with one arm sticking out.

The slide, which occurred at about 3 p.m., was estimated to be 700 to 1,000 feet wide.

The Flathead Avalanche Center warns that the Canyon Creek Road in this area is a terrain trap.

“There is nowhere to escape with such massive objective hazards hanging above you, and this is the second partial burial incident in the same area within 10 days,” the center’s advisory states, referring to a snowmobiler who got caught in a slide.

The advisory states that dangerous avalanche conditions exist, and that human-triggered and natural avalanches are likely.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.