Avalanche Lab

03/10/2024

It’s been a tough few weeks for the avalanche community. Stay strong 💪

Our hearts are mourning with the loss of two incredible humans this week. Nick Burks worked for the Wallowa Avalanche Center, as a forecaster and educator. After spending his young adulthood ski patrolling at Mt Hood, Nick moved to NE OR and began another chapter in his life. A man of few words, (but always important ones) the local community accepted Nick as a member of the community. He touched so many lives and gained so many new friends in just a couple of years.

Matt Primomo who passed away in a rock climbing accident this week was a forecaster for NWAC. Matt spent the winter of 2009 ski guiding in the Wallowas. His reach was also vast, extending across the mountain west. Matt will be remembered in so many ways.

It's hard to also consider that March 8th marks the passing of former WAC ED, Kip Rand. Another young snow safety professional, educator and guide Kip was an amazing human.

As we all go through different stages of mourning we hope everyone has someone to call to console and comfort them during this hard time. Spending time with friends and loved ones is critical right now. Call your friends and remind them that you love them.

03/06/2024

Crazy how it propagates back towards him in a wave. Close call for sure!

A skier shared POV footage from a heli-skiing trip in the San Juan Mountains on March 1st, 2024. He inadvertently captured the experience of being caught in...

01/19/2024

Saw this video on tree well’s and it really hit home on why they are so dangerous. These are professional patrollers, and it looked tough for sure. What do you think about this?

You gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet, right? In a video filmed last winter, a member of Whitewater Ski Resort, British Columbia's patrol team dove he...

03/22/2023

Great advice!

03/20/2023

Lol I love it! Kids in pits, train the youth and save a life!

03/05/2023

Sad news!

Three people are dead and four more injured after an avalanche in the B.C. Interior around noon on Wednesday, RCMP say.

02/28/2023

Wow that was close!

02/28/2023

Crazy video!

02/28/2023

A bad last few days for CO

We are deeply saddened to report that a missing snowmobiler near La Manga pass was recovered today. The rider was buried and killed in an avalanche. This tragic accident marks the seventh avalanche death in Colorado for the 2022-2023 season and the third fatality since February 25. You can read the preliminary report at https://classic.avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?acc_id=832&accfm=rep
We extend our deepest condolences to everyone affected by this tragic accident.

Avalanche danger will increase again on Tuesday as our next storm system nears. By Wednesday, you can expect very dangerous avalanche conditions to develop for portions of the Central and Southern Mountains

02/27/2023

It’s DANGEROUS out there, play it safe and live to ride another day!

It was a tragic weekend in the backcountry community. Two skiers were caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche in the Southern Mountains. Search and rescue operations remain underway for a missing snowmobiler near La Manga Pass. And numerous close calls with backcountry travelers being caught, carried, and partially buried were reported across the state.

Avalanche conditions remain complicated. Keep your guard up, and communicate your terrain choices amongst your group. If you want to dig deeper and reduce your uncertainty, look at the recent avalanche observations in your area and try to identify patterns. Then you can select your terrain and avoid slopes that share similar characteristics to recent avalanches.

The attached photo is from a snowmobile-triggered avalanche in the La Platas that caught, carried, and fully buried the rider. Thankfully, the other riders were well-practiced with their rescue gear and were able to extract and fully clear the victim's airway within 5-7 minutes, ultimately saving a life.