Avalanche — Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains, Montana
March 10, 2014 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
A 27 year old male died as a result of asphyxia after being buried by a hard slab avalanche on a westerly slope above Altoona Lakes, in the Flint Creek Range or about 11 miles east-northeast of Philipsburg. The crown was located at 8,512 feet, slope angle was 35 degrees plus, length was 1,324 feet on the ground and the estimated horizontal length of the crown was 2,100 feet. An investigation made by the West Central Montana Avalanche Center found that dry & cold weather during the early winter and a shallow snowpack had created a very weak faceted layer near the ground was 10 inches in depth. The skier broke through the weakness near some rocks which allowed for the season's snowpack to slide at once.
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Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.