Avalanche in Cook Inlet, Alaska

Nick Coltman, an Anchorage area resident, was hiking up Flattop Mountain when he and his dog triggered a snow slide Saturday. The slide pushed him down the slop about 600 feet over rocks and boulders and partially buried him in snow. he was able to hang on to a cellular phone and call for help. He suffered serious injuries to his head, back and torso and had frostbitten fingers. As of Sunday, he was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. Coltman was familiar with Flattop trails and was in excellent condition before the accident.This was somewhat of an unusual situation, in that the greater Anchorage hillside area has not had a heavy snow. Local areas of Flattop, however, had several feet of wind layered snow and this is what is thought to have given way due to recent winds and fluctuating warm and cold temperatures.