Avalanche — East Slopes Southern Cascades, Washington
1998-01-18 · East Slopes Southern Cascades, Washington
1
Direct deaths
Event narrative
A snowmobiler died Sunday afternoon in an avalanche near Blewett Pass. After riding up a relatively steep slope he was trying to turn his machine around when the slope above him gave way. He and his machine fell 400 to 500 feet and were buried under 2-3 feet of snow. Nearby snowmobilers used trail marker wands to probe for the victim but failed to find him. After avalanche control measures were taken Monday morning to protect rescuers, the victim was found Monday afternoon . He was located about 60 feet below and 20 feet across the slope from his machine.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5660074. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.