Winter blast brings deep snow to the Flathead
By RICHARD HANNERS
Whitefish Pilot
Sixteen BNSF Railway cars carrying new automobiles de-railed near Essex on Saturday. The incident delayed one of Amtrak’s Empire Builders by 22 hours and another by 16 hours. From 3,000 to 4,000 passengers were affected, according to Amtrak spokesman Vernae Graham.
Then on Monday, a westbound grain train derailed about 3.5 miles west of Whitefish, causing further delays. BNFS spokesman Gus Melonas said track damage was caused by a broken wheel on one of the loaded grain cars.
There is only one track in that area west of Whitefish, but by Tuesday, the tracks were cleared of cars and debris and trains were running again.
It has been a tough couple of weeks for rail travelers. Severe weather that swept the nation from coast to coast earlier last week trapped numerous Amtrak customers in Whitefish on Dec. 22. Frigid temperatures and snow left long-distance Amtrak trains stuck in Chicago and Portland until the next day.
A couple staying at The Lodge At Whitefish Lake drove across the U.S. after their flight was delayed back on the East Coast. They were here for a couple days of skiing — and the timing couldn’t have been better.
By Sunday, Whitefish Mountain Resort was reporting 22 inches of new snow over the past two days. That was good news for local powder hounds, destination skiers and college students who were home for the holidays.
Ski patrollers who spent the morning blasting steep slopes in Hellroaring Basin had the popular gladed area open by mid-afternoon on Saturday, but it was closed all day Sunday as patrollers went back to work with their hand charges. All told, they used 79 charges in one day, setting a Big Mountain record.
That would be no surprise to skiers who had ventured into the basin on Saturday — the snow on Connie’s Coulee was chest deep. On the other side of the mountain, strong winds created dangerous slab conditions on the East Rim and Whitey’s.
Warmer temperatures on Sunday created heavier snow conditions, but the skiers and snowboarders didn’t mind. Parking lots were completely full, and cars lined streets in The Glades and other out-of-the-way locations. All that new snow was packed down in no time, and the big Blue runs turned into moguls.
A slide in the Canyon Creek drainage on Saturday buried a snowmobile about three miles from the trailhead on the North Fork road. About a dozen people were snowmobiling in the area about 5 p.m. when the slide covered the groomed trail. The popular trail leads to the summit of Big Mountain.
Eight Canadian snowmobilers went missing after two avalanches buried them south of Fernie, B.C., on Sunday. Three other riders escaped the incident with minor injuries. Eight bodies were recovered by Tuesday.
The group was snowmobiling at the popular Harvey Pass destination when a slide buried part of the group. A second avalanche buried some of the riders who responded to help out.
Two snowmobilers were killed near Salt Lake City on Christmas Eve. The avalanche conditions in the Logan Peak backcountry area was considered extremely dangerous.
Inbounds recreationists have also been at risk. A snowboarder at the Snowbird ski resort in Utah triggered an avalanche that killed a 27-year-old skier on Dec. 14. The snowboarder escaped the avalanche.
And a 31-year-old skier was killed Saturday by an avalanche at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The avalanche carried the man about 200 yards down the slope and buried him in eight feet of snow.
Fifty-nine inches of snow in Spokane, Wash., this past month has caused problems there. The 25,000-square-foot roof of a Rosauers grocery store there partially collapsed, causing minor injuries to one person.
Avalanche training offered
Officials are forecasting a bad winter for avalanches, considering the layering that has already formed. Backcountry recreationists should be prepared and trained before venturing out.
• An “Avy Savvy” Aware ness Clinic will be held at The Wave in Whitefish on Jan 6 at 6:30 p.m.
The two-hour classroom session will use PowerPoint slides and discussion to highlight basic avalanche awareness and the weather, terrain, snowpack and human factors contributing to avalanche accidents, how to avoid them and what to do when one occurs. Format will be inclusive of all modes of backcountry travel.
• An avalanche awareness program for skiers, snowboarders, and mountaineers will be taught at the Flathead National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 650 Wolfpack Way, in, Kalispell, on Jan. 5, 7, 12, and 14 from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Field sessions will take place at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Jan. 10 and 17 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
To obtain maximum benefit, participants are encouraged to attend all the evening lectures and both all-day field sessions. The program is free and meets Level 1 guidelines of the American Avalanche Association.
There is no pre-registration and participants need only show up at the door. For more information, call Stan Bones in the evenings at 837-6022.