Snowmobiler triggers Canyon Creek avalanche

A snowmobiler triggered an avalanche Feb. 15 in the Canyon Creek drainage near Whitefish Mountain Resort that partially buried four people.

All four made it out safely, according to the Flathead Avalanche Center. The slide in the Skook Chutes and Seven Sisters area was about 900 feet across and ran 700 feet downhill.

Debris from the avalanche crossed Canyon Creek Road and was 6 feet deep on the road, the center reported.  

The Flathead Avalanche Center will investigate the avalanche this week.

On Monday, the avalanche center issued a backcountry avalanche warning. The hazard for the Flathead Range and portions of Glacier National Park was high.

“Heavy snowfall, strong winds, and expected continued heavy snow have created highly unstable conditions,” the center said in its advisory. “Natural and human triggered avalanches are likely.”

In 2008, an avalanche in the Skook Chutes area of Canyon Creek killed two skiers.