Donaldson Peak Accident Report

Quick report

Find attached an accident report for the avalanche that took the life of a skier on Donaldson Peak in the Lost River Range on May 10, 2024. This report was independently researched and written by Ben VandenBos, who worked at the Sawtooth Avalanche Center from winters 2016-17 through 2023-24. The author and the victim skied frequently together in the region in the weeks leading up to this accident. Details in this report come from the author’s and victim’s snowpack observations made prior to the accident, multiple interviews with the surviving skier, and the author’s observations made while investigating the accident on the following day.