Quick report
Around noon on Saturday, February 14th a solo skier was caught, carried, and injured in a slab avalanche on the east slopes of Mt Herman. The skier was swept into a stand of timber where he sustained multiple injuries, including a potential leg fracture. An unrelated touring party who witnessed the avalanche phoned 911 and began to access the scene on skis. Bellingham Mountain Rescue responded to the scene and conducted a medical assessment, packaged the patient, and evacuated them to a higher level of care. Team members were not able to see the avalanche crown or path due to low visibility.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 26
- Cloud Cover
- obscured
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Recent Snowfall
- 35
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Avalanche
- Size
- D2
- Type
- HS
- Aspect
- E
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 4400 ft
The avalanche that caught, carried, and injured the skier was an area of wind-deposited snow that formed a slab 20-60cm in depth and over 100 feet across.