Remember avalanche awareness, preparedness

Ponderosa Snow Warriors President Forest Mercill reminds snowmobilers that avalanche safety should be at the forefront of their minds as they head out to ride.

"It's a weird, scary year with the ice, and the sugar (snow) and the deep on top of it," he said.

According to the Feb. 27 missoulaavalanche.org advisory, there is considerable danger of avalanche as snow conditions across west central Montana include wind slab and persistent weak layers within the snowpack.

They recommended not traveling in avalanche terrain, avoiding run out zones and carrying an avalanche beacon, a shovel and a probe.

Nationally, avalanche.org, a partnership between the American Avalanche Association and the US Forest Service National Avalanche Center, reports 33 avalanche fatalities thus far during the 2020-21 season. That number includes a snowmobiler in Montana who was killed Feb. 6 in the Swan Range west of Creston, when five snowmobilers were caught in an avalanche in Wounded Buck Creek.

With at least a month left in the season, avalanche fatalities could reach the highest level since 2013-14, when 35 people were killed by avalanches nationally.