Blackstone Glacier, Alaska – On Wednesday May 2, 2018 a snowmachiner was buried and killed in an avalanche on the Blackstone Glacier near Whittier in Alaska.
There were approximately 16 riders on the glacier at the time of the accident. The victim was part of a group of six that were involved in the incident. Three riders were caught in the slide. Two were partially buried and one was fully buried and killed. The snowmachiners in the area initiated a rescue and alerted authorities.
Alaska Air National Guard responded to the scene at 4800 feet via helicopter and transported the buried individual to the hospital. Unfortunately, he did not survive.
KTUU.com identified the victim as 41-year-old Chad Christman of Anchorage, Alaska.
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
UPDATE:
- The CNFAIC.org published a full avalanche report that can be accessed here. They categorized the avalanche as SS-AMu-R3D2-U. The slide measured 200-300′ wide, 500-1000′ long and 24-36″ deep. The east aspect slope measured 40 degrees at the crown and ended in a terrain trap/gully feature. For official details and images, please visit CNFAIC.org.
See Also: Global Avalanche Accidents 2017/2018
