Snowmobiler Dies In Avalanche On Sheep Mountain North Of Cooke City, Montana
On Saturday, December 19, 2015, Jason Wald, 33, a snowmobiler from Bismarck, North Dakota was killed in an avalanche on the SE face of Sheep Mountain between Lulu Pass and Round Lake in the Beartooth Mountains north of Cooke City, Montana. The avalanche rating at the time was HIGH.
According to the GNFAC, the avalanche was triggered by the victim who was unable to deploy his airbag and was subsequently buried six-feet deep. The avalanche also caught and buried two other members of the victim’s party who were parked in the run out zone. These two deployed their airbags. One was buried to the chest and the other was completely buried. They were able to self rescue and escaped unharmed. They then began to search for the buried snowmobiler.
Park County Hasty Team responded to the scene. The GNFAC will go to the scene of this avalanche fatality on 12/20/2015 and will provided an official report and more information.
RIP.
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UPDATE 12/22 – The GNFAC released their detailed report on the Sheep Mountain Avalanche Fatality. The categorized this avalanche as a SS-AM-O-R2.5- D2.5. Read the report for more information.
UPDATE 12/21 – Here is a video with Doug Chabot of the GNFAC from the scene of the avalanche fatality on Sheep Mountain:
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This post will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.
This is the 2nd avalanche fatality in the US of the 2015/2016 season. A UCLA student died in an avalanche while hiking in California. A a skier is now presumed dead in an Alaskan avalanche after being missing for over 3 weeks and another backcountry skier is missing at Snoqualmie Pass. Please be safe out there.
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Read more about this tragic avalanche fatality in Cooke City, MT from these sources:
- GNFAC 12/20/2015 Avalanche Advisory
- KTVQ.com
- Big Horn Radio Network
- BismarckTribune.com
