Director Of Wallowa Avalanche Center Killed In Avalanche In Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains (UPDATED)

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Mountain Journey
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Avalanche Kills Director Of Wallowa Avalanche Center On Mount Chief Joseph In Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains During Backcountry Ski Trip

Wallowa Mountains, Oregon – On Tuesday, March 8, 2016, Kip Rand, the director the Wallowa Avalanche Center, was killed in an avalanche in Miners Gulch on Mt. Chief Joseph (9616′) in the Wallowa Mountains in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of Oregon.

Avalanche Beacon check

The 29-year-old was skiing with his friend Bill Vandebos when the avalanche occurred. The two backcountry skiers were doing a tour of Sacajawea Peak, the Hurwal Divide, and Chief Joseph Mountain when a cornice failure triggered the avalanche. According to the LaGrandeObserver.com, the cornice measured “roughly 50 feet across, 20 feet wide and 25 feet deep, swept Rand 1,200 feet down a narrow chute.’

Rand ended up partially buried. Vandenbos initiated the SPOT locator and called authorities. He then located Rand and performed CPR then moved his friend out of the debris pile into a snow cave and built a fire.

Helicopters were unable to fly due to poor weather, which meant rescue on skis was the fastest way for rescuers to approach. Wallowa County Sheriff’s Department received a SPOT alarm at 4:30PM. Search and Rescuers arrived on scene five hour later at around 9:30 or 10:00 PM. Another group of backcountry skiers had also responded to the accident and were already on scene. Wallowa County Search and Rescue planned to retrieve the body on Wednesday, March 9.

Rand, who was hired on the director of the Wallowa Avalanche Center last November, wrote the the last avalanche advisory for the Wallowa Avalanche Center on Sunday, March 6, 2016. That advisory reported three main problems: 1) widespread cycle of wet avalanches, 2) “upside down” new snow, 3) wind slabs on NE-NW slopes near ridgelines and crossloaded terrain features. The report expected conditions to stabilize over the next few days.

This is the first avalanche fatality in March 2016. It is the first avalanche fatality in Oregon this year. It is the 24th avalanche fatality during the 2015/2016 season according to the CAIC.

We will try to update this post as more information becomes available.

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Read more about the avalanche fatality in the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon from these sources: