Avalanche Kills One On Mt Herman, West Of Mt Baker Ski Area In Cascades Mountains of Washington
Mt Baker, Washington – On Sunday, January 24, 2016 an avalanche killed Mark Panthen, 36, of Bellingham and injured another person on the north-northwest side of Mt. Herman in the Cascade Range of Washington. This backcountry area is just west of Mt Baker Ski Area but is not accessible from the chairlift.
It is currently reported that the avalanche came down from above and that someone in the party called 911. The injured skier was transported by helicopter to the hospital. Whatcom County Search and Rescue recovered the body around 1 PM on Monday 1/25.
The avalanche danger at the time of the incident was moderate, but there was a persistent slab problem.
At this point in time the Northwest Avalanche Center has not released a report.
We will try to update this post as more information becomes available.
__________________________________________________
Read more about the Mt Herman avalanche fatality from these sources:
- Avalanche.org Accident Report
- King5.com
- SeattleTimes.com
- Northwest Avalanche Center
- CAIC Avalanche Report
- BellinghamHerald.com
__________________________________________________
This avalanche accident occurred on the same day as a double avalanche fatality in the backcountry near Jackson Hole. There have been 11 avalanche fatalities in the United States in January 2016, including:
- 1/24/16 – Mt. Herman, WA – 1 Skier
- 1/24/16 – Jackson Hole Backcountry, WY – 2 Skiers
- 1/23/16 – Whitefish Range, MT – 1 Snowmobiler
- 1/21/16 – Crested Butte, CO – 1 Snowmobiler
- 1/21/16 – Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT – 1 Skier
- 1/19/16 – Cedar Basin, MT – 1 Skier
- 1/19/16 – The Pyramid, WY – 1 Skier
- 1/16/16 – Hatcher Pass, AK – 1 Snowboarder
- 1/16/16 – St. Mary’s Glacier, CO – 1 Hiker/Climber
- 1/2/16 – Hatcher Pass, AK – 1 Snowmobiler
Avalanche.org writes that there have been 15 avalanche fatalities in 2015/2016 season. There are also several individuals missing in the mountains in avalanche terrain.
Be safe out there.
