Three skiers were caught in an avalanche south of Cooke City, Montana Friday, and although two were injured, all three survived. According to a release from Gallatin National Forest, the slide broke 3 feet deep and 300 feet wide in the Republic Creek drainage.
The avalanche broke across three adjacent gullies and caught the three skiers, burying one with only an arm sticking out of the snow. Two of the skiers were injured but thanks to prompt rescue efforts by their partners, the outcome was not worse.
Wet snow avalanches this time of year are particularly hard to predict and forest officials urge back country users to give themselves big safety margins and don’t try to outsmart the snowpack as it goes through a rapid change.
