A snowmobiler with a serious leg injury was rescued Monday, Feb. 17, after an avalanche on Mount St. Helens, according to the Volcano Rescue Team (VRT).
At about 2 p.m., three snowmobilers were riding above the tree line when two of their machines got stuck in deep snow. Fog had rolled in as they were working to get free, significantly reducing visibility and influencing them to head for home, according to VRT.
As they were accelerating out of being stuck, both riders accidentally drove off a cornice into Shoestring Gully, free-falling 20 to 30 feet into a 100-foot canyon, VRT stated in a social media post.
“The first rider’s impact triggered an avalanche, which propagated over 100 yards across the gully,” VRT stated. “Unable to deploy his avalanche airbag, this rider used a swimming motion with his arms to stay near the surface. When the debris settled, he was pinned against his snowmobile but suffered only minor injuries. The second rider, unaware of the first accident and unable to hear the third rider yelling for him to stop, followed over the edge and landed on the remaining hard snowpack suffering a significant leg injury.”
With neither rider able to self-extricate, the third snowmobiler found a safe route into the gully, dug out the first victim and tended to the injured rider before riding to a location with cell service to call for help, according to VRT.
“Ten members of the Volcano Rescue Team responded, navigating challenging conditions, including fresh heavy snow, risks of an additional avalanches, steep terrain and radio communication difficulties due to the topography,” VRT stated. “Rescuers packaged the injured rider, utilized a rope system to lower him to the gully floor and transported him via a snowmobile sled to Marble Mountain Sno-Park, where North Country EMS was waiting to take him to the hospital.”
The rescue, coordinated by the Skamania County Sheriff's Office, lasted over eight hours, including travel time.
“This incident highlights the dangers of backcountry snowmobiling, especially in poor visibility and elevated avalanche conditions,” said a Volcano Rescue Team spokesperson. “We’re grateful for a positive outcome but urge users to obtain avalanche training, carry avalanche rescue gear, check conditions before going out, and make informed decisions in the field.”
On the day of the accident, the risk of avalanche was rated as “considerable,” which is the third highest level out of five.
