Fatal Accident

Deadly Jewel Basin avalanche detailed

Posted: Feb 20, 2012 10:36 PM by Dax VanFossen (KAJ News)

JEWEL BASIN- More information surfaced on the avalanche that took the life of a Bigfork man earlier this month.

Mark Albee, 42, was killed when the snow collapsed as he and his brother were on a backcountry ski trip above Wildcat Lake near the Jewel Basin in the Swan Range.

The pair had stopped to take pictures on the ridge line when the snow suddenly gave way, triggering an avalanche that carried Albee more than 500-feet down the mountain.

His buried body was found at the foot of the slope by searchers the next day. We spoke with Mark's brother Iain Albee just days after the accident and he described the actual avalanche.

"it went woof and I leaned forward just a little bit, and as I'm doing that, I'm looking back and my skis are in the air, and all I see is blocks and basically the place is just gone, and I go to turn to my left and Mark should be about right there, and even that area is gone, Mark's not there."

The report issued by the Glacier Avalanche Center, lists a combination of fresh snow that had fallen just prior to the slide combined with high winds to create the cornice, or overhanging snow along the crest.

A check of the avalanche area showed the falling cornice appeared to have triggered the release of a large slab of weakened, older snow that formed in November and December when the snowpack was shallow and air temperatures were especially cold.

Investigators say the incident serves a reminder for backcountry travelers to treat cornices with "respect," especially because most of the mountain ridges in Western Montana run north-to-south and are subject to prevailing winds.