Snowmobiler plunges into deep canyon and triggers avalanche, Washington rescuers say
A snowmobiler plunged into a deep canyon, triggering an avalanche on a Washington mountain, rescuers said.
The snowmobiler was riding with other people on Feb. 17 when two of them got stuck in deep snow on Mount Saint Helens, rescuers said.
They decided to go home once freeing themselves because it started getting foggy on the mountain, the Volcano Rescue Team said in a Feb. 21 Facebook post.
The two riders then accidentally drove off a cornice, an overhanging piece of snow, and plunged 20 to 30 feet into a deep canyon, the rescue team said.
Rescuers said the first rider went over the ledge and triggered an avalanche that traveled 300 feet down the mountain.
He wasn't able to deploy his avalanche airbag, but he 'used a swimming motion with his arms to stay near the surface' of the debris, rescuers said.
This rider ended up pinned to his snowmobile.
The second snowmobiler followed over the ledge and hit hard snowpack, causing significant injuries to his leg, rescuers said.
The third snowmobiler dug out the rider caught in the avalanche and helped the injured rider before calling for help, rescuers said.
A team responded to the mountain and used a rope system to get the snowmobiler with the injured leg down the gully so he could get to a hospital.
The avalanche risk that day was ranked as 'considerable,' or level three out of five, the rescue team said.
At this level, 'avalanche conditions are considered dangerous and careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding, and conservative decision making are essential,' according to Avalanche.org.
Mount Saint Helens is in Skamania County in southwest Washington.
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