Northwest Avalanche Center - Public Observation

Name:

Andrew Eckels

Observation Date:

February 24, 2023

Submitted:

February 25, 2023

Zone or Region:

Snoqualmie Pass

Activity:

Skiing/Snowboarding

Location:

Cache couloir

Did you observe any avalanches?

Yes

Comments:

Hard to see crown from the lake but appeared quite wide and at least a foot deep in places

None reported

Was skinning across snow lake around noon and heard yelling from a solo skier at bottom of cache couloir. Found him with injuries where he couldn’t stand, and found out he had been skinning from the divide on benches above the cache couloir and triggered a slide that swept him over cliffs into the cache.

Our party of 5 split with myself going to the divide to call SAR and the other 4 staying with the skier to keep him warm and assess injuries.

Multiple parties that came upon the scene or found me at the divide helped out by sharing emergency warmth equipment, building a snow wall for the wind (wind chill on the lake was frigid), relaying the message that help was on the way, and assisting the heli team by building a platform for the injured skier to be hoisted by.

Skier was air lifted at about 345 pm and is in stable condition according to the news.

He was swept over up to a 100 foot cliff and likely broke bones in pelvis and back.