Avalanche scene evacuated due to unstable snow mass

The scene of the avalanche that claimed the lives of two Flathead Valley backcountry skiers on Sunday was evacuated Wednesday morning, as well as the route to the site, according to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office. Tuesday's storm left an additional eight to 14 inches of snow in the area. The high winds associated with the storm caused heavy loading to the already unstable snow mass. The avalanche level was upgraded to "high" by the U.S. Forest Service Glacier Country Avalanche Center on Tuesday.

The Sheriff's Office does not currently have any missing persons associated with Sunday's avalanche. Twelve persons initially reported missing by friends and/or family members have been located.

Search efforts will not continue until the scene is safe for responders.

Anthony Kollmann, 19, of Kalispell and David Gogolak, 36, of Whitefish were killed shortly after noon Sunday when they were caught in an avalanche on Fiberglass Hill. That is in the Canyon Creek Drainage of the North Fork of the Flathead River. It is about halfway between the Canyon Creek trailhead and Big Mountain.

There were conflicting statements as to whether more than two people were buried by the avalanche. Searches since the avalanche have not located any other potential victims.

The Flathead National Forest issued a closure order on Monday for a portion of the Canyon Creek Drainage to everyone except rescue personnel. The closed area includes the groomed route in the Fiberglass Hill area and the area outside the ski area boundary by Flower Point.