Avalanche claims two local skiers

By RICHARD HANNERS and DAVID ERICKSON - Whitefish Pilot

Large slide triggered on Fiberglass Hill behind Big Mountain:

Two local backcountry skiers died Sunday, Jan. 13, when a large avalanche swept over them in the Canyon Creek area northeast of Big Mountain.

David Gogolak, 36, of Whitefish, and Anthony Koll-mann, 19, of Kalispell, died at the scene, a popular hill below the sister chutes on Skookoleel Mountain that local skiers and snowmobilers have nicknamed Fiberglass Hill.

According to the Flathead County Sheriff's Department, the avalanche occurred shortly after noon. Eyewitnesses said more than two skiers could have been caught in the quarter-mile wide slide, which downed trees in its path and sounded like a tornado.

Responders said the leading edge of the debris was 25-30 feet deep. According to eyewitnesses, one of the skiers was at the top of the hill when the avalanche occurred and the other was moving up the Canyon Creek snowmobile trail toward Whitefish Mountain Resort.

No avalanche transceivers were found.

Kollmann, who witnesses said may have triggered the avalanche, was located about an hour later. He had lost too much blood by the time Big Mountain Ski Patrol personnel arrived, and he died from severe trauma.

Gogolak was on the snow-mobile trail with his brother-in-law, Todd Wharton, when the avalanche occurred. Whar-ton said he and Gogolak had skied a "safe line" down from Flower Point into the canyon and were boot-packing back to ski area when Gogolak alerted him to the avalanche.

Wharton said he yelled for Gogolak to run and then was quickly buried. Wharton said he was able to reach the surface with his hands, clear an airspace around his face and eventually dig himself out.

About two dozen people immediately began searching the debris, but Gogolak's body was not found until four hours after the avalanche occurred.

Personnel from the sheriff's office, Flathead Search and Rescue, North Valley Search and Rescue, Alert Helicopter, Flathead National Forest, Nordic Ski Patrol, and both Lake and Lincoln counties responded to the incident. About 100 responders probed the heavy debris, and trained dogs searched for a scent.

"I've been very impressed with the response," Flathead County search and rescue coordinator Jordan White said. "It was incredible to see so many people with the right equipment, such as probes and beacons, show up to help."

The search was stopped about 9 p.m. Sunday after avalanche experts expressed concern about remaining snow hanging over the search area. The Forest Service closed the Fiberglass Hill and Flower Point areas to backcountry users.

On Monday morning, Whitefish Mountain Resort personnel used explosives to bring down the remaining snow hanging over rescue operations, and groomers were brought in to remove layers of snow. Searchers formed lines and used 12-foot long probes in areas where dogs had made a "hit," but no more victims were recovered.

In fact, the sheriff's office was not completely certain more skiers were still under the avalanche debris. Several snowmobilers who witnessed the avalanche were "adamant" they'd seen more skiers, but by Wednesday, the sheriff's office did not have solid information about any missing people who might have been skiing in the area.

White conducted an aerial survey of the scene in a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter from Great Falls on Monday. He said the area was stable after heavy avalanche-control work.

"Right now, the snow is as hard as concrete down there, and the bombing added another five to 10 feet of snow on top of the layer we're searching in," he said. "We have had no direct association with anyone else being missing, but we're going to keep looking as long as we can."

A blizzard that swept in Tuesday morning brought 30-50 mph winds to the Big Mountain summit and dropped eight inches of snow, prompting concerns about more avalanches endangering recovery personnel.

The Forest Service and the Nordic Ski Patrol assessed the regional avalanche danger and raised the risk level to "high."

About 25-30 recovery personnel were allowed to return to the site by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, but probing did not recover any victims.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office said the recovery operation will continue until the area has been successfully searched.

Fiberglass Hill was the scene of a Dec. 18 avalanche that caught a snowmobiler who was high-marking. Cole Meyer, 19, broke his leg after the avalanche carried him about 300 feet into a tree.

Another snowmobiler escaped a slide in the same area the very next day, but his snowmobile, jacket and helmet were buried. The man hitched a ride with another snowmobiler back to the North Fork Road.