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2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan Kittitas County, Washington of the victim or someone in the victim's party triggers the slide. According to the NWAC, avalanches have killed approximately 63 people in Washington since 1997.15 The deadliest avalanche in United States history occurred in 1910 in Wellington, Washington resulting in 96 fatalities..66 NWAC has reported 32 avalanche events in Kittitas County, listed in Table 4-26, that have resulted in injuries and/or fatalities between 1997 and 2023.-67 Table 4-26. Avalanche Past Events 65 Northwest Avalanche Center. (2024). Northwest Avalanche Accident Summaries. Retrieved from https://nwa c.us/accident-reoorts/ 66 Lesatele, E. (2023). The Deadliest Avalanche in American History, Retrieved from https://medium.com/@ella.lesatele/the-deadliest-avalanche-in-american-historv-71b00138925. 67 Northwest Avalanche Center. (2024). Northwest Avalanche Accident Summaries. Retrieved from https://nwac.us/accident-reports/. A group of four (4) snowmobilers access terrain for back country snowboarding starting from the Easton Reload Sno-Park (off of lnterstate 9). On a northwest aspect, estimated at 5,800 feet they triggered a very large avalanche which fully buried one (1) snowboarder. The group quickly located and uncovered the victim within three (3) minutes uniniured and able to return to the trail head without assistance. February 6,2021 January 31, 2021 Two (2) skiers were caught and carried by a slab avalanche in Bryant Peak, Snoqualmie Pass. One (1) skier sustained a knee injury. The crown depth varied from four (a) b 20 inches. The group ended up traversing above cliffs between Great Scott Bowl and the Bryant Peak Couloir in low visibility conditions. After descending 200 to 300 vertical feet, the skiers realized that they had cliffed out. The skiers ascended back uphill, first following their ski tracks on skis and then by boot when they triggered an area of wind affected snow. The avalanche swept both skiers 300 verticalfeet through trees and over small cliff features, narrowly missing larger cliff bands. The slide occurred on a northeast aspect around 5,200 feet. Alpental Patrol responded to help extricate the injured skier while the other skier was able to self-rescue. February 8,2021 Two (2) snow bike riders left the French Cabin Creek Snopark near Salmon la Sac (near Cle Elum Lake) to go riding in the Knox Creek area and triggered an avalanche from somewhere in the lower start zone. The two (2) bikers were caught - one (1)was partially buried while the other was buried and killed. March 3, 2018 Four (4) snowmobilers were involved in a slab avalanche accident just south of Longs Pass near Esmerelda Peak. All four (4) snowmobilers were caught and carried by the avalanche and with two (2) were killed. The avalanche was approximately 450 to 500 feet wide, 2.5 to three (3) feet deep, and traveled 1,500 vertical feet. February 25,2O1B Two (2) teenagers were killed by a slab avalanche that released on a south aspect at 4,250 feet in Source Lake-Snow Lake Divide, Alpental Valley (Snoqualmie Pass area). The avalanche was estimated at 350 feet wide and ran 500 vertical feet into mature timber with crown depths up to 36 inches. February 25,2018 One (1) snowmobiler was caught, carried, and killed by a slab avalanche that released above Cottonwood Lake, Snoqualmie Pass. The avalanche debris was up to 6 feet deep. There were another four (4) snowmobilers in the group who suffered minor injuries and were partially buried with one partial critical burial. A snowboarder triggered a slab avalanche adjacent to the Alpental Ski Area on a northeast aspect. The snowboarder was caught, carried, and partially buried. The avalanche extended from the normal path and ran into the resort in an area known as Powder Bowl. The avalanche hit a ski patroller and his avalanche dog conducting training. The dog was caught and carried, though neither the patroller nor dog were injured or buried. The snowboarder was rescued by Alpental Ski Patrol and sustained iniuries needinq additional treatment. February 18,2018 Date Description Chapter 4: Hazard ldentification and Risk Assessment 74