The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek: Disaster on the Mountain

The fresh powder beckoned 16 expert skiers and snowboarders into the backcountry. Without warning, a slab of snow cracked and swept violently down the mountain. No one knew how many were inside of the avalanche.

Read the story by John Branch here, where he writes, “The avalanche, in Washington’s Cascades in February, slid past some trees and rocks, like ocean swells around a ship’s prow. Others it captured and added to its violent load.

“Somewhere inside, it also carried people. How many, no one knew.”

Tunnel Creek Avalanche