Caution: Friendly Fire at Washington Pass

[Lowell Skoog]

During most years, the North Cascades highway closes in autumn after
a few weeks of heavy snowfall. This year the highway has stayed open
almost two months since the first snow, with no closing in sight. This
has provided unusual opportunities for skiers and snowboarders to
interact with avalanche control crews.

On Wednesday, November 26 two friends and I went skiing above Washington
Pass. We parked our car at the Blue Lake trailhead west of the pass
and climbed to Blue Peak saddle. Around noon, as we were eating lunch,
explosions rang out on the slopes and cliffs just over the ridge from
us. State highway department crews were firing artillery at these
slopes from the hairpin turn east of the pass.

A few days later, I telephoned the North Central office of the
Washington State Department of Transportation (509-667-3000). I spoke
to the avalanche control supervisor and he confirmed that they used
artillery on the day of our tour to evaluate snow stability for the
Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

I asked if there was anything I could do to find out about such activity
before skiing in the area. He suggested that I could call the office
and ask the receptionist, but since the office is open only during
regular business hours (not a time when a backcountry-bound skier is
likely to be near a phone) this didn't seem like a good solution to
either of us. He said he has asked the Forest Service to mark the area
as closed to skiers until the highway closes for the season, but that
request hasn't gone anywhere. I don't know how much of the pass would
be affected by such a closure, but I'd hate to see it happen.

The supervisor said that skiers need to be aware that avalanche control
work using artillery can take place at any time at Washington Pass.
This should not be a hazard for skiers in the west facing Blue Lake
basin, since in the unlikely event that a shell overshot the ridge, it
should sail right over the basin and land in Copper Creek somewhere.
However, skiers in Spire Gulch, the east facing slope above the highway
that is the main control target, could be at great risk. He said the
procedure before firing is to stop highway traffic, turn back any skiers
found along the road, scan the target slopes and the ridge above using
binoculars, and then open fire. He said that if our party had started
down Spire Gulch (which we did later in the day), they would have
spotted us. I'm not so sure.

My conclusion is that backcountry skiers and snowboarders at Washington
Pass need to be aware of the possibility of avalanche control work and
take responsibility for their own safety. On days when control work
seems like a good possibility, pick another destination. Before skiing
Spire Gulch, especially if you approached from the Blue Lake side, look
down at the highway and make sure that traffic is flowing. That's a
good sign that control work is not imminent. Once you start down, don't
pause long in any area where you are hidden from below. Ski safely,
have fun, and get the heck out of there.

--Lowell Skoog
Seattle