Snowboarder in Haines Pass triggers avalanche 'big enough to bury a person'
Nobody was hurt, but avalanche forecasters say snow conditions look worrisome
Avalanche season has begun in the Haines Pass area — and one expert says there are signs that it may be a bad winter there.
On Saturday, a snowboarder triggered an avalanche in the Nadahini Creek area. Nobody was hurt, but Erik Stevens of the Haines Avalanche Center says it's a warning.
"It's not looking like a very good start to the season, to be honest," said Stevens.
He says there's a thin base of snow right now, and that can become a big concern as more snow accumulates.
"That can be a problem through the first half or maybe even the whole winter ... when you get that really weak base set up, it can't really hold up all the heavy new snow that falls on top of it later on," Stevens said.
He says snow typically piles up faster around this time of year. This is usually when the first observational data is collected, as well.
Stevens says the Saturday avalanche was "decent-sized."
"Definitely big enough to bury a person, but thankfully no one was caught and they ended up alright," he said.
"It was a scary situation for them, and it's a really good warning for the rest of us skiers out there — that it's definitely avalanche season."