I was up Loop brook today with some friends and had the misfortune to witness (from across the valley) a near miss avalanche incident involving some ski tourers ascending Mt. Green from Loop Brook.

One party had already ascended the 40+ kick turns below the col and had managed to scrabble their way through rock band and had proceeded to ascend the scoured southern ridge of Mt. Green (rough position indicated by stars in photo). A second party of two were part way up the aforementioned kick turns, when the party on the ridge appeared to remote triggered a slab that ran over a cliffband and onto the uptrack below (area in red in the photo).

We heard the avalanche across the valley from us as it hit the slope after plunging over the cliff. We then kept eyes on the 2 skiers who reacted by traversing downhill to avoid being involved. Fortunately this was the outcome and no one was involved.

My observations are as follows:

- Rogers Pass is a very busy place - other parties do represent significant hazard and should always be considered - what you can't see CAN hurt you

- Safety measures count - the threatened party were well spread out which optimized the likelihood of only one person being involved at a time.

- Avalanche hazard ratings do not capture specific terrain features well - take the time to read the text and respect the terrain you are engaging in.

Best wishes to all,

Scott Davis
ACMG Mountain Guide