Avalanche kills person near Mount Baker ski area

Craig Panthen composed himself to share the story of the events surrounding the avalanche that took his brother's, Mark Panthen's, life last Sunday. So many pieces of the story that made the news cycle missed what actually happened. Craig allows us the understanding of the sequence of events as they unfolded on the slopes of Mt Herman.

www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbi...&fref=nf&pnref=story

If you have not already done so and feel so compelled, please consider helping Mark's and Amanda Peart's family through the Mark Panthen Memorial Fund: www.youcaring.com/markpanthenmemorialfund

Thank you.

Additional Info.  Amazing effort by local SAR resources.

NAS Whidbey Island SAR Facebook Post

Craig Panthen composed himself to share the story of the events surrounding the avalanche that took his brother's, Mark Panthen's, life last Sunday. So many pieces of the story that made the news cycle missed what actually happened. Craig allows us the understanding of the sequence of events as they unfolded on the slopes of Mt Herman.

www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbi...&fref=nf&pnref=story

Thanks for posting this link. Such a difficult time.

The ice avalanche that hit them could not have been predicted well at all.

They were trying to self-rescue, and that is something I think we all regard as a virtue.

In addition to family and friends, I send my thoughts to the ski patrol and other rescuers whose efforts were stymied.

Yes, thanks for posting, and ditto to the rest of what Lowell wrote. And good luck with the memorial fund, as well as with getting on with your suddenly-changed lives.

I'll be interested to read the report that I assume will eventually be posted by NWAC - if anything I'm not more confused than ever by the various descriptions, as the run down from Herman Saddle and the Mazama Bowl access notch is nowhere near nor in view of the parking lot (at least the features we've always used those names for) or what folks here have described as the Widowmaker run. But there's no rush and clear and carefully compiled facts beat internet speculation.

I can't get onto FB from work so I don't know what the brother's account is but I was up there and saw them.

My best guess at their route that day:
Early start from the parking lot to Bagley Bowl and accessing Mazama Bowl somehow, probably the usual low point between Herman and Mazama Dome.
100% guess, too many other tracks to know which were theirs.
Skinned east out of Mazama Bowl to the high notch.
I believe this based on the fact that they had the only downhill tracks east of the high notch and we had the only skin track east of the high notch. The party I was in had the only downhill tracks west of the high notch. I saw a slightly snowed over skin track that was only a couple of hours old climbing from Mazama Bowl to the notch. All of the other skiers in Mazama Bowl were farming turns in the north facing slope in the middle of the bowl.
Skied from the high notch to the moraine in Corona Bowl.
I know this because I watched them do it. One of them caught some air on a wind lip near the moraine, maybe intentional, probably an accident in the flat light. He fell and picked himself up while we were peeling skins on the false summit at ~1115.
They continued north east from there towards the entrance into the face that slid on them. They were gone before we got to the moraine so we didn't talk at all but I watched them ski by.

We continued out through Mazama Bowl and Bagley Bowl (where we saw the Navy SAR heli) back to the parking lot. I talked to MSAR and patrol, told them that I saw the party and when and asked them what was going on.

It shook us up pretty good since we had talked about retreating out the same way if we couldn't get to the saddle into Mazama Bowl.

My sincerest condolences to the family and friends.

I'm waiting to see the official, properly informed, analysis, but curiosity's hard to quash entirely.

I've barely skied the Baker BC, just ~six trips or so, but from photos people have posted, it sounds like the slide path is where I've labelled "Spot 2" on this map. I've refrained from using the path name because it seems too apropos at present.

caltopo.com/m/5M86

The edit password is "TAY"; do feel free to improve the map however you wish. To edit, click on the "Read-only" link, and it'll let you enter a password.

I've made a few updates to the link that includes where I was standing when I saw the two skiers, where I saw tracks, and where the wind lip was that I saw one of them fall. The shading on WM and the start points are close enough for the conversation here.