Tragedy struck in California as a hiker lost their life and two others were injured in a summer avalanche. The incident occurred on July 2 when an unidentified hiking party encountered a wet slide avalanche while descending Split Mountain.
Despite not being buried, the force of the avalanche swept the hikers onto rocky terrain, causing injuries. The survivors immediately called for help, prompting a rescue operation by the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office. Unfortunately, one of the hikers succumbed to their wounds.
The hiking party had successfully reached the summit of Split Mountain earlier in the day, located above Red Lake near Big Pine, California. However, as they began their descent, they encountered a wet slide avalanche. The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office announced the incident on Friday. The Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center reported that all three hikers sustained injuries, with one of them tragically losing their life.
Upon receiving the distress call, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office swiftly deployed rescue teams to the scene. The rescuers faced challenging conditions as they ascended 2,000 feet to reach the survivors. Due to the adverse conditions, they had to postpone the retrieval of the deceased hiker’s body until the following day. This unfortunate incident marks the second avalanche-related fatality in the Sierra region within the past month.
The Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center issued a warning about the current weather conditions, emphasizing the increased likelihood of avalanches even during the summer months. The center highlighted the presence of loose, unconsolidated snow on the surface, which makes it easy to trigger wet loose avalanches. Additionally, the lack of overnight refreeze further complicates the situation, making it difficult to arrest falls in steep terrain. The center also cautioned hikers about objective hazards in the Sierra Mountains, such as melting snow bridges that may fail under the weight of individuals and high water levels in creeks, making some crossings impossible.