Skier Caught and Carried

A skier was caught, carried, and suffered minor injuries in a large avalanche Monday afternoon in the Middle Fork corridor of the Flathead Range. 

A summary of the incident:

• The slide released on a northeast-facing slope at about 7000 feet elevation. The slope was convex in shape (steeper in the middle) with evidence of light drifting.
• The slide released 8-10" below the snow surface and broke about 250 feet wide.
• The 1st skier skied without incident. 
• The second skier entered skier's right, made 10-15 turns down through some trees, and then the slide broke above him as he skied into a more open part of the slope. 
• The skier attempted to stop and let the debris wash past him. When his skis popped off, he tumbled downslope head over heels, sucked in some snow, and when his head came above the surface, caught a tree. He was carried an estimated 200 feet downslope. He was not buried, and was uninjured except for sore neck and shoulders the following day.
• The party could not find the victim's gear so he bootpacked down to the highway. 
• The victim reports that they were aware of heightened danger because fracturing on their switchback corners and glopping on their skins.
• They thought they'd chosen a safer slope because of tree anchors and a lower slope angle. In hindsight, the slope was steeper than they thought, and the rider wishes they'd measured the slope angle.