Officials from Mt. Bachelor and the Central Oregon Avalanche Center are giving insight on avalanche mitigation efforts at the resort and the backcountry.
Because of the inherent fatality risk present in snow sports, the last known local and fatal accident being Feb. 2025 near Broken Top Mountain, COAC and Mt. Bachelor take extensive measures to prevent avalanche accidents.
“Avalanches are pretty common, even in Central Oregon. It’s definitely something that’s going to be happening frequently,” Bryce Kellogg, president of COAC, says.
The COAC stated in a recent post that there was a risk of avalanche near Tumalo Mountain and that visitors should proceed with caution.
Avalanche fatalities have been reported this year in mountainous areas like Lake Tahoe. In February, a Bend resident Stratton Matteson, 28, was killed in an avalanche in British Columbia, Canada.
According to the COAC, Central Oregon is no exception to that risk, with avalanches happening several times per year.
In recent years a number of people have died after getting caught in an avalanche. In February 2025, Bend couple, Terry and Renee Skjersaa, were found buried in snow from an avalanche on Broken Top Mountain. Also, local resident Chris Thomason, 42, was buried in an avalanche Jan. 5 near Lake Tahoe, California, and died of his injuries.
Before those casualties, most of the accidents happened with people driving snowmobiles, according to Kellogg.
When accidents do happen, it’s due to a combination of snow conditions and mistakes “self-guided” individuals make.
“It’s high-consequence, if you are wrong about something, but it is also very low-feedback,” Kellogg says. “And if there’s not an accident,it doesn’t mean that you made the right decision. You could have gotten lucky. You don’t always know if you were good or if you were lucky.”
Kellogg says COAC takes a preventative approach to mitigating the risk of avalanche. Forecasters perform in-person assessments of snow conditions, COAC staff give educational presentations, in some instances, remote weather stations monitor avalanche-prone areas.
COAC currently has three mountain weather stations that measure wind activity, snow depth and temperature, including stations at Moon Mountain, Newberry Crater National Monument and the ranger station near the monument.
“That’s our major focus, is having a forecaster go out in the field every day and assess the snowpack then write out that forecast,” Kellogg said.
When accidents and injuries happen, staff from COAC assess the cause of the avalanche.
According to Kellogg, avalanches are triggered by a number of factors.
Wind slabs may form when wind carries and deposits new snow, making those areas prime for avalanches to occur. When there is a weak layer of snow and another layer on top of that layer, a physical trigger like a skier can cause that snow to avalanche. If an object is sticking out of the snow, and a skier crashes into that object, that can cause an avalanche as well.
Once the snow compacts, the danger decreases.
A COAC forecaster goes out to areas like the Central Cascades and Paulina Peak and assesses whether slabs have formed. They may dig a snow pit to analyze the different layers.
The daily forecast can be viewed by anyone on the COAC website.
Much of this work is done in the backcountry where people are more likely to ski in the wild natural environment, as opposed to controlled environments like Mt. Bachelor.
Betsy Norsen, senior manager of Mountain Operations at Mt. Bachelor resort, says Ski Patrol on the mountain do much of the prevention.
Workers monitor snowpack closely, deploying explosives to trigger controlled avalanches with a force greater than that coming from a skier. This process ensures a compact slope suitable for riding.
“They are basically 2-pound charges that we deploy on the slope, and they have a 90-second fuse,” Norsen told the Source. “They can trigger an avalanche if the conditions are prone for avalanches.”
Norsen says that this has been a historically drier year with less snowfall. At this moment, the risk of avalanche accidents is higher in backcountry areas.
Controlled avalanches do not happen in the backcountry, according to Norsen.
Kellogg of COAC recommends skiers and people participating in snow activities come prepared with a solid education and hardware, in the event of an avalanche. Even those who consider themselves experienced in navigating snow can find themselves in danger.
Kellogg says snow lovers should come prepared with a partner, an avalanche beacon, a snow probe and a shovel.
Avalanche beacons function as a radio transceiver that helps locate victims, while collapsible probes are inserted into the snow to physically locate where a victim’s body lies.
Getting swallowed by an avalanche may seem to some as a situation you can navigate with the right strategy. Nevertheless, Kellogg says there is virtually nothing one can do in the moment.
As snow tumbles during an avalanche, the snow crystals break down and in turn the snowpack becomes more compact. Once the snow buries someone, it’s akin to being stuck in concrete. A person can do very little to resurface on their own.
Fatalities in tree-wells, the open space beneath a tree’s branches, have also caused a number of deaths locally. Loose snow coupled with movement from a trapped individual can make the situation worse and end in death.
At Mt. Bachelor, the Ski Patrol has a team of four avalanche rescue dogs trained to locate victims. The team consists of three golden retrievers and one border collie.
They have not been deployed yet, according to Norsen, and are only used in training situations.
Kellogg says that there is an “inherent risk” to skiing in the backcountry, and utilizing COAC and other educational avenues like backcountry educational trips and workshops can help individuals prepare for future snow sport outings.
“It’s just trying to get people to the point where they’re aware that there is this danger out there and to help them look at the forecast and the kind of education they should get in order to be more confident in assessing that danger for potentially going out by themselves.” Kellogg says.
This article appears in the Source March 12, 2026.
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This was such an insightful read! I’m curious, how often do you revisit and update your avalanche prevention protocols based on new data? It would be interesting to see how those changes impact safety. Thanks for sharing! Space Waves