Here are some of the headlines from this past week in the Missoulian. To read the full stories, click the link on each headline:
Its operations limited, avalanche center urges public observations
Avalanche safety professionals around the U.S., like forecasters, rangers and educators, preach a common refrain to people venturing into the winter backcountry: “Know before you go.” Simply put, know where and how avalanches happen, and know how to avoid being caught in one.
This winter, the Missoula-based West Central Montana Avalanche Center is stressing an additional message: If you do go, tell us what you see.
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With its operations limited this year, the center is relying more than ever on the public to be its eyes and ears on the deadliest natural phenomenon on national forest land.
The nonprofit avalanche center tracks, analyzes and advises on snowpack conditions and avalanche danger across a broad forecast area stretching from Lost Trail Pass on the south to the Seeley area on the north. That’s more than 1,420 square miles of western Montana spanning 150 linear miles, or a more than three-hour highway drive, from south to north…