Update: Update on Avalanche Victim, Suffered Broken Bones

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Fisher was caught in a slide while on a double black diamond (most difficult) run on the Putnam Creek side Wednesday.

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A GoFund Me account has been started to help Fisher.

“Nathan was snowboarding when an avalanche let loose behind him which ended up catching and dragging him through the trees,” says the GoFundMe posting. “The slide beat up Nate pretty bad, leaving him with a dislocated femur, broken ankle, multiple broken ribs, broken jaw, multiple bruises and cuts, a deep laceration to the throat, and more. ”

UPDATE

Silver Star Resort has hired independent avalanche consultants to help in the investigation into Wednesday’s avalanche that injured a 42 year old man.

The avalanche experts will work with Silver Star’s Patrol team, to probe the incident, and assess resort-wide snow conditions.

The Putnam Creek side, the Alpine Meadows Chair, and a run under the gondola where there was a second avalanche Wednesday, will remain closed, pending the study results.

“As always, the safety of our guests and staff remains our highest concern,” says a release from Resort Communications Manager Chantelle Deacon.

No new information on the victim, who was caught in a slide on a double black diamond run, has been released.

“Due to privacy concerns and respecting the family of the guest injured in the avalanche, SilverStar will not be releasing any further information regarding the guest,” says Deacon.

Despite the slides, the rest of the resort remains open and will host the ten day Seismic Mountain Festival starting Friday.

“The Comet Express, Des Schumann Summit Express Gondola, Silver Queen, Silverwoods Express, The Zone Carpet, Adventure Center carpet, Tube Town Carpet remain open – a total of 7 of 10 lifts open with access to 46 runs of skiing and riding,” says the release.

UPDATE 10:36 am

Silver Star Resort is now confirming there were two avalanches in separate areas of the mountain on Wednesday.

One took place around noon on a double black diamond run on the Putnam Creek backside.

“It is a run that isn’t easily accessible, and you actually have to hike into it a little bit. You can’t just ski straight to it,” says Chantelle Deacon, Communications Manager at the Resort.

That incident injured a 42 year old man who is being treated for unknown injuries.

The resort is referring requests for updates on the man’s condition to Interior Health, but a spokesperson there tells Beach Radio News, they need the man’s name to find out that information, and no name has been released.

Deacon says the second slide occurred about two hours later.

“The second one happened underneath our gondola on a black run,” Deacon tells Beach Radio News.

No one was hurt in that slide.

The resort has closed the Putnam Creek side until further notice and the run under the gondola is also closed today.

Deacon says the Seismic Mountain Festival from March 22-31 is still going ahead.

“All of our courses still look good. They’re holding together good, and the temperature looks like it supposed to cool down going into the weekend as well, and we’re hoping for that,” says Deacon.

6:50 pm

Silver Star Resort says Putnam Creek, the area impacted by the avalanche, will be closed Thursday as it undergoes further assessment.

The front side of the hill is expected to open up Thursday Morning at regular hours.

3 pm

One person was injured in an avalanche at Silver Star Resort near Vernon today.

A 42 year old man was airlifted off the mountain for treatment of unknown injuries.

The resort’s Communications and Sponsorship Manager, Chantelle Deacon, says the isothermal avalanche took place on a double black diamond run on the Putnam Creek side of the mountain around noon.

“An isothermal avalanche is due to warming temperatures. It’s really warm up here right now. There was one person injured in the incident. We don’t know the extent of their injuries at this time but they have been helicoptered off the mountain by BC Ambulance,” Deacon tells Beach Radio News.

Silver Star’s backside, Putnam Creek, has been closed to deal with the incident and will be closed until further notice.

Deacon did not know where the man was from.

Ian Jenkins of Silver Star Resort says the runs will remain closed for today but they plan on re-opening tomorrow morning pic.twitter.com/U1YP6dl6bs

— Vernon Matters (@VernonMattersca) March 20, 2019

It’s believed to be the first avalanche in the resort’s history.

A local skier tells us what happened up at silverstar . 1 person has been sent to hospital #vernonbc #breaking #avalanche pic.twitter.com/sCuhRS9TdB

— Tiffany Goodwein (@CityNewsTiffany) March 20, 2019

Listen to Chantelle Deacon from Silver Star with the details:

Later in the day some skiers at the resort did not know that an avalanche occurred just a few hours prior.

Some skiers still not aware that an avalanche took place today at Silver Star pic.twitter.com/5QZFzO9Sm0

— Vernon Matters (@VernonMattersca) March 20, 2019

“I didn’t hear about it, was it here around Silver Star?”asked Jane Holmes.

“It’s scary knowing that an avalanche can come down at any second,” said Wylie Stiver.

A skier sent in this photo taken just minutes after they were asked to leave the ski hill.

According to the skier some snow started to fall down from the hill after the first avalanche hit.

She said she thought it was a second avalanche . Officials at Silver Star have now confirmed two avalanches occurred at the resort. Previously only one was confirmed.

With files from Tiffany Goodwein