A fire captain who served in Ferndale died while snowboarding Friday, March 1, after rescuers found him in a tree well near the Mt. Baker Ski Area.
John Devenere, 63, was snowboarding in the wilderness area when his ski partner discovered he was missing. Other skiers were the first to respond, ski area CEO Gwyn Howat said.
“The ones who happened to show up were … very skilled and very knowledgeable about rescue techniques in the backcountry,” Howat said.
Ski patrol and emergency medical technicians also responded, but Devenere, a captain with Whatcom County Fire District 7, could not be revived.
Devenere was an experienced skier and a longtime passholder at the ski area, Howat said. His wife previously served as a volunteer ski patroller.
“He and his family are valued members of our mountain community, and certainly an event like this has ripples in our community and will into the firefighting community,” Howat said. “We’re grateful for the family’s involvement here, and our condolences and thoughts are with them — very much so.”
The ski area’s snow report, updated Sunday, March 3, said the mountain had received nearly 7 feet of snow in the past five days. The ski area was having its busiest weekend of the season so far, Howat said Sunday.
A deep snow and tree well advisory remains in effect at Mt. Baker Ski Area, and conditions are expected to remain dangerous “for at least a few more days,” the ski report said.
“With such a significant amount of snowfall in such a short amount of time, the snow remains unconsolidated,” Howat said. “In many areas, it feels very, very deep. That’s the condition now, even as it continues to snow.”
More information about the dangers of deep snow for skiers and snowboarders is available on the national website deepsnowsafety.org, which was developed with the help of the Mt. Baker Ski Area.
Ralph Schwartz is a former CDN local government reporter; send tips and information to newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
