Silver Mountain Resort General Manager Issues Open Letter to Idaho Skiers Following In-Bounds Avalanche Incident
Silver Mountain GM Addresses March Storm Chaos, In-Bounds Avalanche That Buried Two Guests
Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, Idaho, is drawing attention this spring — not just for its world-class ski terrain, but for the candid response of its general manager following a dangerous and chaotic day on the mountain. General Manager Jeff Colburn recently published an open letter to Silver Mountain skiers acknowledging communication failures, detailing the resort’s avalanche response, and outlining steps being taken to prevent future problems. The letter addresses events from March 13, 2026, when a powerful winter storm, a gondola disruption, and two skier-triggered in-bounds avalanches combined to force an early closure of the ski area.
The day began before dawn, with Silver Mountain Ski Patrol and lift mechanics heading up the mountain via service road as early as 5:30 a.m. The previous day’s storm had knocked out power to both Kellogg and the mountain, and while power to the town was restored by evening, the ski area itself remained without electricity overnight. That delay pushed back gondola operations — Silver Mountain’s gondola, one of the longest in North America, connects skiers from the town of Kellogg up to the ski area — and created confusion among guests waiting to load.
In his letter, Colburn acknowledged that guests were told gondola loading was expected to begin between 11 a.m. and noon, but that some guests understood that to mean loading would begin at 11 sharp. Power was not restored until shortly after noon. Adding to the delay, the first employees to ride up the gondola discovered a broken treetop on the tower head of Tower 26, a section of the gondola line not visible from lower observation points. Accessing and climbing the tower with the necessary equipment required additional time.
“I know it was frustrating for them to not receive more timely updates; we needed to have a better overall understanding so we did not miscommunicate to the public without more complete information. This was another occasion when we could have done a better job of keeping our guests updated,” Colburn’s letter stated. The gondola ultimately opened to the public at 3 p.m., and the resort extended operations until 6 p.m. — well past the normal 3:30 p.m. chairlift closing time — in response to the disruption.
Ski Patrol’s Extensive Avalanche Mitigation Work on a High-Risk Day
While the gondola delay was frustrating, the more serious situation unfolding on March 13 involved avalanche hazard. The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center had issued avalanche warnings for the Silver Valley on both March 12 and 13, cautioning that “weird weather breeds weird avalanche problems, and there has been no shortage of weird, quickly changing weather across all zones.”
Ski patrollers began hazard mitigation work starting at 5:30 a.m., using explosives and ski cutting to reduce in-bounds avalanche danger. Given the severity of conditions, the resort made the decision to keep Wardner Peak, North Face Glades, Sunset, and Kellogg Peak closed for the day. Ski patrol continued working the remaining open avalanche terrain throughout the morning.
Despite those efforts, two separate skier-triggered in-bounds avalanches occurred. The more serious incident happened on Moonshine, a double-black diamond run that had been mitigated twice that day. Two guests were buried by the slide. According to Colburn’s letter, “the two skiers who were caught in the slide were not injured, and they were quickly dug out by three nearby skiers and a ski patroller. The debris field was searched and cleared with a Recco detector, avalanche beacons, avalanche dogs, and probe lines.” Following the Moonshine avalanche, Silver Mountain closed the entire mountain for the remainder of the day. Forecasters from the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center later observed more than a dozen natural avalanches in the surrounding backcountry that likely slid on the same day.
Industry observers have noted that Colburn’s letter is unusual for the ski industry. Ski resorts are typically tight-lipped following in-bounds avalanche incidents, and public acknowledgment of communication failures is rare. The transparency Colburn demonstrated — including an honest accounting of what went wrong, what went right, and what the resort is doing to improve — is being recognized as a meaningful gesture of accountability toward the Silver Valley community and Silver Mountain’s loyal guest base.
What Comes Next
Colburn’s letter did not end with an apology alone. The general manager outlined several initiatives underway to improve operations during future severe weather events. Silver Mountain is exploring additional methods of communicating with guests while they are on the mountain, including expanding avalanche awareness programming. One of the more significant projects under consideration is burying the power line that supplies the ski area. Colburn noted that “a combination of more extreme weather and taller, mature trees has contributed” to an increase in power outages at the resort — a problem that directly affected operations on March 13. However, burying the power lines is a substantial infrastructure undertaking, and Colburn acknowledged the process could take four years or longer to complete. Kellogg-area residents and Silver Mountain skiers across the Silver Valley will be watching to see how the resort follows through on its commitments heading into next ski season. For statewide recreation and community news, visit IdahoNews.co and IdahoNewsNetwork.com.