AVALANCHE—Alaska, Mt. Foraker. Toshio Hirakawa (29), Yoshitsugo Yamaya (23), and Kenjo Koshiishi (28) were members of a five-person Japanese party planning to climb Mount Foraker via the Northeast ridge. On August 6, four members of the party were traveling (at 7900 feet) on a spur of the Kihiltna Glacier underneath Mount Foraker’s southeast ridge. The party leader, Takeshi Ashizawa, had returned to the lower camp to get some forgotten equipment. At 8:20 a.m. a large avalanche broke off from Mount Foraker’s northeasterly face approximately 4000 feet above the four. They saw it above them and at first thought it would not be dangerous, but soon realized it would travel as far as their location. The survivor, Tsukasa Uematsu, stated that he fell into a depression in the snow and felt the avalanche pass over him. He got up and found that his companions were gone. He and Ashisawa, who immediately came up from below, searched the area thoroughly and found only a glove and some blood stains on the edge of a crevasse which was partially filled with water and ice debris from the avalanche. Apparently Hirakawa, Yamaya and Koshiishi were swept into the crevasse and buried by the avalanche. Uematsu and Ashizawa stayed in the area until the next day but did not find any more signs of their companions. (Source: Bob Gerhard, McKinley Park.)