Two cyclists needed to be rescued after an avalanche trapped them on the Going-to-the-Sun Road at Glacier National Park/NPS file

You normally don't need to worry about avalanches interrupting your bike ride, but that's exactly what happened when an avalanche at Glacier National Park in Montana separated three riders, two of who needed to be rescued by rangers.

The scenic Going-to-the-Sun Road that crosses the park east and west opens to cyclists in the spring before it fully opens to vehicles. That's a great invitation for cyclists who want to soak in the scenery along the route while getting a good workout on the steep road.

But this past Thursday saw three cyclists out for a road narrowly miss an avalanche near Triple Arches on Going-to-the-Sun Road. The trio, a husband and wife along with a friend, were pedaling up the road when they encountered an avalanche across the road. So they turned around and started back down. Soon after, around 6:30 p.m., they encountered a second avalanche in progress. The wife was ahead of her husband and friend and heard the avalanche. She warned her husband and friend to stop. The avalanche came down between them, trapping the woman’s husband and friend on the uphill side. 

The wife biked down to call for help. A ranger arrived at the site of the avalanche around 7:30 pm.  

"The sudden onset of sunny and warm weather on Thursday afternoon, combined with recent new snow from the previous weekend, created unstable surface snow conditions," said U.S. Geological Survey scientist Erich Peitzsch. "These conditions resulted in a wet, loose avalanche originating above the road in Triple Arches that deposited debris on the road."  

Park officials determined that they would wait until the sun was off the slope above, decreasing the chances for further slides, before starting rescue attempts. Rescue began around 9:30 pm. Rangers belayed across the avalanche chute and belayed the bikers individually back across the chute. No injuries were sustained by the bikers. All three bikers are from Bigfork, Montana. 

A park release detailing the event did not state how big the slide was across the road.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently closed to vehicles at Avalanche Creek until the road opens to Logan Pass for the season. Due to continued avalanche conditions, hiker/biker access is currently not permitted past the Loop. Check the park website for updates. 

Park officials remind visitors that snow can avalanche above Going-to-the-Sun Road in active avalanche terrain that often cannot be seen from the road. Avalanches are more likely to occur before or after sunny/warm weather, rainstorms, or snowstorms. Visitors are encouraged to start and finish their trip before the warmest part of the day. Do not stop under gullies or snowfields and turn around if there is a rapid increase in temperature.