Snow falls off roof of Selkirk Lodge, causing minor injuries

A load of heavy snow slid off the metal roof of Selkirk Lodge and rumbled under a large picnic tent Sunday afternoon, leaving several people with minor injuries.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. during the 12th annual Women’s Souper Bowl snowshoeing and cross-country skiing event at Mount Spokane State Park.

“It was like an avalanche,” said Erica Curless, a former Spokesman-Review reporter who was having lunch under the tent, near the corner where snow rushed in. “The snow just kept coming, and it was so heavy and on top of us. … I feel like I got bucked off a horse.”

The brunt of the mini avalanche struck a woman seated next to Curless.

“All the snow had slammed her head into the picnic table, and she was just screaming about her neck,” Curless said.

The woman, who Curless said is in her 60s, was hoisted onto a backboard and taken down the mountain by ambulance.

Park rangers, who responded to the incident along with ski patrol and medics on-site for the event, said the woman would be evaluated for any serious injuries.

Rangers said two other people received minor injuries but declined treatment.

Spokesman-Review reporter Becky Kramer attended the event with Curless.

“I got kind of carried a little bit, but I landed in a soft patch so I wasn’t hurt,” Kramer said.

The annual Souper Bowl event attracts several hundred participants and dozens of volunteers. Last year, it raised $11,000 for the Women and Children’s Free Restaurant and Community Kitchen.