AcmtnCat went for a ride.......(scary)

[Alzy]

Glad your okay, makes me evaluate some of the slopes we were on not far from you yesterday! Just glad everyone made it home to their families!

 

[CatWoman]

Glad you are okay. I can say after we got you out of that tree and knew there wasn't any life threatening injuries I simply just wanted to hug you cause I was so glad we didn't have other consequences to deal with. Sounds a little gay, but many people don't understand how you feel going into a situation thinking this may be a life threatening / saving situation and the joy you feel when you know that everything is going to be okay.

I've been wanting to reply to this thread...just finally getting here.

Sincerely glad you are alive and still with us.

When I read the above part that I left quoted, it made me cry. I can understand what you are saying...and NO, it does NOT sound gay at all. It sounds like someone whom truly cares. How fortunate to have people that care about you this much!

Thanks BR for the video...this ought to help put things in perspective for people, and just how quickly this happens with no real time to do much of anything but fight for your life.

Watching this, it was the best possible outcome from everything that could have happened. I wish you a speedy/healthy recovery mentally and physically!

 

[ACMtnCat]

Nice to see this not turning into another forum members funeral.

@ about 14-16 seconds you had your hand on a branch, I know you had a lot going through your head at the moment but hanging on might have worked out.

Yeah,I would have thrown a rope in the air and hoped it would have caught on something Tim?WTF ^^^Hyperduc......

haha... yeah the snow was sucking me down with force at that point, like I weighed a ton. The limb would have snapped for sure.

Fast! Sht happens FAST!

At the same time I did see the whole thing in slow motion. I thought about a bunch of stuff in those 2 seconds befor the trees. Diving for the gap at just the right time, things went about the only way they could have. Lots and lots of luck and a little skill.

 

[ACMtnCat]

The slope is definitely steeper than it looks in the vid. We discussed it prior to getting on the hill, only had one person on the hill at a time and all of us had escape routes / plans in advance.

Tim, I would go as far as to say don't climb a slope that has potential to slide, let alone going above trees.

We don't know what would have or could have happened if you didn't get hung up in those trees. Could have been a complete burial, cpr or even a lost life?!?! We just don't know, those trees may have just saved your life!

There are a lot of scenarios that have played in my head over the last 24 hours and ultimately the outcome we had is one of the best possible IMO.

Glad you are okay. I can say after we got you out of that tree and knew there wasn't any life threatening injuries I simply just wanted to hug you cause I was so glad we didn't have other consequences to deal with. Sounds a little gay, but many people don't understand how you feel going into a situation thinking this may be a life threatening / saving situation and the joy you feel when you know that everything is going to be okay.

Adam,

I was feeling the same way, I am thankful you were there with us. I would have given you a hug! It was a good feeling getting to the trucks and feeling like everything was going to be alright!

 

[C S Fever]

WOW amazing Vid!!! Tim you are one lucky SOB! Looking at the helmet vid you can see you trying to steer yourself through the gap. Lucky you didn't deploy the avy pack or I don't think you would have made it through there. Thank God you only have the bruises and a little pain to contend with! How is the leg doing?

 

[WXNic]

this is not a judgement of you guys at all. my gut sank watching this. i've watched your videos and 95% of riders couldn't hang with you, including me and bossrev is right that most couldn't have even gotten there.

most slides occur between 35-45 degrees. unfortunately that is where a lot of us like to ride. maybe just a lesson to be familiar with the angles, use your angle app and get used to the idea that if it's that range - know your risks are higher.

easy for me to say because i don't have big enough balls to get there ayway.

 

[hyperduc]

Yeah,I would have thrown a rope in the air and hoped it would have caught on something Tim?WTF ^^^Hyperduc......

Not quite sure why you have to be an ******* about it, I never insinuated he did anything wrong or even went so far as to suggest he could have done it better. When I saw it the first time it looked like he pushed the branch away as he began to slide, I've been in the same situation before and I grabbed at everything, paddled, backstroked and rolled while trying to keep myself afloat.

Boss, the branch I was talking about was on your video @ :15 and on the helmet cam at :20. I just went back and watched it and he actually lifts it up and it appeared to be attached after the snow had passed.

 

[skibreeze]

this is not a judgement of you guys at all. my gut sank watching this. i've watched your videos and 95% of riders couldn't hang with you, including me and bossrev is right that most couldn't have even gotten there.

most slides occur between 35-45 degrees. unfortunately that is where a lot of us like to ride. maybe just a lesson to be familiar with the angles, use your angle app and get used to the idea that if it's that range - stay off.

easy for me to say because i don't have big enough balls to get there ayway.

If everybody stayed off those slopes, we might as well move to Minnesota. It is simply not feasable to NEVER ride those angles.

The more you ride, obviously, the more likely you are to be in an accident like this. I was in a couple of them myself 10 and 11 years ago, it definitely changed the way I ride. Pretty much every time I'm climbing, I'm always expecting the worst. Keeping my head on a swivel, etc. You just never know what hills are going to let loose. Not riding in the mountains just isn't an option for me.

 

[WXNic]

i get you, 35 degrees is pretty steep though, you can definately still ride the mtns here. everyone is more than welcome to ride where they like, i'll edit my post.

 

[Dabull]

Damn, that was brutal. Great footage and Tim is a lucky man. Tree trauma could have been a deadly or paralyzing ending. Kinda have a loss for words right now.

amen to that,glad your ok tim,might be time to go back to church

 

[BossRev]

We knew the risk. just like mtnpull said earlier. we sat and talked about it.
We then positioned ourselves in what we felt were safe zones...

We've ridden this hill many times and there have been many times where we passed on it after giving it a good long look and or dug a pit...
it's a calculated risk. just like most trips into the back country.....

Aaron and Myself went out with Craig and Brian of the UAC today. Gave them
a chance to observe the slide while we recovered Tims sled. Craig was pretty
amazed at what he saw. We learned some great things. Can't wait to read his report.

 

[SWEETXPBEATCH]

SICK!!!!!!!!

Holy SHINTO batman!!! Don't know if the trees were a blessing or curse? I can't tell from the footage if they hung you up in a good way and kept you from getting buried further or just added insult to injury. Glad to see you appear to be alright.

 

[avyhunter]

Tim.... I'm psyched all turned out OK for you. Hope you get well soon and can be out on the hill with little time lost. I looked at the slide today and will post some info in the morning. As a heads up to all- the Uinta's have a very usual snowpack this year. Terrain that we usually go to this time of year is super sketchy. Please check the Uinta specific forecast at www.utahavalanchecenter.org before heading out on the snow. Here's my bottom line for today-

A Level 3 (CONSIDERABLE) avalanche danger exists at all elevations on slopes facing West, Northwest, North, Northeast, and East. Deep, dangerous, and possibly unsurvivable human triggered avalanches breaking into the widespread an persistant layer of buried surface hoar are likely. These are very unusual avalanche conditions for us and we’re seeing avalanches triggered on relatively low angle slopes, breaking in thick stands of trees, islands of safety, and in terrain where we don’t normally see avalanche activity!

 

[Sunridge Sledhead]

Tim....I am so thankful that this didn't turn out to be a major tragedy!

This experience will make all of you even better, and definitely smarter riders...let it!

Chilled me to watch the vid!

 

[colorado_matt]

Wow Tim, that was quite the ride indeed. Glad the outcome wasn't any worse. Your pov cam really gives perspective of how fast objects move in a slide. I can't believe how fast you came up on those trees. Good on the group to discuss in advance and have some orginazation and a plan, rather than all of you being on the slope.

 

[sledchick]

If everybody stayed off those slopes, we might as well move to Minnesota. It is simply not feasable to NEVER ride those angles.

The more you ride, obviously, the more likely you are to be in an accident like this. I was in a couple of them myself 10 and 11 years ago, it definitely changed the way I ride. Pretty much every time I'm climbing, I'm always expecting the worst. Keeping my head on a swivel, etc. You just never know what hills are going to let loose. Not riding in the mountains just isn't an option for me.

Hey comeon..Minnesota isn't THAT bad....

In all seriousness, Tim I'm glad you are okay. After seeing what nature does to our Earth's oceans, to watching what happens on our mountains...it's scary to see. Things happen without warning, and for the circumstance you were in, you did the best possible thing you could do to stay alive. So happy to have you with us, and can educate others!

 

[BossRev]

Here is the UAC write up.

http://utahavalanchecenter.org/accident_little_south_fork_3102011

 

[xrated]

Damn man glad you are OK and glad everyone else was Ok as well!!!!

Thanks for the awesome video and for all of you guys involved being willing to share and discuss.

I know exactly what you mean about thinking about what coulda, shoulda, woulda happened. I put my street bike down last summer and I will honestly and openly admit that I lay awake many a night long after physically recovering just replaying the events over and over in my mind. The sights, sounds all of it....even almost a year later I can replay the whole thing in my head like it just happened.

I imagine it will be no different for you or the guys with you, but I also imagine it is gonna make you guys even better in the backcountry.

Good luck in the recovery and I will be sending prays and good thoughts your way from MINNESOTA

 

[mtnpull]

Tim, you ought to post up some pics of the collateral damage (your m6)! It is interesting what an avy can do to a 500 lb hunk of metal and bolts!

 

[m_beeson]

I'm glad you're alright Tim