Avalanche Farmington

[ACG]

I just talked to Shainer....he didn't ride today. He said it is 2 guys from Bountiful. Chad (ACG) was looking for someone to ride with today. Any word from him?

Thanks for checking Kim! I appreciate it. I shamed my normal guys into going up to Soapstone today. It was great. Didn't even touch a hill. There was one that we were thinking of dropping off of it, I walked out to the edge and felt the snow settle and turned around and found another route down.

Horrible news, noone was out today and yet someone got buried.

\RIP

 

[sledchick]

prayers sent to the families and life lost!

 

[RMKRAZY]

Why does this stuff always seem to happen on Holidays around here?

Sad, sad, sad....

 

[harrysmith500]

God Bless Them, I thank God every day for my safety, my freedom, and my family.
I hope more do the same.

 

[CatWoman]

D*mnit.......I truly HATE this kind of news!! Thanks to those checking in.......while I dislike any kind of avy death, I don't want to lose any of my Utah brethren.

Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends.

 

[hatchers]

rode this spot twice this season and its very very big...waiting for a name

RIP

 

[snailbait]

Lee Gardiner, 42 from bountiful. News said only 2 riders. Second one was ok. Life flight was only 15 minutes out, but arrived on scene to find no pulse! He did have a beacon, and was located fairly quickly. Sherrif's said they didn't know if it was the trauma from the slide, or lack of oxygen that caused the death.
Apparently Lee rode right up under the cornice, and triggered the slide.

Ridden the area many times myself....they should not have even been in the area! My heart goes out to them and their families!
But Damnit people.....USE YOUR HEAD!!!!! This shouldn't be happening!

 

[hatchers]

another thought,

im glad this spot has very limited access in/out.....very glad, its not a place to ride if you are not prepared

 

[PhantomCat]

Thoughts and prayers are with all involved. Especially to the fella with him

 

[TURBOMAN]

Bad news for sure. The fracture line is pretty deep under the cornice. The wind was blowing up there very hard on Friday. Everything up there is very wind loaded. Sad to see. I have been riding up there for about 25 years and I knew it was only a matter of time. Bummer deal and to be on Easter......

Please be attentive to were you are. If they were climbing this hill they should have known better. No way to get out of the slides path.

Prayers to family.

 

[DRAPE]

Anyone talk to DRAPE (Matt Draper)?

I'm here bro. Ahhh, I hate this stuff. I don't know anything about who it was, but it still makes me sick. Thanks SS. God be with them.

 

[RMKED]

Not good at all! Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends at this tough time.
Play smart out there people! We don't need anymore deaths in our sport!

 

[built4dtuff]

Anyone know him? There is a pretty tight group that ride that mtn outa bountiful. They don't need another loss from their group.

First read this on ksl and couldn't make my phone get to sw fast enough to check on my peeps!!

Gods speed!!!

 

[sandorsnow]

farmington is super sketchy right now. stay away from the big stuff. i know of two other slides up there today. they were huge!! some of the biggest i've ever seen. buried sleds but luckily no riders. its hard to stay away now that we finally have good deep fresh, but its not worth it. it's not "if" its "when" its going to slide, and right now it will.

born and raised in farmington i've watched it get more and more popular every year, that road just can't handle the traffic. if you've ever tried to drive up or park on a sunny saturday, you know what i mean. right now it's drifted over, you can't even drive to the gate (or the Y). sorry to sound like a locals-only-know-it-all. but it's not the place for beginners. i can't tell you how many times we've helped people out after dark who dropped down the wrong canyon.(and i've walked out a few times myself)

sorry its off subject, but it needs to be said, i'm sure someone else can say it better than i can.

Lee, sled-in-peace

I didn't know you real well, but have hooked up a few times up there.
prayers for you, your family, and your riding partner today

 

[madsigntist]

Prayers and condolences to his family and friends.
So sad to hear

I turned onto the news in the middle of the story and they said the guy's name was Gardiner from Bountiful!
I was saddened, but worried too that it might have been Dan G in the slide.

 

[xrated]

man this sucks.

be safe out there guys. and when your gut says No, it's usually for a reason.

Got dirt?

 

[AIRITOUT]

Wow!
Shocked to see anyone would be riding in that area after all the snow and wind howling. Then to hear he rode up under the cornice. New snow, wind, spring, cornice? Not a recipe for a happy Easter. I guess I'm lucky to have been sidelined with knee surgery this season so as no to be tempted to be stupid. This range of mountains are amazingly beautiful and dangerous. Dont let your pride get in the way of your ride. After all, he who dies climbing the gnarliest hill, still dies. And who is there to pick up the pieces, the riders family, not the rider. Maybe if he was thinking of them, he would have been spending time with them on Easter sunday and not dead. Please respect these mountains. Be safe. Check the avy report and when it says considerable danger, that does mean something. My heart goes out to the family, and the rider who was with him, who will forever remember that event when he sits on a sled. God Bless!

 

[mmsports]

(Standard-Examiner staff)

43-year-old Bountiful man dies in avalanche near Francis Peak
By Scott Schwebke (Standard-Examiner staff)

Last Edit: Apr 4 2010 - 11:51pm

MORGAN -- A 43-year-old man was killed Sunday afternoon when his snowmobile became buried in an avalanche north of Francis Peak in Morgan County.

The avalanche was reported around 1:50 p.m., said Morgan County Sheriff's Deputy Derek Engstrom.

The victim is identified as Lee Gardner, of Bountiful.

Gardner was with a companion when snow sloughed off the ridge, triggering the avalanche north of Francis Peak, which is on the border between Davis and Morgan counties.

"The conditions were not ideal for snowmobiling," Engstrom said.

Gardner was wearing an avalanche beacon, which allowed rescuers to determine his location relatively quickly.

Gardner was buried under about 2 feet of compacted snow, Engstrom said.

Gardner's companion, who reportedly is a paramedic and didn't sustain any serious injuries, was able to partially dig him out, call 911 on his cell phone and administer CPR, Engstrom said.

However, Gardner couldn't be revived.

Engstrom said an AirMed helicopter from the University of Utah removed Gardner's body from the mountain.

The avalanche pushed Gardner down the mountain about 1,000 feet.

He appears to have died from trauma and not suffocation, said Morgan County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Peay.

Recent snow coupled with strong winds Saturday caused snow to form deep drifts on the lee sides of ridges in the Francis Peak area, according to the Utah Avalanche Center's Web site, www.utahavalanchecenter.org.

The Farmington Canyon/Francis Peak ridgeline is notoriously windy and it is likely there were deep, fresh drifts along the north and east facing slopes near the ridges, the Web site says.

Updated 9:03 p.m.

 

[Skinner]

Damn that's horrible! Everyone be careful! I feel for his family!

 

[mtgoat]

Wow, just got my sled put together and have been wanting to get back up there for a last ride. I've rode that exact same area a month ago. there was a small slide in the bowl south of there about a 100 feet wide by a couple hundred feet long going into some pines that was triggered by a snowmobile while we were riding. It was right after a 1 foot storm had passed. I look up at francis peak every day and after these last few storms, I couldn't get myself to do it. Through the binos I could see the old crusted layer of snow on the peaks with the fresh snow down lower. The wind had totally swept all the new snow off the front and landed it on the back where I like to ride. Common sense told me that was a recipe for disaster! Prayers go out to family and friends of this tragedy. The storm thats hitting us today isn't going to help the unsettled conditions. I will probably ride friday, but I'm keeping both skis on the flat ground. If your gonna ride, be safe for the sake of all who love you!