Avalanche Fatality

[Pastor]

This is a difficult thing for all sledders to consider.

#1 Our prayers go out for the family and friends of this man.

#2 What can we learn from this to reduce everyone's chances of being taken in an avalanche.

Please consider that in the last season we lost at least seven sledders; that were not climbing, they were just sitting, some eating, some stuck at the bottom below shoots.

We have all got to reevaluate how far back is a safe place to rest or watch.

I watched an avalanche completely burry the "safe spot" that we all used to sit at and watch from while we took turns climbing. None of us had any idea an avalanche could travel that far.

I am very sorry to hear this horrible news.

 

[ctowles]

i hate to be a monday morning quarterback here, but 45 mins to find and recover his body at 5 ft deep? thats an awful long time to do a beacon search. i would imagine these guys all had gear because you ain't gonna find a body with a probe search in 45 min thats for sure. the real questioin was how good were they at using it. I expect my ski and sledding partners to be able do a beacon seearch and get a probe strike within 5 minutes max, i certainly can, i can generally find 2-3 beacons in that time here in the yard. mabye the sled in the way messed with their rescue, but still, 45 min is waay too long. you're generally dead by 20-25min. who knows, mabye the local paper mutilated the story, woulden't be the first or thousandth time its happened.

I guess the lesson here is be avalanche aware, and be aware of the human element which is generally the biggest problem. hindsight is always 20/20 with avalanche accidents, the mistakes are always clear. but making the good decisions when they matter and when powder fever has taken over is that hard part. its what what will keep you alive out there though. doesn't matter what it is...dediding to climb a steep slope or bowl, or where you plan to stop and regroup. you need to think about where avalanches could be and where they would go to, and do your best to stay out of the line of fire. remember, that meadow they probably got caught in doesn't have any tress in it for a reason.

my condolences go out to family and friends and family, I lost my roomate and best friend 4 months ago while he was skiing in argentina...so i definatly can relate to what everyone is going through, and i apologize if i offended everyone by seemingly finger pointing, but i'm just trying to get my point across that being educated about the snowpack and how your gear works will stack the odds of the game in your favor alot more than any fancy avalanche gizmo/avalung/ABS pack/miracle avalanche safety ever will

 

[EagleRiverDee]

I'm not making any assumptions, but one possible explanation for a 45 minute rescue is that avalanches set up hard and those light aluminum shovels we all carry aren't really a great tool for digging someone out.1 It takes significant effort to dig in a set-up snow post-avalanche.

Also, it is reported he was under his sled. If you're probing and you hit what is obviously a solid object you're likely to continue probing to find a softer object- the person you are looking for. When they did dig, they would have had to dig a pretty significant hole to be able to move the snowmachine off of him.

Both of those issues might have slowed the search.

What I think we can be certain of is that there was a sense of urgency to save their friend, and this is a tragedy.

 

[Lambert454]

"ctowles" well said! Note that these "Pros" had NO avalanche gear and this is not the first time that this has happened to their ridding group.

 

[KSH]

. I expect my ski and sledding partners to be able do a beacon seearch and get a probe strike within 5 minutes max, i certainly can, i can generally find 2-3 beacons in that time here in the yard.

You want a eye opener, next time have your buddys hide three beacons in packs under three feet of packed snow and see how long it takes to get all them to the top of the snow.

You have to move a lot of snow just to be able to get a pack out of a hole.


This is just a sad accident

 

[Rprecision]

It doesnt matter if they didnt gear, parked in a bad spot, rode in bad conditions, were pro riders, made a bad decision, got wrapped up in the moment, it just doesent matter at this point. A young man has been killed. Those involved will have the rest of thier lives to think about the details.

Untill someone presents the FACTS of what occured this isnt a teachable moment, this is tragedy.

 

[lovemytoys]

Terible tragedy prayers go out to his family and friends we lost 8 a year ago its something you'll never forget check local avalanche bullitens get training know how to use your beacons and play safe. Ride On

 

[sledrush]

Condolences.Sorry to hear.

 

[SteveID]

i hate to be a monday morning quarterback here, but 45 mins to find and recover his body at 5 ft deep? thats an awful long time to do a beacon search. i would imagine these guys all had gear because you ain't gonna find a body with a probe search in 45 min thats for sure. the real questioin was how good were they at using it. I expect my ski and sledding partners to be able do a beacon seearch and get a probe strike within 5 minutes max, i certainly can, i can generally find 2-3 beacons in that time here in the yard. mabye the sled in the way messed with their rescue, but still, 45 min is waay too long. you're generally dead by 20-25min. who knows, mabye the local paper mutilated the story, woulden't be the first or thousandth time its happened.

I guess the lesson here is be avalanche aware, and be aware of the human element which is generally the biggest problem. hindsight is always 20/20 with avalanche accidents, the mistakes are always clear. but making the good decisions when they matter and when powder fever has taken over is that hard part. its what what will keep you alive out there though. doesn't matter what it is...dediding to climb a steep slope or bowl, or where you plan to stop and regroup. you need to think about where avalanches could be and where they would go to, and do your best to stay out of the line of fire. remember, that meadow they probably got caught in doesn't have any tress in it for a reason.

my condolences go out to family and friends and family, I lost my roomate and best friend 4 months ago while he was skiing in argentina...so i definatly can relate to what everyone is going through, and i apologize if i offended everyone by seemingly finger pointing, but i'm just trying to get my point across that being educated about the snowpack and how your gear works will stack the odds of the game in your favor alot more than any fancy avalanche gizmo/avalung/ABS pack/miracle avalanche safety ever will

Wow dude, I really don't know what to say to you. You have no clue about this situation. You're right on one thing, they all should have the proper gear and the knowledge of how to use it. For what it's worth, finding a beacon in your back yard is about as tough as shooting a fish in a barrel.

"ctowles" well said! Note that these "Pros" had NO avalanche gear and this is not the first time that this has happened to their ridding group.

What's your beef with these guys? I know one of them has a few titles at Jackson Hole, so I guess that would make him a pro. You're right, this isn't the first time this has happened to them, but most of them bought beacons after the first incident.

This particular incident they weren't doing any climbing, they were just out boondocking enjoying the snow. Things happen. I sure hope nothing happens to you. No matter how much gear you have, sometimes it's out of your control.

 

[Lambert454]

The avalanche info. about the snow pack was posted days before the incident. The day of the slide the danger level was EXTREME. All I'm saying is as a snowmobiler you should no better than to go out ill prepared. A test and tune day for them is a pretty gnarly day for the average rider. ALWAYS ride with your avi. gear, as well as know how to use it.

This is a huge loss to the family and friends, as well as the whole snowmobile community.

 

[Murf]

Agreed that the facts would be nice to know. Since some on this thread know the victim and some in his party, its incumbent on them to get the facts and share with the community here so we can learn from this tragic accident.

Maybe a report has been written up on it somewhere else that deals with the facts but they sure would be nice to know.

ML

 

[YamaDoo PolCat]

Everybody listen up.

Do your part. Don't ride with people that do not have beacons or shovels.

Don't be fooled by credentials, always think safe. The "Stars" are risk takers, so stand back when they are around.

Last week I took the time to drive over to group of 6 fellows and told them that they should not be parked in this area and move to safer ground. I then rejoined my group and moved on. Later we saw this group in a different area digging out one of their group that had been buried in an avalancche, but the rest of the group had parked far enough away to effect their own rescue.

Take the mountains back. Take the time to tell people when they are not being safe. Be the dumb a$$ now, feel better later.