Cooke City Avy Death

[XXL]

Unless you are comming the other way and the guy doesn't go off the road and the guard rails funnel him into you and he slams into you in your Prius killing all of your family.
You should know the avy report before you go out, period! The big sign you want is there, 3-4 ft of new snow, in Cooke City. Its just not orange its white.

 

[Pro-8250]

Warning signs would not work. A few years ago I took the time to stop and tell some people from N.Dak that were climbing those chutes and sitting right at the bottom of those chutes, that they were in a pretty bad spot to be sitting and doing what they were doing due to the danger of slides in that particular area. I also mentioned that they were darn near on top of where 2 guys lost their lives previously. I was told that they were expert riders and that they knew what they were doing and that I should mind my own business. I started my sled, shook my head and left.

Does anyone know about the skier? Where was he sking? What I read was south of town on level ground. Highway?

I was told the hills right behind the Exxon. Level ground yes. He and his wife both had beacons we were told. We were also told that it was in the wilderness area so snowmobiles can't go in there even if it's an emergency. I was told this by a local responder.

 

[smoking_powerstroke]

We just got back from Cooke last night. There were slides EVERYWHERE. I still can not believe some of things I saw people doing. Climbing chutes that shouldn't have even crossed your mind to climb with the avalanche danger. Watched 3 guys on the same slope. One triggered a slide, he out ran it, while the other two side hilled away from it with out even knowing. I am not saying cooke is unrideable. What I am saying is use your head, stay off slopes that have signs of sliding. And for the guy who wrote he was riding and there was no danger. Please wise up there is always danger. Get training, wear your beacon, know how to use your beacon and most importantly USE YOUR HEAD!!

This weekend was very tragic for everyone that lost a family member or friend my thoughts and prayers go out to you.

 

[sled_guy]

Isn't the beacon check there this year right out of town? That is all the warning/reminder I ever need.

The slopes where this slide happen are notorious for killing people... why? They aren't any different than about 100 other slopes in the Cooke City area. I think its because you come out of town, ride up the groomed trail, not taking the switch back, bail off the main groom trail and head for the mining shack and pass on that great groomed trail. You come out of the trees and the first thing you encounter are those 4 or 5 wonderfully tempting shoots. You are pumped, the snow is deep, sled it running good, you pull the trigger and make the climb.

Seriously, I think that has a lot to do with it. Mark those slopes, even close them somehow and the next set up the trail will be the ones that start claiming lives. Its gotten so predictable that my group, before even leaving town, always says, "Now don't climbe the Fischer shoots".

sled_guy

 

[skidoorulz]

I was told the hills right behind the Exxon. Level ground yes. He and his wife both had beacons we were told. We were also told that it was in the wilderness area so snowmobiles can't go in there even if it's an emergency. I was told this by a local responder.

I did finally read it was in the wilderness below pilot. I cannot believe that the rescuers were not allowed to go in on snowmobile for retrieval. That is pathetic with a capital P. This may sound crude but the granolas should have to step up to the plate to make those kind of recoveries if they are not willing to allow sleds in to do it. Hats off to the S&R people in Cooke for going above and beyond.

 

[whitee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5c2Ycu86IY

They went in on sleds they just had to get "permission" first

Thoughts and prayers go out to his wife that watched the whole thing and then couldnt find her husband with a beacon so she had to go all the way back to Cooke to get help I could not imagine


As for the snowmobiliers in Cooke that were climbing anything this last weekend you all have a death wish everything was sliding the Avalanche danger that all the businesses post up said VERY HIGH use your heads people 3ft of snow on a crappy layer of sugar It really sucks that someone has to die every year up here to make people wake up !!! Crown Butte has slid twice this year and when I went by it on Sunday three people were climbing it at the same time. Saturday before the slide on Henderson there was guys sidehilling UNDER the massive cornice

I am all for people coming out here to ride but have at least a thread of common sense

 

[007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5c2Ycu86IY
"Crown Butte has slid twice this year and when I went by it on Sunday three people were climbing it at the same time. Saturday before the slide on Henderson there was guys sidehilling UNDER the massive cornice"



My dad and some of our friends were out there and seen the same thing and the rest of the group was sitting right below in the runout zone. My friend went down there and asked the people if they were aware of the danger they were in and they had mixed remarks telling him to F off and another told him thanks MOM. He started his machine and shook his head in disbelief. Unreal how ignorant some people are.

KJP

 

[skidoorulz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5c2Ycu86IY

They went in on sleds they just had to get "permission" first

I stand corrected Whitee, I was going off a previous post.
I watched the video and I am by know means an expert but I could clearly see that, that was a big terrain trap

 

[Arctic Thunder]

Isn't the beacon check there this year right out of town? That is all the warning/reminder I ever need.

The slopes where this slide happen are notorious for killing people... why? They aren't any different than about 100 other slopes in the Cooke City area. I think its because you come out of town, ride up the groomed trail, not taking the switch back, bail off the main groom trail and head for the mining shack and pass on that great groomed trail. You come out of the trees and the first thing you encounter are those 4 or 5 wonderfully tempting shoots. You are pumped, the snow is deep, sled it running good, you pull the trigger and make the climb.

Seriously, I think that has a lot to do with it. Mark those slopes, even close them somehow and the next set up the trail will be the ones that start claiming lives. Its gotten so predictable that my group, before even leaving town, always says, "Now don't climb the Fischer shoots".

sled_guy

Sled guy I agree with you 100% on this. As an out of stater riding in Cooke last March we did EXACTLY what you described. In hind-site and after thinking about it for awhile I look back on that day in March of 2011 and now wonder "Hey, why aren't their any tracks in these AWESOME chutes?" Well dumb a$$ it's because this hill likes to slide and has killed a lot of people. We were lucky this day in March.

I know my own riding area pretty darn well, I am very aware of the areas that get wind loaded and slide. We stay away from them. The out of state-rs hit them, and walk away most times. It's a coin flip.

But back to this area. We have a couple serious Avy areas and they have a small sign along the trail that says "Avy Zone, Don't Stop, Stay Clear" real simple, keeps people moving. If this Fisher Creek area is the so called worst of the worst then put a freeking sign there. Warn the stupid, like me. I would have kept moving that day in March had I known, but it looks like any other hill in Cooke IMO. If you don't want trail signs put a danger sign on the trail maps and flyers. Out of staters are always looking for trail maps. And they look at them. Put a note on their. Whats it going to hurt?

(as a note, we read the Avy report every day before we left town, we checked our avy equipment including beacons, we stopped to check the snow layer formations, we did all the right things) (And if we would have found undesirable conditions we would have stayed on the trail also. But....)

Thunder

 

[sled_guy]

The point I was trying to make was that you'd have to sign every slope in Cooke. That's an exaggeration, but signing one just moves you on to the next and if you would have climbed the first then you'll climb the next one.

For me, when they put the beacon check up leaving town it was a great thing. Not because it checks my beacon, we do that before even starting our sleds, but it serves as a "Hey your entering the backcountry" sort of thing. Personally, I'd like to see an even more obnoxious sign there by that beacon check and then let the riders go from there.

I, and I dare say a lot of us long time riders, can't be too self righteous about this whole avy thing. I rode for a zillion years without even the slightest clue about avys. Looking back, probably a miracle I survived. And if someone would have said something about it to me I probably would have said, "Thanks Mom" to them. So I'm pretty understanding when I see people making stupid mistakes. I don't like it, but I understand it, and I try in simple, non-confrontational ways to encourage better decisions.

And ultimately, I don't care if someone calls me Mom or gets irritated with me... I care for my fellow rider, regardless if I know them or not, and I'm going to keep pointing out obvious careless avy behavior. As one of my buddies says, "That's just one more person who knows I'm an a-hole".

sled_guy

 

[Montana powderhound]

mother nature puts up plenty of warning signs. not to mention the avy report...

Yeh ,what he said!

 

[numbskull]

Warn the stupid, like me. I would have kept moving that day in March had I known, but it looks like any other hill in Cooke IMO.

I've haven't been to Cooke yet but honestly, that pic doesn't look too much different from just about any other area we all like to play at in most western states. Your photo reminds me of so many hot spots from Lake Ann, Gallagher and Van Epps in WA to Jefferson, Reas and Taylor in ID to Whitney, Lake Creek, Tony Grove and Fairview in UT...and on and on.

Are any of them really ever "safe"? Isn't a flip of the coin generally involved in riding any mountainous terrain?? Unless we always stick to the meadows and low-angle treed slopes, don't we run the risk of triggering something every time we go out?

I don't really know what I'm trying to say here. I guess I'm thinking what my group would do (generally speaking) if we pulled up on a slope like this with no tracks, having read favorable report conditions beforehand and everyone knowing how to use their avy gear, we would have torn it up too. I think it's those days where the danger is not glaringly obvious that worry me the most. ...and even still, since this isn’t an exact science, I go back to my first thought: on some days they may be safer, but are any of these "AWESOME" slopes really ever safe??

 

[Pro-8250]

$.02

A lot of good information said here. Like a good friend said to me about riding in avalanche areas.
"I don't swim where sharks swim"
This may sound stupid but it did get my attention from a different perspective.
I am a lot more careful and more observant than before.

 

[numbskull]

Like a good friend said to me about riding in avalanche areas. "I don't swim where sharks swim"

no, that makes a lot of sense... what it says to me is that we recognize a simple inherant risk even with swimming - it's just part of that activity (thinking about the potential for drowning). but upon acknowleging and accepting that fact, it doesn't keep us from enjoying the sport, we just do it with a greater awareness, preparation and perhaps an increased sense for when not to do something.

 

[bearclawbob]

cell phones

Thoughts and prayers go out to his wife that watched the whole thing and then couldnt find her husband with a beacon so she had to go all the way back to Cooke to get help I could not imagine


I copied this from a post above. This wouldn't have happened if a few select people in this town would have let a cell tower come in. A few select people said they could sell more phone cards to people, These same select people didn't care for safety. Which was brought up at the meeting last spring. These select people don't want this town to change for the better. This is my opinion.
Thanks for reading.

Bob at Bearclaw

 

[Pro-8250]

Not in my back yard.

Thoughts and prayers go out to his wife that watched the whole thing and then couldnt find her husband with a beacon so she had to go all the way back to Cooke to get help I could not imagine


I copied this from a post above. This wouldn't have happened if a few select people in this town would have let a cell tower come in. A few select people said they could sell more phone cards to people, These same select people didn't care for safety. Which was brought up at the meeting last spring. These select people don't want this town to change for the better. This is my opinion.
Thanks for reading.

Bob at Bearclaw

I am so glad you brought this up Bob.
We were in town when this tragedy happened.
I actually brought up the subject to one of the towns resident and it sounded like what it boiled down to was they didn't like the looks of a tower in town. Sounds like tree huger mentality to me!
Hey Cooke City, welcome to the 21st century.

 

[numbskull]

it sounded like what it boiled down to was they didn't like the looks of a tower in town.

eh, what about those disguised cell tower strategies?
Check this out: http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-cell-tower-disguise,0,1989216.story
it could even be PAID FOR by the cell provider... seems like a no-brainer to me.

EDIT: here's another story of this approach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRQYan_-CTQ