S
Spud
Well-known member
its over fo you and you know it!
seeley Lake over the wkend is where you gonna be...
if ya wana ride agin come with us on a 75degree day at cooke in a few weeks, ok!
Anyone home?
Went camping over the long weekend and seen a couple sleds go by in the morning and come back in the afternoon full of snow up Maxville. We didn't make it very far on the wheelers. Hit quite a few patches of snow down low in the shaded areas but pretty much solid snow above 7000 ft or so.
Went camping over the long weekend and seen a couple sleds go by in the morning and come back in the afternoon full of snow up Maxville. We didn't make it very far on the wheelers. Hit quite a few patches of snow down low in the shaded areas but pretty much solid snow above 7000 ft or so.
Hello Fodeez!
Well the old truck is back up for sale. Gotta get myself a diesel since I have an actual JOB now.
Anyone know anyone lookin?
01 Chev 2500HD 6.0 litre LT Ex cab. 124,000 miles
Leather, ONStar, rear overload airbags, good shape
Good deal days discount for Snowest dorks only $5000 cash bucks!!!!
Get er while she's hot!!
Well the old truck is back up for sale. Gotta get myself a diesel since I have an actual JOB now.
Anyone know anyone lookin?
01 Chev 2500HD 6.0 litre LT Ex cab. 124,000 miles
Leather, ONStar, rear overload airbags, good shape
Good deal days discount for Snowest dorks only $5000 cash bucks!!!!
Get er while she's hot!!
anyone heard anything about the travel plans for Surveyor and HooDoos that there was meetings for this winter?
It might not have been both areas, but I know for sure it was one of them.
Just curious, it was talked about a lot this winter but I haven't seen any mention of where things are at with it.
It might not have been both areas, but I know for sure it was one of them.
Just curious, it was talked about a lot this winter but I haven't seen any mention of where things are at with it.
ha ha
Don't be fooled X, you're just like the rest of us.
Don't be fooled X, you're just like the rest of us.
So the paper said they found his skis first and then they found his body right afterward. Just under the peak.
The fresh snow hampered investigation, but my guess is that he crashed and died while skiing.
OR there is an outside chance he was caught in an avy but this doesn't sound like it. That is usually pretty apparent right away.
RIP dude. I wish you had not gone alone.
The fresh snow hampered investigation, but my guess is that he crashed and died while skiing.
OR there is an outside chance he was caught in an avy but this doesn't sound like it. That is usually pretty apparent right away.
RIP dude. I wish you had not gone alone.
A
avyfire
Member
Lolo Peak accident
Scott, et al,
Not all the information has been gathered yet and unfortunately Chris is really the only one who could tell us exactly what happened. It does appear that Scott's assessment is one possibility. We'll know more after talking to the friends who found him.
The chute Chris was skiing is very steep with large rock talus at the bottom. A fall or getting entrained in even a small amount of wet snow will take you into the rocks. 5"-8" of heavy wet snow came in early Thursday which hampered the search and created additional safety concerns for the search teams. There were many class 1-2 natural avalanches on all the steeper terrain evident Friday (6/18).
Once we have all the facts gathered, we'll post the information on missoulaavalanche.org and avalanche.org.
There are a few immediate things that come to mind regarding safe backcountry travel regardless of the mode of travel:
Have a partner who knows what to do in an emergency.
If you must travel alone the risk level is much higher even if an injury or equipment malfunction is minor. Let someone know of your travel route and alternate plans, leave a map.
Carry a cell phone, the coverage is very good at high elevation (the folks at the accident site were communicating by cell phone as well as radio). SPOT personal trackers are cheap, use satellite technology and have the ability to send a message that you are OK if you are delayed.
Be prepared to spend the night.
Helmets are always a good idea when skiing, climbing or riding.
Avalanche transceivers work well with trained partners but if alone and buried, they may expedite a recovery which gives friends and family peace of mind.
Hope this helps. What wasn't addressed in the news reports is the amount of effort that went into this search. I was impressed by the number of people involved (friends, SAR from Missoula and Ravalli counties and 2 helicopters) and the concern about the safety of all involved. This was a difficult and dangerous search and recovery effort. He was found by his friends and ski partners who knew where to look. He would not have been found by air.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris Spurgin's family and friends.
Steve.
Steve Karkanen
Director
West Central MT Avalanche Center
Lolo National Forest
Scott, et al,
Not all the information has been gathered yet and unfortunately Chris is really the only one who could tell us exactly what happened. It does appear that Scott's assessment is one possibility. We'll know more after talking to the friends who found him.
The chute Chris was skiing is very steep with large rock talus at the bottom. A fall or getting entrained in even a small amount of wet snow will take you into the rocks. 5"-8" of heavy wet snow came in early Thursday which hampered the search and created additional safety concerns for the search teams. There were many class 1-2 natural avalanches on all the steeper terrain evident Friday (6/18).
Once we have all the facts gathered, we'll post the information on missoulaavalanche.org and avalanche.org.
There are a few immediate things that come to mind regarding safe backcountry travel regardless of the mode of travel:
Have a partner who knows what to do in an emergency.
If you must travel alone the risk level is much higher even if an injury or equipment malfunction is minor. Let someone know of your travel route and alternate plans, leave a map.
Carry a cell phone, the coverage is very good at high elevation (the folks at the accident site were communicating by cell phone as well as radio). SPOT personal trackers are cheap, use satellite technology and have the ability to send a message that you are OK if you are delayed.
Be prepared to spend the night.
Helmets are always a good idea when skiing, climbing or riding.
Avalanche transceivers work well with trained partners but if alone and buried, they may expedite a recovery which gives friends and family peace of mind.
Hope this helps. What wasn't addressed in the news reports is the amount of effort that went into this search. I was impressed by the number of people involved (friends, SAR from Missoula and Ravalli counties and 2 helicopters) and the concern about the safety of all involved. This was a difficult and dangerous search and recovery effort. He was found by his friends and ski partners who knew where to look. He would not have been found by air.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris Spurgin's family and friends.
Steve.
Steve Karkanen
Director
West Central MT Avalanche Center
Lolo National Forest
Sad to see that at the end of this season it's an alleged avy that takes someone out weeks after sledding season has ended.
You'd think that an avy would cover his skis and body enough that it would be obvious enough that it was indeed an avy that caused this.
I could see a lot of sluff and point release sluffs happening right now...but big slab avys...well I dunno. Although I haven't checked snow conditions for awhile it's harder to imagine that.
Thank you Steve. Is it too soon to post in update now?
You'd think that an avy would cover his skis and body enough that it would be obvious enough that it was indeed an avy that caused this.
I could see a lot of sluff and point release sluffs happening right now...but big slab avys...well I dunno. Although I haven't checked snow conditions for awhile it's harder to imagine that.
Thank you Steve. Is it too soon to post in update now?
Last edited:
A
avyfire
Member
Lolo Peak accident
From all accounts it appears that Chris was caught in a wet snow avalanche while descending a steep chute off the top of the north summit of Lolo Peak. The entrance of the chute is about 30 degrees then rolls over to about 50 degrees for several hundred feet. There is exposed rock talus at the bottom of the chute which can not be avoided in a fall.
There is no margin for error on this terrain. A fall or getting caught in even a small wet snow avalanche would have deadly consequences.
The individuals who found Chris are all accomplished mountaineers and skiers with avalanche training. All are confident that Chris was caught in a small wet slide shortly after he entered the chute, was unable to either arrest or escape due to the steepness of the narrow chute, lost a ski after hitting the wall, fell and slid approximately 1000' into a field of rock talus before stopping against large rocks at the base of the chute. He was not buried.
The weather on the day of the accident was nice with temperatures into the 60's above 7000'. The area received significant rain the previous several days. Melt water and rain saturated snow likely made it easy to initiate a wet slide on any steep slope on this day.
Once we have a complete accounting and photos we'll post the info on the websites.
Steve.
From all accounts it appears that Chris was caught in a wet snow avalanche while descending a steep chute off the top of the north summit of Lolo Peak. The entrance of the chute is about 30 degrees then rolls over to about 50 degrees for several hundred feet. There is exposed rock talus at the bottom of the chute which can not be avoided in a fall.
There is no margin for error on this terrain. A fall or getting caught in even a small wet snow avalanche would have deadly consequences.
The individuals who found Chris are all accomplished mountaineers and skiers with avalanche training. All are confident that Chris was caught in a small wet slide shortly after he entered the chute, was unable to either arrest or escape due to the steepness of the narrow chute, lost a ski after hitting the wall, fell and slid approximately 1000' into a field of rock talus before stopping against large rocks at the base of the chute. He was not buried.
The weather on the day of the accident was nice with temperatures into the 60's above 7000'. The area received significant rain the previous several days. Melt water and rain saturated snow likely made it easy to initiate a wet slide on any steep slope on this day.
Once we have a complete accounting and photos we'll post the info on the websites.
Steve.
wow things are quiet around here! finally bit the bullet and went over to the darkside and got me a new skooter....traded my sled and some cash for an 09 dragon 163. ill post some pics of the new girl in my life
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