??? official Avy death tally for 08/09... SO FAR???

[CoyoteGirl]

Thanks OT for getting us all stirred up

WOW, don't hear that often!

 

[travydog]

ttt

 

[travydog]

from a flatlander

There was a sledder killed by wesington south dakota about a month ago, not a avy but hit a rock and got flung into a rock pile, we dont have anything like avys here in the flats but there is enuf other things to watch out for and just as dangerous as a avy if you ask me. I was out last year with a broken leg because i hit a rock in a ditch and it flung me a foot more to my right I would have been impailed on a steal fence post. Makes ya stop and think when your out riden.

 

[sled.man]

Dear Flatlander

Many of those killed in Avalanches come from the flatlands to ride in the mountains. They have no experiance with avy's and just come out to ride. There are some avy courses that get to the flatlanders. Look for them in the avy section.
Mick
Ps I have lots of family from the flatlands.(nort dakotans) One went to Cooke City six years ago and came home in the pine box. Please tell your buddies to get some education.

 

[Rock Star]

good point but... back on this posts topic.

Can any one give us an ACCURATE count as of today? or even better... look at this link and add what you know to be new on to it. Thanks again.

Rock

http://www.avalanche.org/av-reports/index.html

 

[sled.man]

rock star

two more canadian on 1/14 and 1/16 2009
three in Sw montana on 1/16 and 1/17
the official should be 31 but the count goes up fast.
We have averaged 41.2 per year for the last 10 years of US and Canadian combined
PAST TEN YEARS low was 06-07 26deaths and high was 02-03 58deaths per year combined

 

[hatchers]

i know where RockStar is going with this thread....good job sir

I got some $$$ to help the effort, tell the people what this thread is about, or start another thread about the suggested "death count" sign.....if this saves one life, its totally worth it

 

[TWISTER]

Many of those killed in Avalanches come from the flatlands to ride in the mountains. They have no experiance with avy's and just come out to ride. There are some avy courses that get to the flatlanders. Look for them in the avy section.
Mick
Ps I have lots of family from the flatlands.(nort dakotans) One went to Cooke City six years ago and came home in the pine box. Please tell your buddies to get some education.

Not to get defensive here, but look many are local mountain boys that mabee need some training. Many flatlanders have just as much training and experience as you local professionals. Ignorance is ignorance no matter where you come from.

Rob

 

[Rock Star]

Twister is right and this year we mountain people have nothing to be proud of. almost 100% of fatalities are locals in local terrain with a disregard for local conditions. We could spend months looking for reasons. Let's not. If you aren't part of the solution, then you just might be part of the problem!

I am still waiting for an avy forecaster or official to give me the total SO FAR this year. With knowledge and constant hammering maybe we can fall short of a record. God Willing this can stop NOW!

I think Sled.man has it at 31. this seems about right.

 

[Spaarky]

I posted this in another avalanche thread. It put what is going on this year into perspective to me.... and makes me scared as crap to even look at a hill funny....

This came from todays avalanche report about this weekends death in Cooke City...

This avalanche slid on faceted snow near the ground involving a very hard, old wind slab. On our way to this slide yesterday, Doug and I observed two other possibly human triggered avalanches. A large one was on a southeast aspect of Crown Butte, and a small one was on a northwest aspect of Henderson Mountain. Many other slopes had numerous snowmobile tracks, and this is the problem. Weak faceted snow exists near the ground on all aspects and is covered by thick slabs which make it difficult to trigger an avalanche. Rangers in Yellowstone National Park at Sylvan pass have found similar conditions. Many skiers and riders are safely playing on steep slopes, but we are faced with a low frequency/high consequence situation. Human triggered avalanches are not occurring on many slopes, but those that do will be large and potentially deadly.

I have only seen this hill slide maybe once before this bad. It does break loose quit often though.... the gentleman that died forgot to turn on his beacon...

Speaking of staying out of the run out.... when people climb on this, most people sit and watch where the bottom group or searchers are.

 

[Snoman69]

Kudos RS for you are doing here.... I hope this opens people's eyes..

I have asked that this get locked at the top for people to see daily...

This year is getting out of hand... Many, if not all, of these deaths could have been avoided had the individuals had proper training and heeded(sp) the warnings... This is a bad year.....

Ride To Live Another Day

so you can

Live To Ride Another Day

 

[DaveB]

This forum is playing like a bad re-run: "another Avy death in......".

I've put off my last two trips due to these conditions....and will likely wait a while longer before venturing to areas in Revy that I am reasonably sure are "safe". This scares the H.E. double hockey sticks out of me.

 

[Rock Star]

ttt hoping to get an official and updated number.

 

[oldno7]

Rock
Numbers and statistics mean nothing to most(imho)and proven by recent events, so........heres the cure:

Instead of saying someone died, that post needs to include pictures. Maybe a series of the team effort getting down 6-12 feet to find their crumpled and blue friend.
Then post photo's of the victim as he/she is found. No one will want to, or have time to take those photo's but when they do and each statistic has a face and an accident scene.....people will re-evaluate.
Pretty gruesome indeed, but people keep making the same mistakes.
If every snowmobiler had the pictures etched in their mind as do the rescuers of these event's...........

 

[summitone]

Not to get defensive here, but look many are local mountain boys that mabee need some training. Many flatlanders have just as much training and experience as you local professionals. Ignorance is ignorance no matter where you come from.

Rob

Exactly.

 

[teeroy]

avalanche.org says 29 as of jan 17th. 14 in the US, and 15 in Canada. one is a "roof avalanche" that killed an 85 year old woman that was shovelling her walk in WA. not even safe at home....

http://www.avalanche.org/av-reports/index.html

 

[sled.man]

teeroy

there are two S.W.Montana fatalities not up on the site yet that i see. Officially it is 31 in my book unless we get more not reported yet.

Re "Flatlanders" I was not saying that the mountain boys are any safer or less accident prone, I was trying to point out over the years I have seen many from the dakota's, Minnisota, Iowa and other flat states go to mountains and get caught in an Avy.

I have helped sponsor 15 or more avy awareness Class's in Washington for sledders.
The biggest comment we get after they take the course is "I didn't know i was riding in so much avy terrain"

I lost a family member/riding partner 6 years ago to an avy in Cooke City and another riding partner 5 years ago. The two deaths have had a big impact and my goal is to stop the avy deaths. We as sledders, need to rethink our habits. Think before we pound that hill. Read the avy forecast for the day.
As Sam Kavanaugh in "A Dozen More Turns" says Live to ride another Day

Mick

 

[Rock Star]

sled.man is right.with the other 2 Montana deaths this past weekend we are at 31.

LET'S KEEP IT THERE. stay safe.

 

[MPS]

Ok, no preaching, no defending here. Let's let the numbers speak for them selves.

Does any one know how many have been lost so far this winter season. That is skiers, boarders, sledders. We sat on our sleds at lunch today trying to count and we lost track. This is beyond crazy!!!!

we were thinking 15 in BC and maybe as many as 10 in the US. FAR TOO MANY. so what's the accurate number?

...all I can say is this is getting exhausting! I don't mean any disrespect to the fallen, but why the hell are we still losing people! I love this sport, but I am not risking my life to play on a f*cking chute with the boys.

 

[Wheel House Motorsports]

this is shapping up to be a horrible season and its not getting any better. problem is this snow isnt really healing, just getting another bad layer on top waiting for more new snow now. next wave of pow and were gonna see plenty more dying. any new snow is gonna cause smaller slides which will trigger down to the ground on the original faceted layer that refuses to heal. this will result in massive slides killing more and more.

i hate to sound rude, but my guess is gonna be over 50 this winter. 2 months out of a 4 months of solid winter and were already at 31??!!!