Salmon La Sac

[1500psi]

I was there with my wife. Just made a mark all the way to the top of the ridge. It happened at the far back bowl on the biggest climb back there. Afeter making a mark on the hill, I came down to have lunch with my wife. Just took off my avy pack and all gear. At 12:20 2 guys came up to the same bowl Mike and Brett, They the same hill I just made a mark on. As 1 of them turned out the whole hill broke loose. 1 of them was above the other. The higher rider was riding in the avalanche at first then gassed it and pulled out in front of the av. The other rider was below him. The av swallowed them up. I noticed that we were having lunch in the path of it. there was no time to move sleds or anything. I told my wife to run up hill as the cloud of snow came over us. I heard our sleds get hit as we were running and just waiting to be swept away. Luckily the av just missed us and when the snow cleared there was a wall of 4 foot of snow behind us where the sleds were us. I could see 1 guys(Brett) hand just above the snow. With all my gear gone with the snowmobiles, we ran over and dug him out by hand. I grabbed his beacon a began searching for the other rider(Mike). We could see his sled but I could not get a signal. After a couple of minutes some other guys came up from below and began to help. My wife was using a probe and had a hit by a tree just up from his sled. The beacon confirmed burial by a tree. All efforts were then changed to digging by the tree. I found a boot and we knew we had finally located Mike. We pulled him about about 40 minutes after the av and started cpr. This was was at 12:40. We worked on Mike for 6.5 hours. The helo finally located us and came in from 3 directions, but could not get a drop. We relocated Mike to the bottom of the bowl as instructed by the pilot. Then the call was made to stop and leave him there. Search and rescue were going up today to retrieve the body. Sherrifis office was at the trailhead as we made our way out about 9pm. Not a good way the end the day. Many thanks to those who stayed and did the right thing. Many lessons have been learned to be more safe. A few would be to test the gear your using, know how to use it and park in a place out of the way. So glad we were there to be able save 1 rider(Brett).

Man I have to ask. What makes you take all your Avy gear and back pack off including beacon?

 

[AZ800]

Man I have to ask. What makes you take all your Avy gear and back pack off including beacon?

Man I have to ask, you leave all that chit on when you're stopped eating lunch? (Except the beacon)

Guy just had a terrible and heroic experience all at once. Maybe not the best time to question his integrity....

 

[xpspenziv]

Beacon is on me from the time I leave the truck till I return. The guy mentioned him and his wife ran and heard the avy get to there sleds. They turned around to a 4' wall. He no longer had his avy bag and gear (no mention of beacon) and if it would have gotten to him and his wife now there is 2 more people waiting for a SNR dog to find them. So his wife took hers off also? Or didn't have one? It wouldn't make since for 2 people to go up with 1 transceiver. No matter. It was good that he got to the first victim and was thinking clearly enough to use his beacon to make a positive on the hit his wife got randomly probing.

Why would you take your beacon off when taking a break?

Terrible event over there for sure. Hopefully this event and choices made will give a good example and learn what can happen in a real life situation. Big difference from any classroom.

Doogals. Good on you, your wife and all others that were willing to help stranger's.

 

[80digdeep]

If you have the BCA float vest there is a pocket on the front for your Beacon, so if you take the vest off at lunch because its heavy your beacon stays on the vest and not on your body, that could be a reason why

 

[sno*jet]

nice news channel over there, live from the hospital where a skier broke his femur..
sorry to hear of this loss.

 

[1500psi]

Man I have to ask, you leave all that chit on when you're stopped eating lunch? (Except the beacon)

Guy just had a terrible and heroic experience all at once. Maybe not the best time to question his integrity....

Yeap absolutely I've never even heard of someone taking their stuff off including beacon. He's parked in a bad spot and takes everything off is crazy to me. I get crap every time I ride for not having a shovel on my pack cuz I like it in my sled and it doesn't fit my newest Avy pack. So yeah I have to ask man and a great time to educate people is when something bad happens because it's the only good that can come out of it, his integrity isn't being questioned just asked a question of his judgement at that moment which he won't ever do again and is probably going to be at the store tmro buying more Avy supplies id hope if he hasn't done so already.

 

[sasha]

I was there with my wife. Just made a mark all the way to the top of the ridge. It happened at the far back bowl on the biggest climb back there. Afeter making a mark on the hill, I came down to have lunch with my wife. Just took off my avy pack and all gear. At 12:20 2 guys came up to the same bowl Mike and Brett, They the same hill I just made a mark on. As 1 of them turned out the whole hill broke loose. 1 of them was above the other. The higher rider was riding in the avalanche at first then gassed it and pulled out in front of the av. The other rider was below him. The av swallowed them up. I noticed that we were having lunch in the path of it. there was no time to move sleds or anything. I told my wife to run up hill as the cloud of snow came over us. I heard our sleds get hit as we were running and just waiting to be swept away. Luckily the av just missed us and when the snow cleared there was a wall of 4 foot of snow behind us where the sleds were us. I could see 1 guys(Brett) hand just above the snow. With all my gear gone with the snowmobiles, we ran over and dug him out by hand. I grabbed his beacon a began searching for the other rider(Mike). We could see his sled but I could not get a signal. After a couple of minutes some other guys came up from below and began to help. My wife was using a probe and had a hit by a tree just up from his sled. The beacon confirmed burial by a tree. All efforts were then changed to digging by the tree. I found a boot and we knew we had finally located Mike. We pulled him about about 40 minutes after the av and started cpr. This was was at 12:40. We worked on Mike for 6.5 hours. The helo finally located us and came in from 3 directions, but could not get a drop. We relocated Mike to the bottom of the bowl as instructed by the pilot. Then the call was made to stop and leave him there. Search and rescue were going up today to retrieve the body. Sherrifis office was at the trailhead as we made our way out about 9pm. Not a good way the end the day. Many thanks to those who stayed and did the right thing. Many lessons have been learned to be more safe. A few would be to test the gear your using, know how to use it and park in a place out of the way. So glad we were there to be able save 1 rider(Brett).

I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this most difficult story. It sounds like there would've been 2 fatalities that day had you and your wife not been there.

 

[St. Hellens rider]

To anybody questioning this guy why he took his gear off, does it really matter? Myself, and 2 other riders from my group came on the seen about 20 minutes after the avy. He, his wife, and about half a dozen others where searching for Mike. It was one of the most horrific sights to come across. No avy bag was deployed used, but Im not sure it would have helped. The slide came from the top of that mountain. It is a very steep and long grade. The speed of the slides that day where quick. He might have been able to miss the tree had he been on top of the snow but I highly doubt it. On another ridge back towards the lake head, two other riders got caught up in avy and they had absolutely zero gear for the back country. No pack, no beacon, no shovels. They got lucky some other guys from our group stopped to help them out.

 

[1500psi]

To anybody questioning this guy why he took his gear off, does it really matter?

Yes it matters! You know it matters cuz you won't ever sit at the bottom of anything the rest of your life and take your equipment off will you? And anybody that reads this thread won't either. It's pathetic when people don't want to talk about things to make other people smarter when it's the only good thing that can come of a bad situation afterwards. Because of this situation Cle Elum is currently closed. People making poor judgement calls harms our sport.

 

[Wapow]

To anybody questioning this guy why he took his gear off, does it really matter?

Yes it matters! You know it matters cuz you won't ever sit at the bottom of anything the rest of your life and take your equipment off will you? And anybody that reads this thread won't either. It's pathetic when people don't want to talk about things to make other people smarter when it's the only good thing that can come of a bad situation afterwards. Because of this situation Cle Elum is currently closed. People making poor judgement calls harms our sport.

Cle Elum is closed? What does that mean?

Thanks for sharing the story Doogals. That had to be an incredibly traumatic experience. Hopefully others can learn from it.

 

[St. Hellens rider]

What matters is that people know the conditions and the area they are in. The avalanche that was down the ridge about 400 yards should have told everyone to stay out of the area. Myself and 2 others of my group had gone through there about a half hour before the fatal slide. Conditions weren't right. We went down into the trees. We had a group of 16 in all that day. The only reason we came back up was to look for one of our own that had rode back down to the lake head. Had he had his radio we wouldn't have been back up there. Again know the conditions. And 1500 psi your right I will never park at the bottom of anything nor will I take off my gear.

 

[blk9038]

What matters is that people know the conditions and the area they are in. The avalanche that was down the ridge about 400 yards should have told everyone to stay out of the area. Myself and 2 others of my group had gone through there about a half hour before the fatal slide. Conditions weren't right. We went down into the trees. We had a group of 16 in all that day. The only reason we came back up was to look for one of our own that had rode back down to the lake head. Had he had his radio we wouldn't have been back up there. Again know the conditions. And 1500 psi your right I will never park at the bottom of anything nor will I take off my gear.

you and others are correct about warning others, 1 yr and a few months ago mid week another rider and myself braved Gallager by ourselves and yes we shredded everything we could, (started at 0430 that day) snow was great, we rested in safe place but still took off coats/and becons to rest as area warmed up25-35 deg from early morning, and snow started small slides so we left area and saw many areas that were perfect in the morning as we were riding thru that slid by time we left, hope pict's post, also know the one of the guys that did rescue attempt, gallager will never be the same for any of us again.

 

[Rider4ChristR1]

I just want to say thank you for letting us know what happened, really makes me take a whole different look at knowing our surroundings. Hopefully this tragedy will help same a life by being aware of the dangers. I plan to fine a place that our family can get some kind of training with beacons and the rest of the gear. We will be praying for all of you that were involved, family friends and rescures.