12 Search Results for "victims"

• Loveland Pass Slide Claims Fiv Loveland Pass Slide Claims Five Lives

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    Five people passed away in a slide Saturday on Colorado’s Loveland Pass. The victims—which included one skier and four snowboarders—were taking part in the Rocky Mountain High Backcountry Bash. As guides, sales reps, and experienced backcountry travelers, the victims had especially deep roots in the ski and snowboard industry. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

    For additional details, please follow the link to The Denver Post.

    

     

    Members of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center measure the crown of Saturday's slide.

    Image Courtesy of The Denver Post/Helen H. Richardson

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  • 4 weeks ago
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• Outdoor Research Review - 2013 Outdoor Research Review - 2013 Clothing

  • From: leelau
  • Description:

    
    Backcountry skiing usually isn’t a naked sport—one needs something to wear. Much like our birthday suits, all clothing is pretty much the same though, right? I thought I'd be a bit of a loss for words when Outdoor Research asked me if I'd like to try out some clothing. Luckily for them I'm usually quite verbose, so this winter found me fully kitted out in OR (Trailbreaker Pants; Ferrosi softshell hoody, Incandescent Puffy, Extravert gloves)
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    Outdoor Research Clothing winter 2012 - 13 - Selkirk Lodge - Feb 2013 from Lee Lau on Vimeo.
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    Test Conditions
    I wrote about OR’s gear after first using it for a few early season days on the Canadian coast. Since then I've skied this kit in more coastal conditions and some Selkirk interior pow. With a variety of weather conditions ranging from hardpack to neck-deep blower, from -20 degree C to pineapple express 0 degree schmoo. I daresay that I've had enough time to tell how OR’s gear will do.
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    Ferrosi Hoody, Trailbreaker pants. Duffey Lake Road, BC
    
    First off, the Trailbreaker Pants are insanely good. You can get all the technical features from provided links, so I won't bore you with them. Here's a list of Pros:
    
    •    Cargo pockets that are big enough for things like a VHF radio or a map
    •    These very same cargo pockets zip from bottom to top (pockets that zip top to bottom are useless for radio antenna)
    •    Cordura patches on bottom of leg. These help prolong pant life from crampon or ski edges. I note that I'd like the OR patches to be a bit wider. Being a hack, I have some cuts on the outside of the patches.
    
    •    Pockets accessible even while using a harness.
    •    Ass that doesn't wear too quick.
    •    Fabric that resists snow sticking to it.
    •    Zipper pulls that can be used with gloves.
    •    Integrated gaiters.
    •    Zippers at the end of the legs where you can zip open to accommodate ski boots.
    
    Last but not least, I absolutely positively love the super long thigh vents. At first I pooh-pooh'ed the idea of needing leg vents in softshell pants. Now I can't do without. This simple feature extends the useable temperature and comfort range of these pants. About the only quibble with these is that it would be nice to have some sort of integrated belt. Anorexia victims like myself usually need a belt to keep my pants from showing plumbers crack.
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    Ferrosi Hoody
    The Ferrosi Hoody is also an excellent layer. It’s light and packable, and I was surprised at the Ferrosi’s usable temperature range—it vents so well. I came to enjoy annoying my touring partners by never taking it off during climbs, then not layering over it when it came time to ski down. More surprisingly, it has a good deal more water resistance than expected, making it great for anything short of a downpour.
    
    A bit of adding frosting on the cake—the Ferrosi is wearing quite well. It has no wear and tear at scuff points where backpacks usually abrade. There are few downsides to the jacket, largely attributed to its minimalist design—the outside pockets are quite small so you can't do things like stuff skins or VHF radios in them (use the larger inside pockets for that). Also pocket location could be a bit higher as things like backpack hipbelts interfere with access.
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    Incandescent Puffy, Extravert gloves
    I can't say too much about either the Incandescent Hoody or the Extravert gloves. These are basic clothing items. The gloves in particular look thin and cold but are surprisingly warmer than expected. I also had the (dis)pleasure of using them when shoveling out from under 80cms of way-too-close-to-rain snow that fell in a 20 hour period. The outer layer of the gloves wetted through, but the inner layer was dry, much to my joy. The gloves lack a removable inner liner so if they do wet through, it’s tough to dry them out.
    
    The major issue I have with the Incandescent puffy is that OR incorporated a YKK two-way zipper in it. That zipper allows it to be zipped from the top or bottom, but it has a bit of a catch on it, making it a bugger to operate in the cold without removing your gloves. In my opinion, cold-weather effectiveness of any piece of gear is dramatically reduced if you need to de-glove to use it properly. It's a shame because the jacket is light, warm (800-weight down is about as good as it gets) and minimalist—no useless accoutrements for urban alpinists like hood adjustments or too many pockets—so it’s very packable. The temperamental zipper did limit the Incandescent jacket to hut-based or après-ski activities.
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    Incandescent Hoody, Extravert gloves, Selkirk Lodge, BC
    
    Check out the Outdoor Research Alpine Ski Gear Guide available at Backcounty.com

     

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• News: Dynafit Athlete Benedikt News: Dynafit Athlete Benedikt Böhm Completes Speed Summit Of Manaslu

  • From: media-75233
  • Description:

    

    A long cherished dream of Benedikt Böhm came true on September 30. After 15 hours and 3,300 metres of climbing without oxygen, he stood on the summit of 8,163-meter Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world located in Nepal. After equally exceptional climbs, his partners, Sebastian Haag and Constantin Pade, were stopped just short of the summit.

    The ascent took place in the aftermath of the avalanche that claimed several lives a week before. Although over-shadowed by this tragedy, the climbers decided to make one last attempt to climb the peak because of the years of preparation and mental commitment. The fact that they had done everything possible to help the victims of the accident helped them make the decision.
    
    “The decision to try for the summit after such a tragedy was a difficult one, but ultimately I decided to climb in their honour and it also helped me cope with the emotional challenges I was also going through from being first on-scene to such a tragedy,” said Benedikt Böhm.

    For Böhm and Haag, the journey up Manaslu began five years earlier. In 2007 they travelled to Manaslu with the same goal in mind, but had to turn back at 7,300 metres due to the danger of avalanches. This time around, after acclimatizing for weeks and a whole day of decision-making in base camp, the team had a stroke of luck: a weather window and stable snowpack.

    

    Setting off at 6 p.m. from base camp at 5,000 meter and without oxygen, Benedikt and Sebastian had almost 3,300 vertical metres of climbing ahead of them to reach the summit. Conditions deteriorated at 7,400 metres and the three climbers were battling fierce storms and icy cold.  Böhm, who went on ahead of the team, waited for Haag in an unoccupied tent at camp two. After an hour it was time to get underway again, and they considered abandoning the attempt, but mustered the effort to continue the ascent as a group. The wind eased off as the sun went down. Benedikt Böhm went the final 150 meters alone to reach the summit at 9 in the morning, after five hours of climbing from camp two. Happy, but humbled in remembrance of the accident a few days previously, he did not pose for the usual victory shot on the summit. Instead, he dedicated the ascent to the climbers who had died in the accident. After waiting for an hour he went back to meet with Sebastian Haag and Constantin Pade who chose to turn back 150 meters short of the summit to save their energy for a safe ski descent.
    
    “The most important thing of any expedition is first and foremost to come home safely,” commented Sebastian Haag. “The events of the past few weeks have given me even more respect for the power of these mountains and my first goal is to see my family again.” Skiing together, the group reached base camp after 8 hours of descent. The total climb, including speed ascent and ski descent, took 23.5 hours. Typical climbs up Manaslu using oxygen take four days.

    It was an unbelievable achievement, not just for Benedikt Böhm, but for the whole team on Manaslu. According to official records, it is the first-ever speed ascent of Manaslu coupled with a subsequent ski descent.

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  • 7 months ago
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• News: Glen Plake And Greg Hill News: Glen Plake And Greg Hill Alive After Avalanche On Manaslu, Remy Lecluse And Greg Costa Missing, Search Canceled

  • From: media-75233
  • Description:

    Located in Nepal, 8,156-meter Manaslu is the world's eighth-highest mountain. Early Sunday morning an avalanche ripped through Camp 3 at 6,800 meters down to Camp 2 at 6,300 meters.
    
    Eleven people are reported dead and six are still missing after an avalanche on 8,156-meter Manaslu - the world’s eighth-highest mountain - ripped through Camp 3 down to Camp 2 at 4:45 a.m. Sunday morning. A serac fall is the reported trigger of the avalanche. Legendary extreme skier Glen Plake was in his tent at Camp 3 with skier Greg Costa when the avalanche broke loose. Chamonix guide and skier Remy Lecluse was in a tent near Plake and Costa at the time of the avalanche. Canadian skier Greg Hill was at Camp 2 and helped with the search. Both Plake and Hill are alive. Lecluse and Costa are still missing. As of Monday morning, the search has been called off. 
    
    “It was a major, major accident.” Glen Plake told EpicTV on Sunday. “There are up to 14 people missing. There were 25 tents at Camp 3 [6800m] and all of them were destroyed, 12 tents at Camp 2 [6300m] were banged up and moved around. Greg [Costa] and I were in a tent together, Rémy was in another.
    
    “It was 4:45 a.m. and I was in my sleeping bag with my headlamp on reading my devotional when we heard a roar. Greg looked at me and said, ‘That was a big gust of wind.’ Then a second later, 'No, that was an avalanche.'
    
    “Then it hit us.
    
    “I was swept 300 meters over a serac and down the mountain and came to a stop still in my sleeping bag, still inside the tent, still with my headlamp on. We all went to sleep with avalanche transceivers on, so I punched my way out of the tent and started searching.
    
    “I searched for 10 minutes before I realized I was barefoot in the snow.
    
    “Greg had been using my down suit for a pillow and I found my suit. I found everything that was in my tent – camera, sleeping bag, ski boots. It was like someone had thrown my gear in the back of a pickup – but there was no sign of Greg. Rémy and his tent are nowhere to be found.
    
    "The Dynafit crew [Canadian skier Greg Hill's team] were sleeping at a high Camp 2 and were immediately on site to rescue people. Sergio, Stephane, Doji our Sherpa – all strong alpinists – have all come up to search. We’ve done three searches but when the fog rolled in we had to call it off. It was a massive serac fall, probably 600- to 700-meters across. It’s a war zone up here.”

    Glen Plake, Remy Lecluse and Greg Costa on Manaslu.  Photo via EpicTV.
    
    Here is the latest from EpicTV: A press conference just took place at the town hall in Chamonix, France. Jean-Louis Verdier, deputy mayor, and Christian Trommsdorff, director of the SNGM (French Mountain Guides Syndicate), explained that, “The rescue teams feel they did all they could to find further victims, but they have now given up all hope of finding any more survivors. The search has been called off for good.”
    
    It was initially reported that seven French alpinists had been killed or were missing, though this number has now been brought down to six. The seventh person is actually a Canadian national. Among this list of six French victims are: two guides who are reported dead, one guide missing, two clients dead and one client missing. Their names will be released in another press conference this afternoon as some families have yet to be notified.”
    
    There were still five injured people at base camp this morning, they were taken to Kathmandu today. It is believed that one of these people is a French alpinist who was dug out of the snow in a deep state of hypothermia.
    
    The town of Chamonix also expressed their deep gratitude to the Nepalese rescue teams who “reacted very quickly and were on site in record time. This is the first time that Nepal has put such big means into place, proving that they are no longer behind. They have done their very best and we thank them for their hard work.”

    Map via BBC.

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  • 8 months ago
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• News: Colorado Avalanche Victi News: Colorado Avalanche Victim's Family Sues Winter Park Resort

  • From: media-75233
  • Description:

    

    Story by Kristen Lodge of the Vail Daily:
    
    GRAND COUNTY, Colorado — The family of Christopher Norris, who died in January at Winter Park Resort after being caught in an avalanche in the Trestle Trees area, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Grand County District Court.
    
    The complaint has been filed against Intrawest Winter Park Operations Corporation, which manages and operates Winter Park Resort.
    
    The complaint alleges that Winter Park officials knew or should have known about the slopes within the boundaries of the Winter Park Resort that could have been prone to avalanches. The document also states that the resort knew about avalanche warnings that day and that they should have known the Trestle Trees area was likely to experience avalanches and therefore was not safe.
    
    Winter Park Resort officials “had the duty to close those areas within its boundary which it knew or should have known posed an avalanche hazard to skiers under the conditions existing on January 22, 2012,” according to the complaint.
    
    Intrawest officials in Denver referred inquiries to Winter Park Resort, which did not respond to three phone calls beginning May 18 seeking response to the lawsuit's allegations.
    
    Salyndra E. Fleury is the surviving spouse and has hired attorney James Heckbert, of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh and Jardine, P.C., who is working from Steamboat Springs.
    
    “There were avalanche warnings in the backcountry, and they were telling people to go to the safety of ski areas where they control avalanches,” said Heckbert in a phone interview May 17.
    
    “Ski areas are the experts. There is inherent risk as a part of skiing. You may hit a rock — that is part of skiing in a ski area, that is inherent risk. An avalanche is not part of the inherent risk in a ski resort,” he said.
    
    The Trestle Trees were not roped off, and signs were not posted showing the area as closed, he said.
    
    The next step in the process is for Winter Park to respond to the claim as part of the discovery process.
    
    State law
    The Colorado Ski Safety Act states that “no skier may make any claim against or recover from any ski area operator for injury resulting from any of the inherent dangers and risks of skiing.”
    
    The Act also states the limit of liability attributable to non-economic loss or injury is $250,000.
    
    According to The Colorado Avalanche Center, Norris' death was the second avalanche-related fatality of the Jan. 22 weekend. The Colorado Avalanche Center's website warned of high avalanche danger all weekend and cautioned, “Triggering avalanches is likely on any snow-covered slope 30 degrees or steeper that did not slide during the natural cycle yesterday. The natural
    
    avalanche cycle has largely run its course, so I will drop the Avalanche Warning, but natural avalanches are still possible today. Triggering slides will be easy today, and some of them will be bigger than what we have seen so far this winter.”

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  • 1 year ago
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• News: Avalanche Kills Five For News: Avalanche Kills Five Foreign Tourists In Norway

  • From: media-75233
  • Description:

    From the Boston Globe: OSLO — Five people were killed and one person was dug out alive after Swiss and French skiers were buried by an avalanche Monday on Norway’s Arctic fringe.
    
    Rescuers located the victims through beacons from their radio transceivers, but only the first person they found survived, a Swiss man who was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.

    Here is the slide in Engnes Valley. Photo: Arild Hansen

    A 3,000-foot wall of snow came crashing down on the skiers on Sorbmegaisa mountain, 40 miles east of the northern city of Tromsoe, police spokesman Morten Pettersen said. The last victim was found buried under 20 feet of snow.
    
    Four Swiss and one French skier died in the avalanche, which started at a height of 3,600 feet and was 2,000 feet long.
    
    Jenny Piaget, a spokeswoman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry, confirmed that four Swiss citizens had been killed and one injured. They were not named.

    ACCIDENT LOCATION: The avalanche was in Alta municipality in Troms earlier today.

    The victims were among 12 people out skiing when the avalanche struck about 2:30 p.m.
    
    Rescuers tracked the avalanche transceivers through the heaps of snow as they scrambled to dig out the victims. Police announced after 7 p.m. that the last victim had been found.
    
    “It was a demanding search,’’ said Tor Indrevold of the local Red Cross team, explaining that rescuers were “digging down two stories’’ of snow.
    
    The northern tip of Norway is popular among tourists who come to experience the Arctic wilderness or marvel at the Northern Lights. The region also offers cross-country skiing, reindeer sledding, ice fishing, and snowmobile rides.
    
    But avalanches are common in the area. Two Norwegian skiers were killed by a snowslide on the island of Kvaloeya, just outside Tromsoe, in February.
    
    Indrevold said the weather this season had raised the risk of avalanches, since heavy snow was followed by mild weather. He said the avalanche danger level in the area was three on a five-point scale.

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• IPRW Day 3 - Avalanche Safety IPRW Day 3 - Avalanche Safety And Snowpack Analysis

  • From: SamPetri
  • Description:

     On Day three of Teton Gravity Research’s International Professional Riders Workshop at Snowbird, the crew focused on avalanche safety. The day started off with a presentation by Craig Gordon of the Utah Avalanche Center, who talked about avy awareness and snowmobiling in the backcountry.
    
    Gordon is the sole avalanche forecaster for the western Uinta Mountains — an area accessed primarily by snowmobile. He recently developed the “Know Before You Go” avalanche education program for young adults in Utah, which he shared with the TGR crew. Even if the 15-minute PowerPoint presentation is for kids — it's a great teaching tool. Gordon kept his avy presentation entertaining, talking about “the Jihadists of the snowpack” (weak layers). Hilarious. Sometimes avy classes can get boring, but not when Gordon is teaching the class. His "Know Before You Go" program has directly reached over 100,000 students to date. Add 30 more to that number.
    
    After, Ian McIntosh added his knowledge of snowmobiling to the conversation. McIntosh goes snowmobile-skiing extensively around Pemberton, B.C.
    
    “A lot of times when I’m out there, I’m the only guy who checked the avy conditions,” McIntosh said. “I’m also the only guy with a rope and the only guy with a first aid kit.  … We’ve gotta watch each other’s backs. …. We’re doing heavy shit out there on our sleds, and if shit goes wrong, how are you going to deal with that?”
    
    On that note, the crew headed out in to the field and split in to groups to analyze the snowpack, to practice searching for avalanche burial victims, to practice the compression test, the extended column test and even the rouche block test.
    
    Considering the number of athletes that showed up to this event and the instructors of the course, a great deal of knowledge was shared and learned over the last three days. The final day — Thursday — will focus on rope work. TGR will be making a video of the entire four-day course, so stay tuned. And in the meantime, consider signing up for an avalanche class in your area.

    Scroll down for a few photos from avalanche saftey day.

    
    Jeremy Jones digs a snow pit.

    
    Craig Gordon of the Utah Avalanche Center and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa talk about the snowpack.

    
    Sage doing the compression test on a snow column.

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  • 2 years ago
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• IPRW Day 2 - TGR Gets Certifie IPRW Day 2 - TGR Gets Certified In Wilderness First Aid

  • From: SamPetri
  • Description:

     
    On the second day of Teton Gravity Research’s International Professional Riders Workshop at Snowbird the entire crew completed Jackson Hole Outdoor Leadership Institute’s 16-hour Wilderness First Aid course.  That’s right — straight A’s, gold stars and high fives all around.
    
    After a 12-hour in-class session on Day 1, TGR took to the slopes to practice first aid and rescue skills. Off the top of the tram, TGR headed out of bounds with the Snowbird ski patrol. There, the crew came upon a zone where four “victims” were “injured” on the mountain.
    
    Splitting up in to four groups, it was each crew’s job to find out what happened to its victim, to stabilize that person, to treat them properly and to evacuate that person out of the area on a Brooks Range rescue sled. This role-playing scenario was designed to test everyone’s new skills in a “real life” environment.
    
    Of course, everything seems easier in a classroom. Imagine coming upon an on-snow mountain accident and trying to figure out what exactly happened to the group, what happened to the individual, what that person’s general level of health is, where they are hurt and why are they are acting a certain way. Now imagine having to figure out what to do with that person, how to get them off the mountain, and what order to evacuate each victim off the mountain. It’s intense. You are making crucial, life or death decisions.
    
    In the end, Wilderness First Aid seems to be about keeping a level head, working as a team, communicating well and knowing how to properly use all of your rescue supplies. This takes practice — a lifetime of it. Although everyone passed the course, it will take more time in the field and more wilderness first aid education to truly be a competent backcountry caregiver.
    
    If you would like to develop your wilderness first aid skills, take a course near you. If you are wondering how to go about that, contact Jackson Hole Outdoor Leadership Institute and they will point you in the right direction.
     
    Scroll down for pictures from the on-slope rescue scenario.

    
    The TGR crew hikes up to some "victims" on Tuesday during the Wilderness First Aid course at IPRW at Snowbird.

    

    Griffin Post, Seth Morrison, Todd Ligare, Erik Roner, Jill Garreffii and Greg Epstein approach their "victim."

    
    Trying to stabilize the victim.

    
    The scenario seemed super realistic. Griffin Post, Jill Garreffii and Erik Roner secure a splint on the victim.

    
     Seth Morrison and Greg Epstein put together a Brooks Range safety sled.

    
    Loading the victim on to a Brooks Range sled.

    
    Lowering the victim down to safety.

    
    The posse regroups at the end of the day.

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  • 2 years ago
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• Helping one of the "victims" a Helping one of the "victims" at IPRW

  • From: SamPetri
  • Description:
    Helping one of the "victims" at IPRW
  • 2 years ago
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• Helping one of the "victims" a Helping one of the "victims" at IPRW

  • From: SamPetri
  • Description:
    Helping one of the "victims" at IPRW
  • 2 years ago
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• IPRW Day 1 - Wilderness First IPRW Day 1 - Wilderness First Aid

  • From: SamPetri
  • Description:

    The fourth annual Teton Gravity Research International Pro Riders Workshop is shaping up to be one of the biggest to date. On Monday about 30 TGR athletes and staff arrived at the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird for the first part of the class — a 16-hour Wilderness First Aid course taught by the Jackson Hole Outdoor Leadership Institute.
    
    Top TGR ski and snowboard athletes turned out for the event designed to build the team and get both production crews and riders on the same page before venturing into the mountains to film.
    
    Athletes on the ski side included, Seth Morrison, Ian McIntosh, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Erik Roner, Dylan Hood, Dash Longe, Daron Rahlves, Rachael Burks, Todd Ligare, Griffin Post, Matt Philippi and Tim Durtschi.
    
    On the snowboard side, Jeremy Jones, Ralph Backstrom, Ryland Bell and Forrest Shearer were in attendance.
    
    On Day 1 the crew learned how to survey an accident scene and assess what happened to victims, even if victims are unconscious. The first day of the class covered emergency moves like how to drag and carry a victim to safety; CPR; helmet and backpack removal; common ski, snowboard and snowmobiling injuries; shock; splints, head, neck and spine clearing; soft tissue injuries; cold injuries; bleeding and hypothermia.
    
    And at the end of the day the crew played around with emergency sleds and bivy sacks designed by Brooks Range. This winter, every TGR production crew will carry Brooks Range emergency gear in the field.
    
    Scroll down for photos from the day and stay tuned for more.

    Clear up high. On Monday there was an inversion at Snowbird.

    The Cliff Lodge at the base of Snowbird Ski And Summer Resort is a classic hotel, right next to the tram.

    
    Let the International Pro Riders Workshop begin.

    Rolling deep. The TGR crew in class at Snowbird on the first day of the International Pro Riders Workshop. Jeremy Jones, Daron Rahlves, Greg Epstein, Dash Longe and Dylan Hood in the front row.

    Sage Cattabriga-Alosa fashioning a splint to a victim.

    Dash Longe sporting a splint made of materials commonly found in any given backcountry backpack.

    TGR cinematographer Dan Gibeau and skiers Griffin Post and Todd Ligare practice CPR at the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird.

    Brooks Range backcountry safety gear will be carried by every production crew this season.

    Putting together a Brooks Range safety sled.

    More to come tomorrow.

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  • 2 years ago
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• News: Backcountry Skier Killed News: Backcountry Skier Killed In Horseshoe Mountain, Utah Avalanche

  • From: media-75233
  • Description:

    CAIC's Incident Report:

    Weather Summary

    The Skyline has received above average snowfall during the 2010-11 winter season. Unfortunately, a wide spread surface hoar event occurred and was buried intact in early January. An unusual rain event occurred on January 16th producing a rain crust that was quite stout in many areas. Faceting associated with the crust occurred during a period with fewer storms at the end of January and into February. The buried surface hoar and facets that formed under the crust have produced very scattered avalanches. However, these avalanches have been large and dangerous. Recent snow storms with more wind then normal has made these buried weak layers become more active. 

    Forecasters and backcountry observers have been noting and speculating about this weakness since it's formation. While it hasn't produced a large number of avalanches, it's scary nature has made the forecasters continue to include it in the avalanche advisories. 

    About 12" of new snow had accumulated over the few days prior to the avalanche. Skies were partly cloudy. Southerly winds were in the moderate speed category which is very common along the Skyline. Some drifting was occurring. 

    It should be noted that the forecasters that investigated this avalanche were shut down by white-out conditions just prior to doing a crown profile (looking at the weak layers). It is assumed that the avalanche broke into faceted snow due to it's depth and since it revealed rocks where faceting is likely to have occurred. The short window of clear weather did not allow the forecasters to dig and look at snowpack layering at any adjacent terrain that would be representative of the avalanche site.

    Snowpack Summary

    The accident occurred in The Big Shoe or The Big Horseshoe. The aspect of the avalanche was northeast. The slope angle was approaching 40 degrees. A rock band runs horizontally through the upper portion of the bowl. This made the slab above the rock band basically unsupported. The rock band was just covered and a few rocks could be seen poking through the snowpack on adjacent paths. This thin rocky terrain is subject to faceting or in simple terms, the snow becoming weak. Just south of the bowl is an enormous flat fetch which is a perfect place for the southerly winds to pick up loose snow and deposit it into the bowl.

    Events Leading to the Avalanche

    Heading south on highway 89, just before you get to Fairview, UT, you get a glimpse of the Mountains of the Manti Skyline. One of the most striking features is the Horseshoe bowl with its steep north facing tree chutes. 7 Skiers from Utah were captivated by that bowl some time ago. After spending time planning & thinking about the captivating shot, they set out to ski it on March 26th, 2011. 

    These are expert skiers; most of the party has been skiing since childhood. Backcountry experience amongst the members of the group ranges from 2 – 14 years. Each member of the group was carrying beacon, shovel & probe, and they had all practiced with their gear. Most members of the group had taken a Level 1 recreation avalanche course. A few members of the group had read the current avalanche forecast in its entirety which rated the overall hazard as Moderate with pockets of Considerable with “the possibility for deep slab avalanches on steep rocky upper elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass.” 

    The group left the Ephraim Canyon trailhead in the morning in a modern snowcat, reaching the Horseshoe Bowls after a couple hours of travel. Visibility was good, although it was windy, and they noticed a storm brewing to the west on the Nebo side of the valley. 

    The group observed that the Little Shoe Bowl was actively wind loading, so they moved over to the Big Shoe Bowl. Once there, they put one person on belay. That person, now tied in, went out to the massive cornice and started cutting and kicking pieces of cornice onto the slope to test for stability. These cornice drops produced very small loose snow avalanches aka sluffs. The group thought these sluffs were a manageable avalanche hazard & decided to send a two members into the slope to conduct more snow stability testing. A & B got into the upper part of the slope and dug down 6’ or so. They then conducted a few compression tests which resulted in sudden planer shears 16” in depth. All members of the group commented how they didn’t like the results. A & B then moved a few feet to a different location to conduct a few more tests. The results were similar, and the group came to the consensus that they didn’t want to ski this slope. They began gathering their gear to leave the area.

    Accident Summary

    At that point C & D were standing near the edge of the cornice which suddenly gave way. C fell with the VW Bus sized piece of cornice that broke off and triggered the large avalanche. C was carried almost all the way down the avalanche path. Viewing from above, D saw C get up and start moving around and for a moment the group thought they had dodged a bullet. They soon realized that A & B had also been caught and carried by the avalanche. D instructed E, F & G who were waiting in the snowcat to call 911 which they did as there is cell service at this location. This call was placed around 11:45am & EMS was mobilized.

    Rescue Summary

    D then switched his beacon to receive and went down the slope to start the rescue of A & B. As D arrived at the debris pile he found C searching, and C & D got to B who was buried, but had his head & one arm free. They cleared B’s mouth, and then E arrived on the scene and dug B the rest of the way out. 

    Leaving E to continue digging, C & D searched for A’s beacon signal which they quickly acquired. Using their beacons, they followed the flux lines to A’s location and found a ski boot heal on the snow surface. A was almost completely buried, and appeared to have suffered serious trauma during the avalanche. The group worked in shifts to quickly & efficiently dig A out. Once out of the snow, A had no vital signs; he was blue in the face, not breathing and had no pulse. Heroically, the group began the exhausting work of administering CPR. They did so for a full hour. Just as they contemplated stopping, A’s chest rose on its own and a pulse was detected, although he did not regain consciousness. The group administered rescue breaths for the next two hours while keeping A as warm as possible. The group was utterly exhausted at this point, now waiting for SAR teams to reach them to help get them & their critically injured friend up and out of the steep bowl. 

    The party estimates they got to B in 8 minutes & had A dug out 15 minutes after the avalanche was triggered which is nothing short of amazing given the circumstances & the size of the avalanche. 

    At this point SAR teams composed of over 75 volunteers from both Sanpete & Sevier Co. were battling absolutely epic conditions to get to the party waiting in this very remote location. A storm had rolled in and reduced the visibility to just a few feet, further complicating the situation. Eventually, SAR teams were able to deploy over 2100’ of rope to get down to the party. SAR teams brought food, water, started a fire to warm the group and began the long & arduous process of getting the skiers back to the top of the bowl, a distance of over 1000’ vertical feet. 

    In an amazing show of strength and determination, all rescuers and victims were back on top of the ridge near nightfall. By 9:30pm all rescuers and victims were in vehicles heading back towards the highway.

    Comments

    Once the avalanche occurred, the party preformed a text book rescue, and really did everything right. Amazingly, they pulled their friend out of the snowpack dead, and brought him back to life. This is an outstanding effort on their part. 

    This accident really comes down to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. While the party was trying to do the right thing by gathering information, they were doing so in the start zone of a major avalanche path, an incredibly hazardous area & high risk activity. Unfortunately, the backcountry snowpack can be a very harsh and unforgiving judge, and the party paid the ultimate price for this mistake in the loss of a loved one. I am deeply saddened by this accident and my thoughts & prayers are with the party this evening. 

    SAR teams were tasked with an incredibly difficult mission in downright nasty conditions. The volunteers who boldly went out into the storm to help the victims truly embody what it is to be a hero. Had the party been forced to endure the cold stormy night out in the elements, the outcome could have been very different. Sanpete & Sevier Co. SAR, my hat is off to you. Well done.

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