Red Mtn Pass avalanche fatality

[AlpiNord]

So sorry to hear about a fatality per CAIC Report.



The hazard level changed from Considerable to Moderate after the temps rose lately.

A buddy was out today and noted:

“We were up cement creek today. Very funky unpredictable snow pack for sure. A lot of TG to the ground. Any aspects with a persistent slab are sketchy.....”

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Slidewright.com

[adrenalated]

The CAIC report has been updated with some details.

https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?accfm=rep&acc_id=685

And the victim has been ID'd here:

https://durangoherald.com/articles/257429

Sounds like a terrible situation. Reading the final report from this one will be very interesting.

RIP

[toastybroski]

That is absolutely horrible. It was an avy class that was caught as well.

[Tech Tonics]

All six members of the Avy Class were all caught in the slide (instructor included, I'd guess?) and the victim was buried under "at least 2.5m" of snow.

Horrible. Does anyone know what company was teaching the course or who the instructor was?

super sad situation.

[toastybroski]

All six members of the Avy Class were all caught in the slide (instructor included, I'd guess?) and the victim was buried under "at least 2.5m" of snow.

Horrible. Does anyone know what company was teaching the course or who the instructor was?

super sad situation.

There aren't a ton of company with dates of classes on the 5th. Maybe two or three max. I am not going to name any names though. I am sure everyone is going through a rough time.

[adrenalated]

A friend of mine was in the class that was involved. He was in the other group, on the other side of the highway though. I have not spoken with him personally yet and don't have any further insight on what happened than has already been released publicly.

I wasn't going to name names, as I don't think it is productive to drag an organization or guide through the mud especially before the final report is released and we know all the details. But, the Durango Herald figured it out and is reporting it.

https://durangoherald.com/articles/257622-fatal-avalanche-involved-students-with-silverton-avalanche-school

[Bunion 2020]

That is a definite downer.

But to learn about avalanches you need to go into avalanche terrain.

[Fritz]

Vibes. This isn’t going to be good for business

[Danno]

So awful.

I took my level 1 in Silverton with them 20+ years ago.

[TransplantedFromRMNP]

Sad on many levels indeed.

I took their level 1 class back in 2001 when I was living in Durango going to FLC.

A long time ago for sure, but for the experience that my buddy and myself got the classes, the field work off Red, and the guides & personnel were all top notch.




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[auvgeek]

So sad and scary.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

From Boulder BC Facebook:

"I generally stay away from Facebook posts and comments but in this case I am going to say something. I've known Pete since 2012 and he was my primary backcountry partner since 2014. I've spent a lot of time with him on skis and outside of skiing. He was a great man and he will be missed by a lot of people. We signed up for this class together along with another person to continue to learn and expand our knowledge. I was in the group and the next skier above Pete when it happened. 2 people were burried including Pete. One was able to unburry himself before we got down to Pete. When the report is released I think everyone will see there was thorough planning and risk management done before beforehand and during the day leading up to the accident. This will be used for future case studies for all levels of avalanche training. A lot of things were done right. Obviously not everything was accounted for in our decision making but this is not an example of gross mismanagement of terrian and decision making by the group or Silverton Avalanche School. This ended up being a very unpredictable event that could have ended with all of us dying. I do not study avalanches for a living but this was a very unique scenario and a tragic one. There's a lot to be learned from any accident and I hope people will use this as a learning opportunity going forward. There's nothing like skiing backcountry pow and we all choose to ski in the backcountry and understand the risks. I was very thankful we spent the prior 2 days testing our gear and practicing avalanche rescue. Never stop learning, never stop practicing, and never stop testing your gear. Every penny spent on learning new techniques is worth it. Hopefully you'll never need it but the day you do you'll be thankful."

[Foggy_Goggles]

Wow. First, my thoughts go out to friends & family of the deceased and all involved.

Second, it will be interesting to see the investigation and commentary. I have no personal connection but Silverton Avalanche School has a great reputation. I can't help but wonder what happened.

[Tele 'til You're Smelly]

So awful.

I took my level 1 in Silverton with them 20+ years ago.

me too- probably 1993.

I was skiing up on Coal Bank pass on Saturday when that happened, not too far away- damn. I wonder what the group was doing at the time- just skiing, digging a pit or what?

My condolences to friends and family of Peter.

[mtnjam]

So sorry this happened and couldn't imagine something like that happening during an avalanche training course. Spatial variability is the name of the game. Hope those that witnessed and survived this slide are still willing to get out and see the magic of snow and remember their fallen brethren.

Of course the armchair quarterbacking is already starting on social media...no surprise, go figure.