WAPO article about a slide death in Switzerland

[old goat]

https://wapo.st/3U5WHIB

[Bunion 2020]

Was about to link that.

3 years in jail? WTF?

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Interesting, I wonder what the intent of the article is. Just a human interest piece? It’s certainly not aimed at this audience


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[old goat]

My understanding is that in Europe avalanche deaths are considered acts of man rather than acts of god. I've read about skiers being prosecuted for setting off avys that hit other people. If such an event happened in the US--an avy death on a school outing there would be liability but probably not a criminal case. The article mentioned they don't have punitve damages in Switzerland. Maybe the criminal liability is in lieu of that.

[yeahman]

I don't really see any evidence of negligence. Backcountry skiing is risky, and Emily and her parents willingly took on that risk when they signed her up for that school. Sad story though. She sounds like a really cool young woman. RIP

[m2711c]

ripped in half by an avalanche… jesus.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

I know someone that was killed in an avalanche, he had his leg torn off at the hip joint and eviscerated through the wound


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[yeahman]

ripped in half by an avalanche… jesus.

I know, right? That's brutal. Can't imagine how that must compound a parent's grief. I really feel for those people, even though I don't want to see the trip leaders blamed. I mean they've been leading successful bc trips with this school for decades without serious incident. Is it really a crime to make an error in judgment on which slope to ski, on one trip after all those years? Seems like a weird way to look at it. Curious to see how it turns out.

[Jonathan S.]

Interesting, I wonder what the intent of the article is. Just a human interest piece? It’s certainly not aimed at this audience


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Even though some of the technical aspects and nomenclature were a bit off, as a father of an only-child teenage daughter, that article's intent seemed to be aimed straight at my gut.

(I also happened to start reading it immediately before taking our aforementioned only-child teenage daughter to her hip hop dance class. On the drive there, she started complaining about the temperature in the 40s F then praised Savannah where a friend of hers lives. Instead of responding with advocacy for outdoor activities in the backcountry amidst cold weather climates, I shrugged and thought to myself, just as well I suppose.)

[Jonathan S.]

I know, right? That's brutal. Can't imagine how that must compound a parent's grief. I really feel for those people, even though I don't want to see the trip leaders blamed. I mean they've been leading successful bc trips with this school for decades without serious incident. Is it really a crime to make an error in judgment on which slope to ski, on one trip after all those years? Seems like a weird way to look at it. Curious to see how it turns out.

In the U.S., no, not a crime.
But grounds for a big civil lawsuit.
According to the article though, over there it's exactly the other way around.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

WAPO article about a slide death in Switzerland

Even though some of the technical aspects and nomenclature were a bit off, as a father of an only-child teenage daughter, that article's intent seemed to be aimed straight at my gut.

(I also happened to start reading it immediately before taking our aforementioned only-child teenage daughter to her hip hop dance class. On the drive there, she started complaining about the temperature in the 40s F then praised Savannah where a friend of hers lives. Instead of responding with advocacy for outdoor activities in the backcountry amidst cold weather climates, I shrugged and thought to myself, just as well I suppose.)

Her parents were avid backcountry skiers according to the article, her father was a ski patroller and trauma doc. That something like this happened shouldn’t be surprising, sure it’s terrible and I can’t imagine one of my daughters dying this way but there seems to be some cognitive dissonance.

Emily was an adult legally and responsible for her decisions. It’s a horrible tragedy and I really don’t see a need to place blame. That’s why I wondered what the intent was? Foment outrage, sensationalize the death of an American? I don’t know.

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[jackattack]

WAPO article about a slide death in Switzerland

Another reminder that the mountains want to eat you. RIP

[yeahman]

Nobody in the media didn't notice all the attention the NYT got for "Snowfall." This wasn't that or anything even close to it, but I think they saw a tragic avalanche story with a human angle and thought it was worthy of the general public's attention.

[Danno]

What a tragedy

[Dantheman]

I don't really see any evidence of negligence. Backcountry skiing is risky, and Emily and her parents willingly took on that risk when they signed her up for that school.

I'll play Devil's advocate here:

It was a major mistake for IFMGA-certified guides to put students on a 40-degree slope above fatal exposure. Backcountry skiing is inherently risky, but this was an avoidable risk, especially for professionals.

I can't speak to whether that mistake justifies the guides potentially spending three years in prison. But, it was certainly a major mistake and it doesn't seem completely out of line for the Swiss legal system to potentially consider it criminal negligence.