Interior BC slide (Dec. 27)
The area where this slide occurred is less than 100km from an area where I tour quite frequently. The snow pack in mid December on north west facing slopes was around 1m - 1.5m deep fairly consolidated the exception being a thaw/ice pellet crust. South facing slopes and more westerly faces tend to get hammered both by wind and sun. The slope in the video is probably had wind effected but consolidated base on which the storm snow slid. (over this time period the central interior had a warm system blowing thru. most alpine areas were wind blasted (2nd hand info, i was in the koots :p ))
Here is the article - and link to the original with video
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http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/Slide_caught_on_video.html
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Slide caught on video
By Andrea Johnson - Quesnel Cariboo Observer - January 10, 2008
Mike Page remembers he was riding a wave.
He was swimming. Then he did a cartwheel.
He just kept going.
Except it wasn't water he was desperately trying to stay afloat on. It was a huge slab of snow.
Page was caught in an avalanche.
The 29-year-old married father of one from Quesnel spent Dec. 27 snowboarding the bowl above Groundhog Lake near Barkerville.
The spot is popular with snowmobilers and skiiers. Page never experienced any problems boarding in the backcountry before, taking to the slopes once or twice a year for seven years.
Dec. 27, he and his in-laws, eight in the party all together, hadn't checked the snow conditions prior to travelling by snowmobile up the 14.5-km trail to Groundhog Lake.
It was snowing all the way up to the lake.
They didn't have shovels, avalanche beacons or probes – necessary tools for anyone seeking adventure in the backcountry in winter.
On the last run down the bowl around noon, he and his brother-in-law started to come down the right side of the bowl.
His brother-in-law went first ahead of him. He made it down safely.
Page came out of the trees then he clipped something with his board.
That triggered an avalanche and swept Page with him.
"I was swimming with my arms then I did my first cartwheel," he said.
"I just kept going. My board kept pulling me under."
When the slide stopped near the base of the bowl, he wound up on his back, his left arm pinned behind him. He used his right arm to clear snow from his face and wave for help above the snow. Besides his arm, only the tip of his snowboard peaked out above the slab of snow.
His in-laws witnessed the slide and scurried up to him by foot and snowmobile to dig him free with their hands.
He was fine, only sore the next day. He felt well enough to go back up later that afternoon and build jumps on Mt. Agnes to wrap up the day.
But Page, who works at Quesnel Youth Soccer Association and Troll Ski and Snowboard School, learned his lesson.
"I didn't expect it [the avalanche] at all," he said.
"Now I know we need a probe and shovels. It was a wake-up call."
He's since been offered a free avalanche training course. It's one he's definitely taking.
His sister-in-law Amy van Vugt captured the entire incident on video.
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Yup lucky to be alive but not too smart.
In my limited experience in the area I have ski cut slides and pulled the plug on trips due to spooky conditions (whumping shooting cracks etc.) it is a real surprise that more of these incidents don't result in fatalities.
