Quandry Avalanche Mission Images (26.3.05)

Here are few pictures from the fatal avalanche in Monte Cristo Couloir. (images copyrighted 2005)

TGR Quandry Avalanche Thread with pictures of grounded Flight for Life helicopter

CAIC Accident Report with topos and pictures including the probeline and clear pictures of Monte Cristo Couloir

Image with great perspective of release point to where the survivor ended up (courtesy duph)

Visibility came and went, but mostly it went to near zero. The underwater disposable camera worked.

I wasn't really sure if I felt like posting the imagess at all, but decided to put just a few in the avalanche education forum. I hope they add some understanding and education of the tragic event.

The debris field was large and 10' deep at points, very difficult to probe at points requiring the full weight of ones body to sink the probe. An image from a probeline of most of the debris field, which includes the first plateu above the fingers:

http://imagebin.org/index.php?mode=image&id=2000
Searching

http://imagebin.org/index.php?mode=image&id=2001
Digging

http://imagebin.org/index.php?mode=image&id=2002
The Group

http://imagebin.org/index.php?mode=image&id=2003
End Gaze

that is a long path.

http://www.uvm.edu/skivt-l/image_upl...d/03270504.jpg


i don't think anyone that hasn't done it truely understands how hard that job can be.

the rescuers digging is a little disturbing for me to see but this picture really sinks in the sentiment and says so many words:

http://imagebin.org/index.php?mode=image&id=2003

haunting. Especially in black and white

Sad, haunting, and amazing. Thanks for putting this together summit. It still boggles my mind why they traveled so far apart from each other on an obvious avalanche path. All of the red flags were thrown in this case, and none of them seemed to have gotten their attention.

Thanks, Aaron. I'm still dealing with this one. Rough.