Hearing from friends that there was an in-bounds slide at Taos on Kachina peak with multiple burials.
This information is preliminary and not confirmed.
Damnit.
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Hearing from friends that there was an in-bounds slide at Taos on Kachina peak with multiple burials.
This information is preliminary and not confirmed.
Damnit.
discussion in the NM thread.
K4-5 slid.. from what I have heard and as close as I can tell from the taos news.
https://www.taosnews.com/stories/ava...ina-peak,54548
Two successfully rescued. Looking for more. Sucks.
Piper is fine. Meadow skipping in the backcountry.
Freaked me out.
Fuuuuuck.
Fuuuuuck is right.
The NM bc is pretty sketch right now, but this inbounds shit is freaking me out.
This sucks bigtime. Vibes to those impacted by this. Looks really bad.
Damn, hope everybody makes ok. Big terrain up there.
From the article:Quote:
Originally Posted by adrenalated
Are there really probes 30' in length? Hopefully everyone is accounted for.Quote:
According to Taos News photographer Morgan Timms, who was at the scene of the accident on Thursday, the snow from the slide was so deep that the probes, which are as long as 30 feet, could not reach the bottom of the snowpack.
TAOS, N.M. (KRQE) - Two people were rescued Thursday after being buried in an avalanche at Taos Ski Valley. Both are in critical condition. One is at Holy Cross Hospital in Taos, the other person has been flown to UNM Hospital.
Entirely possible, ski resorts have thin aluminum piping they use as probes for large searches like this one. Not the lightweight collapsible probes we carry.Quote:
Originally Posted by boltonoutlaw
30' is extremely long. It would be recovery, not rescue at that length.
That's pretty much true of any probe line.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackstraw
Skiing around with a 30’ pole would be a painQuote:
Originally Posted by jackstraw
Good point, but I'm assuming the two they rescued were not wearing beacons.Quote:
Originally Posted by MakersTeleMark
I'm no avi expert, but within the first 20-30 minutes I'm thinking about using a standard probe for speed. Beyond that switch to a longer recovery probe.
I have skinned and skied Kachina countless times. So horrible for the two caught obviously, but I know a few of the patrollers and cannot imagine how they're feeling right now.
I'm guessing that the two that were recovered were from visible cues from bystanders before the slide like mentioned, and from clues on the surface.
Probing an entire debris field and hoping for a live recovery of someone fully buried without a beacon seems like an impossibility unless there was a very shallow burial and a very quick dog hit.
This. Vibes.Quote:
Originally Posted by MakersTeleMark
Thanks for the clarification. I was mystifiedQuote:
Originally Posted by karma
Sounds like one of the victims passed away.
Sucks. So sad. And scary.
Does Taos have RECCO? Such a tragedy
Most likely yes to the RECCO.
The company (RECCO) provides the receiving units free to most ski areas with avalanche potential as a way to drive sales of the reflector chips.
Thanks, that was my understanding.
RECCO is great for this kind of situation. The reflectors work best of course, but it can be used to locate other people and objects without reflectors by a trained user. Unfortunately, as far as I know it has only recovered bodies in NA so far, but maybe a few live saves overseas.
Sorry to hear that one of the victims has died. Such a crazy situation. Probably having an incredible ski day right up until the point that rug got pulled out from under them.
not sure. the article said they were buried for 22 minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by MakersTeleMark
regarding the probes I'm guessing the writer translated 300cm to 30'
Side question - do most patrols assume the possibility that someone is wearing a beacon in areas where it's not required (as opposed to Schlasmans @ Bridger). I'm wondering if wearing one on deep days is useful at all (other than for body recovery).
On a side note, Googling around, i ser that Matmot sells a Recco belt for $40.
... Thom
Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk
This is actually a pretty valuable feature of beacon inbounds.Quote:
Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un
I asked this at Loveland this past weekend when patrol hooked up skiing a line because I had a beacon on. They said that if they have an inbounds slide, a beacon search would happen right after visual scan / ensure no others were in danger.Quote:
Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un
I asked a similar question in the NM thread, and at least one patroller responded that it's pretty standard practice for ski patrol to do a beacon search pretty much immediately when arriving at an inbounds avy. So yes, wearing a beacon is probably your best bet for being dug out alive in an inbounds avy.Quote:
Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un
anecdotally I know at least two ex-ski-patrol guys who go beeping inbounds on deep/sketchy days, it can't hurt right? batteries are cheap
I rarely wear a beacon inbounds, but this incident may have me rethinking. But then I feel like I should also have the whole kit, and I hate wearing a pack on the lifts.
Terrain trap situation or did it just run to flat?
I've often thought about getting a vest for exactly this reason.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
I've ridden for the past few years with a Pieps Freeride when I'm riding lifts. It's small enough to fit the pocket of the pants I use for inbounds so it's something I never forget. I follow the same on at the car/off at the bar that you would for BC.
I also own a Barryvox for out of bounds scenarios, carrying something like a Freeride is a potential danger for would be partners partners at a hill with a liberal gate policy. I don't have any experience with the new Pieps Micro but it does seem to be a worthwhile update over the single antenna and limited range of the Freeride.
I wear a beacon inbounds on deeper days. Why not, I imagine if I were in that slide a beacon could very well mean the difference between life and death. I carry beers anyways so what's a little extra weight. I don't care a shovel or probe though. It's a little selfish for sure.
You need a beacon to get on SlushmansQuote:
Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un
When I lived Arroyo Seco and skied Taos daily back in the early to late 90s I'd always wear a beacon during and immediately after big snow events. I would access all the lift-accessed hike to terrain pretty regularly. There were many a day when I'd be in a remote area and trigger small to medium sized sluffs that sometimes stepped down simply because no other skiers had been in that area and they were micro-terrain features that may have eluded a hand charge or ski cut.
Taos Patrol is a cutting edge, hard working group of individuals who know their skills. The Sangre de Cristo snow pack is on par with trickiness as the San Juans- lurking depth hoar, pockets of high danger, lots of inconsistencies, steep and cliffy...
Sending good vibes to all involved...tough situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by adrenalated
Cue the angry guy yelling at ticket window for a refund after being denied access with no beacon..Quote:
Originally Posted by t-the-east
My daily inbounds setup is an airbag vest with shovel & probe etc. Beeping always, chit happens. Creeks, holes, tree wells, pocket releases... and big slopes, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by adrenalated
Used to ski with a pack but the vest circumvents the local chairlift rule of pack-on-lap, which fucking irks me.