Skier fatality today near Red Mountain Pass, CO:
https://avalanche.state.co.us/report...c-3df89354cfb1
There was a partial burial not too far away on Jan. 5th:
https://avalanche.state.co.us/report...6-bf2f41121e1e
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Skier fatality today near Red Mountain Pass, CO:
https://avalanche.state.co.us/report...c-3df89354cfb1
There was a partial burial not too far away on Jan. 5th:
https://avalanche.state.co.us/report...6-bf2f41121e1e
Sad to hear. Condolences to friends and family.
I really wish the CAIC would ditch the afternoon forecast and put it back in the mornings. Or at least update forecasts in the morning when there is new information. They say they do, but I've seen it happen close to never. If you were to read the Red Mountain forecast today, you would have no idea that there was a fatal accident. While the underlying snowpack structure didn't change from their pm forecast, I still think that people might be well served having the knowledge that there was a fatality, perhaps stepping their plans back. I've bitched about it before and my opinion hasn't changed.
Close proximity remote trigger from potential shallow snowpack area? Couldn't zoom in on pic to really see the detail of where the tracks started and how far across the slope the tracks fanned.
RIP to the victim, condolences to family and friends.
The victim was a local from Ridgway and volunteer with the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team. He was traveling solo.
https://www.durangoherald.com/articl...mountain-pass/
RIP. I'm sure this will hit the local community, and especially his teammates, hard.
Damn, that’s awful
SIP
That zone is a weird little pocket. The Red Mountain Lodge is right there and as a result, it gets skied quite a bit even in questionable conditions (IMO). There have been a couple close calls in Hollywood (adjacent slope) in the last few seasons. RIP.
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I get what you are saying. I like the PM forecast. The forecaster field observations are from that say and then you get the forecast. The AM forecast was coming out about 730 I think which was after many people have planned and departed on their day.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenboy
There was an interested situation earlier in the year where our danger rating went to low on all aspects and elevations on the Friday PM forecast. For sure, people went into "Full Send Mode" because of it.
But more data in a timely fashion is certainly the objective. Was the incident communicated in an Observation or other social media channel? I have a few minor bitches with the website their days. 1. No really zone weather overview. You get the State Wide Brief and then the point forecast. The point forecast is hard to use on a phone and because the color shading obsurces the map. 2. I wish all info was concentrated on the the website. I don't Facebook, Instagram or generally get my avalanche activity and forecasting info anywhere but the website. I have friends show be observations and commentary from CAIC and I say, "where is that from?".
From the pic it looks like the skier got just a bit too close to that convex roll and triggered it remotely. The rest of the slope, looker’s left, looks fairly well protected from objective hazard. That could/would catch you by surprise having a slide come in from the side. For people familiar with the area, is that slope cross loaded from SW/W winds?
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It has not been reported as a remote trigger. I've skied the slope plenty of times. I have not toured in the zone this winter. I'll let you marinate on the relevance of cross loading of Persistent Slab Instabilities. I've noticed a trend that people like to use Remote for Triggered from Below. Whether you can avoid avalanche terrain and stay out from the overhead hazard by managing the Alpha Angle is not something I feel comfortable with.Quote:
CAIC forecasters will visit the accident site on January 8, and we'll provide more information when it is available
I'm not out for a fight. Our high, dry and windy snowpack requires some unique strategies. If you want to shoulda woulda coulda about the mistakes made, I respect that.
I guess it wouldn’t be remote trigger on that slope but triggered from the side(below) from cross loading on that convex roll skier’s left
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Im curious what your definition of remote trigger is?Quote:
Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles
I think of it as anything triggered outside of the skier general vicinity (75-100 yards or so).
I believe you can consider a remote trigger the same as triggered from the bottom of a slope.
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FWIW the Snow Weather Avalanche Guidelines do not specifically define "remote trigger." Generally I understand "remote trigger" to refer to any trigger that's not directly on the slab whether that be above, below, adjacent, connected, etc.
Speculating on where exactly the skier triggered the avalanche from at this point is just that, speculation.
What we can say for sure though is that:
1) triggering avalanches from below or adjacent slopes is a typical characteristic of persistent slab avalanche problems: https://avalanche.org/avalanche-ency...rsistent-slab/
2) other avalanches were triggered from below or adjacent slopes in similar terrain recently preceding the accident: https://avalanche.state.co.us/report...6-a259bee12d3d and https://avalanche.state.co.us/report...e-e4c02e39bdb8 (same avalanche)
3) if you are skiing in the runout of historic avalanche paths you are by definition skiing in avalanche terrain.
Thanks #FlatBrimTundraLift
I consider Remote being outside of the avalanche path. I've noticed a trend that perhaps Remote is the Black Ice of Avalanche Triggers. As is, "there was nothing I could do, it was a remote".
So I was just encouraging folks to put a study on the behavior and travel protocols for managing a Persistent Slab Problem. High spatial variability, triggers from below and shallow spots in the the slab (rocks, trees, margins), frequently no observable signs of instability, and so on.
Its a game of decision making and I encourage talking about it. This is our learning moment. Condolences to the friends, family and community of the deceased.
Full report is out. https://avalanche.state.co.us/report...0-bb17670fd834
https://avalanche.ca/glossary/terms/...ered-avalancheQuote:
Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles
According to Avalanche Canada it has nothing to do with being in the path or not, that's why I was confused, you are not using the term the way I am used to hearing it. You can remote trigger an avalanche while standing at the bottom of the same avalanche path.
damn that is a brutal read.
a local skiing solo, found by his spouse after he doesn't call as planned, 6 prior descents on the slope before the avy.
RIP.
Tragic
CorrectQuote:
Originally Posted by durangobrad
My thoughts to family and friends. What a terrible accident. I skied that slope and area this November for my first time. In over 40 years of bc skiing that was the most tracked up slope I have ever skied. There was definitely a sense of familiarity there. Looks like he got a little to close to the toe of the slope and triggered it from the bottom.
3rd solo fatality this year?
That’s my count and my takeaway as someone who frequently skis in the backcountry solo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunion 2020
Hard saying but 2 of 3 were reported to be buried 1ish meter deep, that seems within the realm of a partner rescue…. Just tragic.
A harsh reminder that danger lurks not just above or below but from the sides as well
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Connected terrain is connected.
*posted in wrong thread
That's not my take at all. Seems like they were stacking tracks for 6 laps and just bit off a little too much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MakersTeleMark
I agree wouldn't say they were off route at all. As he stacked tracks he just got closer and closer to the trigger point.
Whooooooops that comment is in the wrong thread!
I learned a lot from that report, (sobering as it always is to read these things). One thing I learned is it reemphasized that I like to ski the same areas a lot. I get to learn them from seeing them in so many different conditions. I have a mini golf area that I ski a lot and I mean, it’s amazing how 20-30 yards makes a huge difference. Nothing’s perfect, I just like to try to reduce my exposure.
It seems like I've read at least several accounts of a victim having an airbag pack but not deploying it during the avalanche.
In this case, I can see that it might have happened so fast (and maybe he was knocked off his feet suddenly) that he was unable to pull the trigger. It's especially tragic since airbag deployment might have saved him in this situation.
Note that I am neutral on the use of airbag packs, but this incident provides another example that you shouldn't let the airbag pack (or any other avy rescue gear) give you extra confidence or perhaps help you rationalize your actions in a certain situation, especially if you are solo.
P.S. I am certainly not implying this was the case in this tragedy. As per the CAIC report, I think "familiarity" probably played a role, as it has for many of us.
Re Airbags- I think it reinforces to me that electronic airbags that you can practice with are the way to go, and I should probably pull my trigger for practice more often than I do.
The other thing that jumped out at me was the age. Maybe it's just me but it sure seems like there are a lot of older victims lately. It's not just the 20 year olds.
At the top of every line, I grab at my trigger once with each hand before dropping in to prime the muscle memory.
Airbag practice came up briefly during my recent companion rescue class and it is definitely something I should do more. It's like any of your equipment, you need to practice to be familiar with your specific equipment.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenboy
I think about this. I go alone or I won’t ski many times. Most people “my age” don’t do this, and only a few of the kids will/are available to ski w/ me.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenboy
I to ski alone majority of the time. I wear an airbag and stick to low angle terrain. I think the key is no matter how many times you go to the same spot, you treat each time like it's the first time. Said another way keep a beginner's mindset, keep an open mind, have a plan, have a backup plan, stay flexible and open in case you need to modify/change plans. This accident really bothers me because it's a place I have gone alone as well. If he deployed his airbag or had a partner that day it's hard not to think he would have survived.
Re: Age I think our demographic is a big part of the user group. BC skiing really started to get more popular in the Tracker 1/Fritchi Freeride/Fat Ski time in the mid 90s. And we are still doing it. And the Cost of Living thing is seeming making the average age of ski towns older.
Well, that and the skier was alone. I'm not one to judge anyone on that but if there was a "they" he might still be alive.Quote:
Originally Posted by MakersTeleMark