Has anyone heard anything about a rumored avalanche death at/outside the village today?
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Has anyone heard anything about a rumored avalanche death at/outside the village today?
Some info in this thread... http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=72709
I had some friends on scene, but seems three people were swept over the fat bastard cliff. All further details are speculation so I won't fuel that. A word about it may show up at http://www.jhavalanche.org tonight or tomorrow morning. Will post when an official report comes out.
I've been skiing with Justin the past few days. Here is what happened from people who were there and part of the rescue-
3 skiers were on top of the fat bastard cliff in preparation for Justin to send the air. Joel and Josh were off to the side in a safe area. Everyone was stationary on top when we think a natural slide from above ripped out. Justin sent the air trying to outrun the slide. Joel and Josh were slid over the cliff without being able to send the air.
Justin landed the air but the slide caught him and he went out of sight. Joel and Josh were partially burried but unhurt. Justin was carried down slope and burried. He was dug out immediatly. Avalanche rescue protocol was followed. Everything was done as well as it could have been done.
Justin didn't make it. He was a great skier and a great person. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Is there a last name available yet?
My condolences...this has been a rough patch of days....
+++++++++++++++++vibes
Vibes to the skier and family. Very sad couple of days indeed.
Anyone there know how big the crown was/how wide? It was east facing I presume being over Fat Bastard...
i don't want to post any last names until the family has been notified.
Completely understandable. I wasn't sure of the status, since the party involved is being discussed by first name. Godspeed.
+++++<<<<<<Vibes>>>>>>+++++
Not sure how big the crow was because it ripped out above everyone and we haven't been up above yet to look. We think that only the new snow from the past few days slid.
For the record, the people slid are very experienced. Two are Jackson locals and one is an avi instructor. It wasn't a lack of experience that caused this.
Honestly I can't believe this happened. Here this morning, gone this afternoon. We're pretty shook up.
With the exception of snowmobilers, it usually isn't. It is statistical probability/proximity.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevo
I am sure patrol is pretty down...
Only picture I could find of Fat Bastard using Google;
http://www.jonnylaw.com/images/2005E...icture0091.jpg
http://www.jonnylaw.com/articles/fatbastard.htm
Doesn't look like he had a whole lot of options.
Sad story, condolences to friends and family.
Sounds like he may have died of a traumatic injury of some sort.
Quote:
The man was only buried for about a minute before rescuers dug him out and found he had a pulse and labored breathing. He had an injury to his left lower leg and no other apparent injuries. Jackson Hole Ski Patrol helped in the rescue, the Sheriff's Office reported.
eton County Death
Skier Dies In Avalanche Near Jackson Hole
By Lauren M. Whaley, 1-05-07
A 24-year-old Teton County man died today after being buried in an avalanche outside the boundaries of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
Details were sketchy at 5 p.m. today, but the Teton County Sheriff’s Office reported that the man was being filmed with two other skiers between the upper and lower access gates outside the resort’s boundaries in Green River Bowl below Fat Bastard.
A woman called dispatch at 12:28p.m. to report the accident.
The three skiers were standing above a cliff, between 40-60 feet high, and heard an avalanche behind them, according to dispatch notes. The man jumped over the cliff when he heard the avalanche, while his two companions who stayed on top of the cliff, got carried by the avalanche and managed to stay on top of it.
The man was only buried for about a minute before rescuers dug him out and found he had a pulse and labored breathing. He had an injury to his left lower leg and no other apparent injuries. Jackson Hole Ski Patrol helped in the rescue, the Sheriff's Office reported.
He may have died on the mountain before being transported to the hospital, but details remain sketchy, said Teton County Sheriff's Capt. Jim Whalen.
“We’re still trying to piece together what actually happened and locate witnesses and that kind of thing,” Whalen said.
The cause of death is unknown at this time, but County Coroner Bob Campbell will perform an autopsy tomorrow.
This is the first skier death in Teton County this season.
The story will be updated as information becomes available. While the accident occurred outside the resort's boundaries, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort officials are slated to make an official statement by the end of the day.
http://www.newwest.net/index.php/cit...hole/C101/L95/
So sad. So sorry.
Sad, sad news on this day that was the best day of the season here at the Ghee. Vibes to his family and friends.
Don't know quite how to feel at the moment. Was just checking in and saw this thread. Justin was a good friend of mine; i skied with him a lot last year and only last week i was out skiing with him whilst vacationing in Jackson. He was a great guy, a great skier and had a bright future having just started a woodcarving business. I phoned one of our close friends and they confirmed the worst. He'll be sadly missed, and i'd like to offer my most heart felt condolances to his family and other friends.
Don't know quite what to think about this. I've always known that the mountains have consequence but having a friend taken in this way really hits it home.
So sorry to hear of the loss of another ripper. Condolences to his family, friends and partners.
Two days past the two year anniversary of my close friends avy death.
I feel deeply for everyone affected by this tragedy.
Rest easy our brothers...
always shitty to hear news like this, vibes to the family
Condolences to the family and friends of what sounded like a stand up guy, ripper, and someone with a bright future.
be careful out there.
As was pointed out in another thread, this was one year to the day from Laurel's Avie death on Taylor. This whole scene hurts.
So sad. Condolences.:(
prayers for his family, friends and community
Very sad to hear about this, my condolences
Memorial Set For Jackson Hole Avalanche Victim
By Lauren M. Whaley, 1-07-07
Justin Kautz, a Wilson, Wyo. man, died Friday from internal bleeding after skiing off a cliff to avoid being swept up by an avalanche outside the boundaries of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
Kautz was 25 years old.
Those interested in attending Kautz’s memorial service should go to the Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9. The church is located at 750 Seneca Lane in Jackson. If you get lost, call the church at 307-733-4382. Click for map.
Friends are also throwing a benefit reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Stiegler’s Restaurant in the Aspens. All proceeds from the reception will be donated to Kautz’s favorite charity, Invisible Children, Inc., which strives to educate Americans on the atrocities of child soldiers in war-torn Uganda. The group also helps former child soldiers transition back to “real life.”
Call Stiegler’s for directions at 307-733-1017.
I hope that his family and friends can find peace. RIP.
Justin was good friends with two of my lifelong friends that attended CCU. I skied with him twice and he was both a great guy and a great skier. I know that he will be missed. RIP.
This is hard to believe. Just like the others that have posted, Justin was an incredible individual; he was somebody you felt like you have known for years after spending 15 minutes with the guy. He was as passionate as an individual can illuminate. He left an impact on everyone he met. I even remember thinking to myself at one point that he has qualities I would like to have; there was a reason why he was loved by his peers, and he made me want to be a better person. Justin lived his life as well as he skied. If he were a professional football player, he would be known to the world as an upstanding citizen we all admire; a role model.
I worked with Justin for a short time while he attended CCU. We became friends and I traveled with him and others to Jackson while he was still in college. It was on this trip when Justin knew that he was moving to Jackson after he graduated.
He was an EXCELLENT skier and well educated in backcountry tactics. In fact, the only thing that sometimes annoyed us when skiing with Justin was his fatherly ridicule of our occasionally reckless maneuvers in the backcountry, which makes this tragic event even more shocking and devastating to everyone who knew him. He would get pissed when we pursued a line he felt was displaying less than perfect conditions. Even when we made our desired decent safely he would let you know how stupid you were. When it came to the mountain, safety was Justin’s middle name.
Coincidentally, his Colorado friends planned a trip some time ago for this past weekend to visit and ski with Justin. I debated my possibilities of going but had to decline the invite some time ago because of other obligations. We found out of Justin's accident the day before everyone was to depart for Jackson. His Colorado posse still made the trip, not to ski, but to honor a man we will miss dearly. They are there now, trying to cope with tragedy, trying to understand, and hopefully sharing stories with his Jackson friends and family he loved so much. If you guys raise a glass, someone please raise an extra one for me, eric.
It's really sad to hear when something like this happens b/c it was pretty much out of anyone's control. It's just one of those unluck things. RIP :(