Eight sledders likely dead in the Elk Valley (Fernie area)

[moose pit]

Eight sledders likely dead in the elk valley. Initial slide took out 7 second slide took out two would be rescuers. one rescued from the second slide.
It sounds like they were equiped and had training.

Heli rescue (recovery) underway.

[Shaggy]

There's already another thread on this in Ski / Snowboard but since it turned into a pile of non-constructive shit I think I'll just repost what I had written there:

In a statement issued late Sunday, the RCMP gave this sequence of events:

• The first avalanche caught part of a group of seven snowmobilers in the Harvey Pass area, a popular backcountry snowmobile destination about 40 kilometres southwest of Fernie.
• A second group of four riders heard their cries and came to help members of the first group dig out their fellow riders.
• They located one rider, but as they were digging him out at a depth of about three metres, a second avalanche buried the entire group, all of whom were wearing avalanche beacons.
• Two of the buried riders managed to rescue themselves in about 20 minutes and then used their avalanche beacons to locate a third buried rider, whom they rescued after another 20 minutes of digging.
• The three survivors assessed their surroundings — in a large bowl with massive cornices ready to come down. Based on the risk of a third avalanche, they began walking out.

It sounds like these guys were prepared as they had located and were digging out one of the victims (a deep burial) when the second slide came down. It sounds like they didn't judge the conditions correctly, but that can happen to anyone, regardless of activity.

AST 1 trains to assess for hangfire before attempting rescue, but if it were my friends under the snow I probably would have done the same. There were at least 5 people on top when the second slide came down, and all of their beacons would have been set to receive. The search for them will have to be done via a probe line, I hope they find them all.

[Ferniefreeheels]

They found the last guy this afternoon. Very sad.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

[khyber.pass]

Ugh. The CBC report this morning mentioned three avalanches, and that a fourth struck after the group of three made it out of the bowl, but whatever the case, it sounds like the whole area was extremely unstable.

Very, very sad. One can always ask what they were doing there in the first place, but at this point, it is just sad that it had to happen like this.

FYI, most modern beacons automatically switch to SEND if there is no movement or activity after a few minutes (Pulse, DSP).

Let's just hope this isn't a sign of what is to come. We have one rotten snowpack.