Berthoud Photo/Conditions Thread (2010-2011)

[skiingalot1234]

9news just issued a report from berthoud and a body has been found. Vibes to the family and friends.

[SterlingSpikeDancer]

Vibes to his family. If the dog was with him, and running where he was riding, than there is likely another (canine) body in the debris. Sad news for sure.

[killclimbz]

Dogs do get buried but they also quite often just get flushed out. Hoping that the pooch is just lost in the woods and he'll be found otherwise unharmed.

[bamboocoreONLY]

Yea, it might also be a good idea to be ready to hike back up to find you buddy that might be burried rather then search for him while you take a couple more laps. I'm guessing he had no beacon and no practical means for traveling up hill in deep snow.

yeah he never had any equipment, not even a shovel. Neither did any of his friends. Which really wasn't a problem since they always stuck to 7 mile run. wrong time to venture into hells...

Ride in Peace Jeff, I only met you once but you were one cool dude. hope the dog is okay. man... this sucks...

[PowTron]

In learning from this, I more inclined to bring two-way radios along from now on.

That could never hurt.

Vibes to his loved ones, I cannot imagine what this is like.

[mfkracing]

the 2 ways work awesome, my buddy and me use some cheap ones and they have a surprisingly good range. We've navigated back to each other easily after we each took different tree lines while doing some resort skiing. Definitely should be in the BC gear quiver.

Terrible news, and feel for all involved, but I think I'm more angry that this could have been prevented.

[montanaskier]

^^ I'm sure that discussion will blow up at some point

[stupendous man]

sorry to hear this. this seems to be actually a lower-death year than normal thus far.

unfortunately, inevitable on berthoud with the masses skiing without safety know-how or gear.

[soylent green]

yeah he never had any equipment, not even a shovel. Neither did any of his friends. Which really wasn't a problem since they always stuck to 7 mile run.

Quoted for emphasis.

Truly sad situation. My condolescences to his friends and family.

[JaytaeMoney]

yeah he never had any equipment, not even a shovel. Neither did any of his friends. Which really wasn't a problem since they always stuck to 7 mile run.

I'm very unfamiliar with the area so pardon my ignorance but why isn't this a problem? Just to be clear I'm not trying to be a dickhead, just curious.

[Lurch]

I'm very unfamiliar with the area so pardon my ignorance but why isn't this a problem? Just to be clear I'm not trying to be a dickhead, just curious.

I'm guessing it is an attempt at being ironic. Obviously getting to 7 mile puts you in the run out of a few slide paths. Skiing it with out gear on a normal day is not fine, skiing it during a natural release cycle is well....

[skiingalot1234]

Well the obvious, if you're in the backcountry without gear, and some how you get hurt, that beacon is going to help your buddies find you quicker no matter what.
If you get caught in an avy, and you get buried (god forbid), and a search group has to go out, instead of sending 30 volunteers (like i watched this morning), the S&R which have been trained to do this can head in. Leaving more people out of a situation is always a good thing.
Also, if you have a beacon on, and you see this happen, you can go over and help out.

Without a shovel, prove, beacon, you're useless to someone that could use your help.

I'm not trying to be an ass but every weekend you see people up there without gear. You can rent gear if needed for $15 bucks or so. Just don't take that chance.

And always remember, never under estimate mother nature. She can come out and grab you any time.

[JaytaeMoney]

I'm guessing it is an attempt at being ironic.

That's what I figured but then soylent green said "quoted for emphasis" so that got me confused. It seemed like two people were fine with skiing that area with no gear, which I thought was very odd.

[IRideCO]

That's what I figured but then soylent green said "quoted for emphasis" so that got me confused. It seemed like two people were fine with skiing that area with no gear, which I thought was very odd.

Think about what you're saying. It's really never fine to travel into the backcountry without proper gear especially during/after periods of heavy snow.

Anyways this is truly sad. Thoughts and prayers with this guy's friends and family.

[Diesel]

Denver Post is reporting that the dog's body was found as well.

So sad.

[teleyakco]

Not playing devil's advocate,but these 2 guys put themselves in a place they didn't want to be,not that that matters.The conditions were whiteout,and they were riding an area that they knew well.There are circumstances that I won't get into right now,but will wait for more info to come out.I hope that this tragedy will make even more people up there to take 2 seconds and realize how many more lives than there own that this would affect.I would have left him in the car if he would have been with me, without gear.RIP Jeff.

[bendtheski]

I feel badly for Jeff, but he probably understood the risks or at least should have. The poor dog was just following his master and having a good time, no doubt, just like his master.
Sucks on both accounts.

[CG]

This is some bad news.

[soylent green]

That's what I figured but then soylent green said "quoted for emphasis" so that got me confused. It seemed like two people were fine with skiing that area with no gear, which I thought was very odd.

I was just trying to bring attention to the statement. Monday was ugly weather up there. Hells to 7 mile crosses LOTS of avalanche terrain. I wouldn't have gone that way on Monday with full avvy gear.

[quienes?]

so sad they didn't have gear yet were frequent explorers on the pass. especially since Miller's pal owns the Divide Board Shop in WP. Seems like he'd be in-the-know and have access to the requisite safety gear. Just sad.

[montanaskier]

sad deal on the dog too. This whole thing makes me feel sick..ughhh

[BrianH]

To the friends and family of the slider who died, my condolences.


A few weeks ago, driving past Wolf Creek I picked up a boarder who'd just come out of the woods. Halfway to Pagosa Springs he calls his friend, his freind he'd been riding with in the backcountry.

Just prior to me picking him up. Seemed he had to get to work, and his friends dog had slowed him down. So he abandoned his friend.

I know that 99.9999% of the time this is acceptable. But we pack gear, we find partners and we practice with it for that other .0001% of the time that it's needed. Failure to do so gets people killed, leaves behind lifetimes of grief and threatens future access.

I'm trying very hard not to second guess this accident. From what I've read, there was a small slide, someone was gone and their friend went and did two more laps. Neither of them had avie rescue gear.

I'll shut up now.

[stupendous man]

It's not just the gear. Everyone knows that if it gets to the point where you need the gear, shit has already gone wrong. What's important is the knowledge. I have no idea what the deceased guy knew, but he clearly miscalculated the risk, which is equally as important as knowing the terrain, the weather, the snow pack, etc.

[BrianH]

Absolutely, gear is not a panacea. I'm talking about an attitude.

If you can abandon a friend on a slack country run just because you're late for work, that kind of lax attitude can lead to bad things. Creating a mindset not of fear, but of awareness is the key.

[Poop~Ghost]

It's not just the gear. Everyone knows that if it gets to the point where you need the gear, shit has already gone wrong. What's important is the knowledge. I have no idea what the deceased guy knew, but he clearly miscalculated the risk, which is equally as important as knowing the terrain, the weather, the snow pack, etc.

maybe my biggest objection to the no-gear crowd in the BC is that even if you're a PHD in the weather/snow pack and slides - you're fucking worthless in any emergency rescue situation without a beacon and shovel and the ability to use them.

Whether it's intended or not, it's a big middle finger to your fellow BC riders.

Unless that big brain of yours can move a ton of snow off a body - carry a shovel.

And talking about it on TGR is pretty worthless, because everybody I've ever skied with from the board is well versed and prepared.