SHIT SHOW ON MT WASHINGTON

[icelanticskier]

have a look. yowza. scroll down through.

http://timefortuckerman.com/forums/s...610#post158610

rog

[ill-advised strategy]

HOLY MOLY

[Shadam]

wow ...

I just read the link ...

and people think I'm a nutz ???

[hatchgreenchile]

Wash is not a place you want to be blinded by “summit fever”.

[JayPowHound]

In the middle of anything that is difficult, we have the option of quitting, slowing down, or changing course. My life has been about ignoring that option...

As the trip leader, I’m not unduly afraid of the hazards listed above. Those, I know how to manage.
No, my fears are: we won’t get the photos/video we want, the weather will not cooperate (in this case, it won’t be bad enough; Keith is so strong and skilled, anything less would be too straightforward), we won’t get posts out, we’ll get in a wreck on the drive up there, visibility will be zero, we inadvertently delete a huge pile of video, etc.

Wow.

[PowTron]

But it's the East Coast and the mountains suck and have no dangers...right?

[totaliboard]

unfortunate incident, for sure. lets hope lessons were learned by all.

[userA]

yeah not to be guided by andy p.

[schuss]

Some of the statements around that, holy shit. They got lucky.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

That's not even falling for heuristic trap, its just willful ignorance and arrogance

[neufox47]

But, they were going to conquer the mountain! If they wanted the most dangerous route, why not wait until a high danger day and straight line the shit outta that avalanche? That's how men do.

Face palm. I encourage everyone to berate the idiots on facebook.

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[icelanticskier]

the official report here: http://www.mountwashingtonavalanchec...central-gully/

rog

[djrez4]

Wow.

[totaliboard]

Error 404 - Not Found

[grubbers]

Try this link:
http://www.mountwashingtonavalanchec...central-gully/

[komo]

Thanks grubbers. The analysis section is a great read

Try this link:
http://www.mountwashingtonavalanchec...central-gully/

[Clownshoe]

Wow. Shit show is an understatement.

[Jonathan S.]

http://www.concordmonitor.com/search...ravine-monitor

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[BrianH]

I watched a documentary about veterans who climbed Lobuche East High Ground. I also watched Flight, snowboard dudes hucking big.

In both movies there was a similar attitude. A willingness to risk life, or at least a digit or two to summit, or a very macho 'tude of "if you fall you get back up" and a blithe disregard for what used to be called "objective hazards," which now I guess are just pretty photo ops.

This is true even if bleeding from a head wound.

Times, they sure have a-changed.

[Clownshoe]

(Sent to the Conway Daily Sun):

As the leader of the team that rode an avalanche down Central Gully, on Mt. Washington, January 17, 2013, I would like to express our sincere thanks to the Mountain Rescue Service (MRS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) rangers, and the kind people at the Androscoggin Valley Hospital, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and in the Mount Washington Valley.

The response we received from the MRS team and USFS rangers was extremely professional, kind, thorough, intelligent, skilled, and wise. You are all a special breed who are willing to set aside your plans, invest your own time and equipment, and put yourselves through significant hardship and risk for others. Your example to those around you is in the realm of the heroic and helps to forge a strong community.

The goal of this trip was to introduce Keith, a Special Forces Marine veteran, who was wounded in Iraq, to the North Conway area, its people, and the climbing here, as I consider it to be one of the finest climbing environments in the country. Keith and I both enjoy mountaineering and adventure and have built a strong friendship through our common interests.

In high school, I spent a month of each winter climbing in the North Conway area. I don’t ever recall anything but a supportive encounter during my many formative climbing experiences here. I have tried to return to the area each winter because of the exceptional value it provides. It does not surprise me that after 30+ years the experience is still the same.

A few reflections about our day may be in order:

Having accommodations to stay at the Observatory overnight provided a unique element to the decision making process. Combined with the goals of Ascents of Honor and the support we received from the community to make this climb a success, this led to a level of commitment not commonly found on regular climbing trips.
Horizontal ground is the tough part for Keith to negotiate. High up in the gully, we looked often at the prospect of bailing out on the ascent; but turning around was not a decision without consequence, either. We fully expected our slow progress would improve on the steeper ground and windswept slopes, that were only 100 feet above us when the avalanche occurred.
In retrospect, on a tough day such that it was, we should have been more conservative and shifted to a simpler route. Because of the slow going, we tried to keep the route moving forward. One result of this line of thought was that we did not get the opportunity to gather the team together at a break to take advantage of the group’s collective wisdom and assess the day’s big picture as it was unfolding.
Adventure is a high-risk activity, and, winter mountaineering is at the higher end of the spectrum. A defining element of adventure is the unknown. There are few adventures we would not manage differently the next time. Many times, we can slip through the gap of a few marginal calls. On this day, we were caught. We triggered the avalanche that caught us. We had been watching the new snow closely all day and testing its stability. With the extremely thin snowpack, we felt it unlikely any slide would make it to any terrain traps below the gully. High up in the gully, we would have been much better to bring the whole group up high, anchor in solidly and then proceed to address the exit of the gully (with a new aspect, angle, and potential snow loading) . I am confident, had we done that, the slide would have been without consequence. But, we didn’t and are extremely lucky to have only been injured.

As we continue to recover from the experience, we have all concluded that the commitment to our veterans remains. There is still a need for community support to help these men and women recover and rebuild their lives, and it is likely that this need will only increase. As civilians, one element we need to keep in mind is the essential need for long term relationships with returning combat vets. Embracing them back into their communities may help to ease their world and will definitely strengthen the greater community at large.

Sincerely,

Andy Politz (Ascents of Honor)

[icelanticskier]

(Sent to the Conway Daily Sun):

.

A few reflections about our day may be in order:
Horizontal ground is the tough part for Keith to negotiate. I am confident, had we done that, the slide would have been without consequence.

ya, and once above central gully with over a mile and a half of horizontal arctic no viz slower than slow going, they woulda died of exposure, maybe.

the slide saved em.

rog

[ArmadaBC]

ya, and once above central gully with over a mile and a half of horizontal arctic no viz slower than slow going, they woulda died of exposure, maybe.

the slide saved em.

rog

Didn't they miss the cabin and show up at Hermit after others had told them they were going the wrong way ?

I don't understand these people and more so I don't understand how 20 people can tell you this is stupid and we have spent a good portion of our lives up here figuring out what stupid is and you ignore them.

I don't know how the rangers do it, something about the rock pile just brings idiots in by the truck full.

EDIT: Holy motherfucking shit, just reading the report......it took them 4 hours to do what most people can do in 30mins....these dudes were fucked before they even left the car.

[icelanticskier]

these dudes were fucked before they even left the car.

these dudes were fucked loooong before that. fucked once the brainstorming began.

big plans with big groups are recipes for disaster oftentimes. like tunnel creek. that whole thing was hatched, planned, got bigger and bigger. you'd think someone woulda watched the weather.

rog

[neufox47]

These guys still don't get it. They still think they were just "unlucky".

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[ShadyNasty]

how did this Andy P guy make a career out of mountain guiding?