Super sketch in AK Valdeeeez and Girdwood

[TahoeBC]

Friend up their flying with the same heli company but not with this group says from the radio chatter he overheard they were skiing a coolie that slid 3k+, that’s a fucking lot of snow they got buried under. Apparently all 3 were clients.

[The Iron Horse]

From the article linked by NBABUCKS1:
Witnesses saw all three deploy their avalanche air bags as the slide began, spokesperson Tracey Knutson said. The avalanche started at about 3,500 feet altitude and ended at about 700 feet, Knutson said.

[Meadow Skipper]

If they’re buried 45 feet down the recovery is going to be pretty difficult (understatement) - which is to say pretty near impossible until spring unless they can somehow get equipment in there.

45 feet of avy debris…

[BFD]

if the are buried 45ft the recovery is going to be by the bears and birds. terrible tragedy. Battery life in a beacon is roughly 250 hrs. Some difficult decisions being made.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

What we love to do is dangerous. I was skiing in avalanche terrain solo today and I felt reasonably confident in stability. I ran into a friend who was out in the same area on the anniversary of his friend’s death in an avalanche near Mount Cashmere in WA. I ran into another friend atop Wenatchee Mountain and he told me that his brother was the sledder killed at Harts Pass Friday.

[2FUNKY]

Wow, super unfortunate. RIP fellow snow sliders and condolences to their friends and family. Skiing is inherently dangerous, the drive there more so. Good reminder that even though you have your avi balloon on it isn’t a guarantee to stay on top and survive a slide.


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[Dantheman]

3 dead. Holy shit.https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventu...near-girdwood/

Jesus.

[AK47bp]

I remember showing up at AK Heli in Haines a few days after one of their guides and client died in an avalanche. Surprised we still flew to be honest. Tragic.


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[John_B]

^Thanks for writing up that TR. Posting it in 3 different locations including an active thread about an entirely different location ~200p miles away isn't really necessary.

[hoarhey]

Saw this in my IG feed this morning so came here

Never heard of burials this deep

I’m sure they’ve happened before

No words on this one though

Can’t imagine how guided and friends and family are feeling

Forty five to one hundred feet deep burials

Holy shit




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[2FUNKY]

Saw this in my IG feed this morning so came here

Never heard of burials this deep

I’m sure they’ve happened before

No words on this one though

Can’t imagine how guided and friends and family are feeling

Forty five to one hundred feet deep burials

Holy shit




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We had an inbounds slide at Silver 6 years ago that buried a victim close to forty feet down. The extraction was a long slow painful process. That was at a resort, couldn’t imagine that in this location.


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[hoarhey]

That had to have been a terrain trap at Silver?

I’ve never been so don’t know

Reminds me of what could happen if a huge slide went in granite canyon but even that might not result in those burial depths




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[Angle Parking]

- In 2023 in British Columbia, there were 14 avalanche deaths. 8 of those were heli skiing under the leadership of guides. I cite 2023 stats because the Heli / guided deaths were particularly glaring that year. Realistically, given the number of laps heli skiers get, it's probably not statistically speaking any more dangerous to go heli skiing with a guide than any other form of backcountry skiing outing. Perhaps more concerning is the lack of reporting from heli outfits and guides. Perusing MIN reports on avalanche.ca is one of the first things on any decision making flow chart. Both the Ipsoot and Burnie avalanches were not reported on avalanche.ca. How many other incidents were there by professional outfits and more inportantly, why are these guys not reporting them?

[XXX-er]

For a lot of years there was nobody up here but now AV Can actualy has had a couple of guys and/or mayeb a gal on sleds ranging far and wide digging pits the 40-100 ft deep slide path is crazy

[hoarhey]

Wild ass guess on rough surrounding area
Twenty mile creek river 9 miles northeast of Girdwood


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[SchralphMacchio]

more inportantly, why are these guys not reporting them?

Let’s say a single private operator starts posting avalanche obs that also happens to include near misses, caught and carried, and fatal accidents, while no one else is - can you see a fear around how prospective customers would view their business?
Seems like a regulatory gap if the overall industry record is unacceptable to the public.

[cravenmorhead]

A heli guide I recently toured with opined that if all of the commercially guided slides, and especially injuries and near-misses, were reported publicly rather than via InfoEx in Canada the industry would suffer. I expect that's true.

[Bunion 2020]

General vicinity https://www.akmountain.com/wp-conten...ryski-0007.jpg

[stalefish3169]

Names are out. Parents. Fuck! Super sad. Best wishes to all affected.

[jackstraw]

This is horrible RIP.

If they were skiing a coolie it seems odd to me all 3 would be descending at the same time unless they thought it was bomber. And considering the size I'm guessing so. This thing ripped wide, deep, and long. I'm guessing they had tracked this already since the last significant snowfall. Snow science is so damn imperfect.

And regarding heli slides, an acquaintance that I've skied with was buried last yr and it blew his knee out. That was not reported anywhere that I'm aware of as it ended relatively fine.

[The Nuclear Option]

General vicinity https://www.akmountain.com/wp-conten...ryski-0007.jpg

Holy Terrain Traps

[shroom]

brutal. vibes

[pappag]

Watching this after what we know is pretty eeire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oorCXndQCsE

[bennymac]

Watching this after what we know is pretty eeire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oorCXndQCsE

Yikes.

Cant imagine how helpless you’d feel doing a search for 3 clients and seeing those depth numbers on your beacon.

[Hacksaw]

In 2013 at the Sheep Creek accident, we had one victim buried 16 to 18 feet deep. It took 20+ rescuers more that an hour to dig the victim out. For these guys in Alaska, I'd consider sling-loading in a backhoe by heli. Waiting for the bears to dig them out wouldn't be what the families would want.