Berthoud Pass Avy conditions

[summit]

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...organizations/

"Experience bc skier, avid mtn biker" according to the news.... a science teacher, lived in the mountains, kids in freeride programs... had avalanche gear... knew he needed an avalanche class, had signed up for one...

https://classic.avalanche.state.co.u...=825&accfm=inv

I am utterly baffled as to what he was doing in that terrain that day managing a group that way with what was going on.

There could have been 4 people buried and killed in this slide, but only two were caught and one died. This was a close proximity burial and the inexperienced companions did not recognize this problem as they had not been trained which delayed the unburial of the deceased.

Tragic and sad

RIP

[Bunion 2020]

So much done wrong and so tragic to read.

Even an evening awareness class might have made a difference in the choices of terrain and conditions.

Bunnell was not only an experienced backcountry rider

WTF?

[smmokan]

WTF?

I hate to say it, but just because you spend a lot of time in the BC doesn't mean you know what you're doing. That report was very sad and shocking to read, so many bad decisions were made that day.

[summit]

When the news says "experienced backcountry rider" that could mean literally anything. Literally.

[skaredshtles]

When the news says "experienced backcountry rider" that could mean literally anything. Literally.

Agreed. The local news generally uses the term "experienced" very loosely.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

When the news says "experienced backcountry rider" that could mean literally anything. Literally.

The news almost always says that

[MagnificentUnicorn]

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...organizations/

"Experience bc skier, avid mtn biker" according to the news.... a science teacher, lived in the mountains, kids in freeride programs... had avalanche gear... knew he needed an avalanche class, had signed up for one...

https://classic.avalanche.state.co.u...=825&accfm=inv

I am utterly baffled as to what he was doing in that terrain that day managing a group that way with what was going on.

There could have been 4 people buried and killed in this slide, but only two were caught and one died. This was a close proximity burial and the inexperienced companions did not recognize this problem as they had not been trained which delayed the unburial of the deceased.

Tragic and sad

RIP

Agreed, but all four were caught in the slide. It’s a head scratcher for sure


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[goldenboy]

I had a feeling this one would be a head scratcher. Sad.

I'm surprised no one yelled at the kicker-builders, given what a busy spot that is. Berthoud is a place where everyone with 5 days of experience and an Avy 1 likes to flaunt their knowledge and tell people stuff before they even ask. In this case, anyone who knew much of anything would have been well justified to say "I don't think that's a good place to be".

I'd say the big takeaway for most of us is probably this: "Searching for multiple people is always more complicated than searching for one. The chance of a close proximity burial increases if people are caught within a short distance from each other. Close proximity burials can make transceiver searches more difficult and increase the time of rescue. After the rescue, responders who assisted in the search said they wished they had practiced complex scenarios when doing rescue drills. Knowing how to use your rescue equipment in complex situations and practicing with it often increases the chance you will be about to use the equipment effectively in a real rescue."

Practice. Take the rescue course.

[adrenalated]

Practice. Take the rescue course.

And regularly re-take it.

I'm due for another.