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Thread: Golden/Fernie avalanches

  1. #1
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    Golden/Fernie avalanches

    4 involved at Fernie inbounds, all okay. 1 fatality in Golden apparently in an area closure.

    Anybody know anything else.

  2. #2
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    RIP?

    This was all I could find re: Golden...

    Close call in avalanche

    Moments after determining the slope he was on was unstable, a Calgary skier in the backcountry near Golden was caught in an avalanche that he was certain was going to kill him.

    Robin Scrimger, 28, took the time yesterday, while recuperating at the Foothills hospital, to speak about the avalanche that nearly claimed his life on Dec. 28.

    Scrimger and six other experienced skiers had just hiked 20 minutes into the B.C. backcountry, dug a pit to determine the stability of the snowpack and determined the area was unsafe when the mountain unleashed the avalanche, he said. "I started to walk out and the whole slope collapsed."
    The avalanche was 40 ft. across and carried him for 500 metres at more than 200 km/h, said Scrimger, the man behind the ski and snowboard cyber community www.biglines.com.

    Initially, two friends were also caught in the slide, but managed to free themselves before the snow pushed them over two cliffs, he said.
    "I thought I was going to die because I knew what I was going to go over ... it's extreme country up there," Scrimger said.

    The avalanche threw him over one cliff and then over a second, said Scrimger. By the time the snow stopped, everything but an arm and his head were below the surface.

    He was buried for one hour until he was airlifted to Golden and then to the Foothills hospital, said Scrimger, who credits training, experience and proper equipment for keeping a bad situation from becoming fatal. He suffered a shattered femur and leg arterial damage, but Scrimger said he's now planning to volunteer as a ski patroller


    Last edited by truth; 01-09-2006 at 09:32 AM.

  3. #3
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    Wow, I think he is one of the guys that runs biglines.
    Mrs. Dougw- "I can see how one of your relatives could have been killed by an angry mob."

    Quote Originally Posted by ill-advised strategy View Post
    dougW, you motherfucking dirty son of a bitch.

  4. #4
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    That was Robin or "Scrim" from Biglines a couple of weeks ago. He is recovering in Hospital. I understand this latest one was this weekend.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by truth
    RIP?

    This was all I could find re: Golden...

    Close call in avalanche

    Moments after determining the slope he was on was unstable, a Calgary skier in the backcountry near Golden was caught in an avalanche that he was certain was going to kill him.

    Robin Scrimger, 28, took the time yesterday, while recuperating at the Foothills hospital, to speak about the avalanche that nearly claimed his life on Dec. 28.

    Scrimger and six other experienced skiers had just hiked 20 minutes into the B.C. backcountry, dug a pit to determine the stability of the snowpack and determined the area was unsafe when the mountain unleashed the avalanche, he said. "I started to walk out and the whole slope collapsed."
    The avalanche was 40 ft. across and carried him for 500 metres at more than 200 km/h, said Scrimger, the man behind the ski and snowboard cyber community www.biglines.com.

    Initially, two friends were also caught in the slide, but managed to free themselves before the snow pushed them over two cliffs, he said.
    "I thought I was going to die because I knew what I was going to go over ... it's extreme country up there," Scrimger said.

    The avalanche threw him over one cliff and then over a second, said Scrimger. By the time the snow stopped, everything but an arm and his head were below the surface.

    He was buried for one hour until he was airlifted to Golden and then to the Foothills hospital, said Scrimger, who credits training, experience and proper equipment for keeping a bad situation from becoming fatal. He suffered a shattered femur and leg arterial damage, but Scrimger said he's now planning to volunteer as a ski patroller


    Nope - that was a different one.

    CBC Radio mentioned the Golden avalanche this morning. It happened yesterday - they said it was a snowboarder who was OB.

    Hopefully, some Fernie and Golden mags can chime in with some details.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merlyn
    Nope - that was a different one.

    CBC Radio mentioned the Golden avalanche this morning. It happened yesterday - they said it was a snowboarder who was OB.

    Hopefully, some Fernie and Golden mags can chime in with some details.
    Shitty.

    Having spent time both in the KH OB and the drainages to the north via snomo, that's serious terrain with sketch snowpack. It cost me my ACL last year only a few hours after my brother out gunned a class 2 slide. I have unfinished business there but I'll be picking my redmeption turns very carefully.

  7. #7
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    As far as I know 4 were caught in an avi near the end of the day in lizard bowl all rescued with only bumps and bruises. I assume (I don't know for sure though) that it came down around Arrow/Bow, the shack at the bottom of the facelift usually gets wiped out at least once a season.

    The Lizard and Cedar bowls were closed for the last couple days. I don't know what time they opened it. We were skiing on the other side, Currie bowl opened at around 1:00 after being closed for a couple days. My bud cut a small slab in the 1,2,3's shortly after it opened, nothing too threatening.

    We been getting a lot of heavy snow, like coastal snow the past week and avi conditions have deteriorated as a result.
    You don't need freerides when you got freeheels

  8. #8
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    Here's some info from the CBC website on both slides. I guess the snowboarder at Kicking Horse was inbounds, but in a permanently closed area:

    http://www.cbc.ca/calgary/story/ca-a...l20060109.html

    1 killed, 4 injured in separate avalanches
    Last updated Jan 9 2006 08:34 AM MST
    CBC News

    A snowboarder was killed in an avalanche at Kicking Horse Saturday, and four skiers at Fernie were rescued from a slide on that hill Sunday, as the risk level on the slopes remains considerable.

    Rescue teams recovered the body of the snowboarder Sunday, after the Golden-area resident was reported missing the night before.

    His body was found by a rescue dog under snow and debris, on a slope that had been closed because of the avalanche danger.

    The Canadian Avalanche Association says the risk of a slide in southeastern B.C. remains considerable, as the area has received a lot of new snow, after unfavourable conditions last month.

    CANADIAN AVALANCHE ASSOCIATION: Bulletins
    "The area was within the boundaries of the resort. However, it was in an area that is clearly marked as a permanently closed avalanche area," Kicking Horse Resort spokesman Michael Dalzell said. "And this area's never been opened at the resort."

    Sunday afternoon, four people skiing within bounds at the Fernie Resort were caught when an avalanche that began out of bounds swept into the groomed area. Spokesman Matt Mosteller says they were partially buried in the slide, but were quickly rescued.

    "There was a patrol member who was there, actually, in the same area, and was on site immediately to help those people out," Mosteller said.

    He added that the in-bound area the avalanche hit had already been closed by the ski patrol.

  9. #9
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    RIP for the Golden boarder

    Bet the Fernie guys are counting thier lucky stars.

    Good reason not to poach closed stuff.

  10. #10
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    Snowboarder found dead in Golden, B.C.
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    Font: * * * * CanWest News Service
    Published: Monday, January 09, 2006
    A snowboarder was found dead in an avalanche near Golden, B.C., on Sunday, just hours before four skiers were dug out of an avalanche 300 kilometres south in Fernie.

    Sarah Geddes of the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden said the snowboarder's body was recovered by emergency crews after he was found by a rescue dog.

    "He had gone to snowboard on his own the day before," Geddes said.

    "(Rescue crews) waited until daylight then began the search."

    Michael Dalzell, Kicking Horse's director of sales, said the man was a season's pass holder and had entered a section of Terminator Ridge clearly marked as closed.

    Geddes said police last night were contacting family before releasing the man's name.

    B.C.'s recent warm and wet weather caused havoc with skiers at Fernie Alpine Resort when an avalanche hit about 3:30 p.m.

    The resort's Matt Mosteller said the avalanche let loose near the top of the Lizard Bowl, then barrelled down to the Lower Lizard Bowl area, partly burying four skiers, including a ski patroller. Mosteller said other ski patrollers dug out their co-worker and the other three.

    "All are OK so we're very fortunate," he said.

  11. #11
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    Talked to a friend at the hill. He said it came down on the skiiers right of Bow and ran into the flats above Ballet, I suppose thats where the people got caught. Arrow was the only part of Liz bowl opened at the time.
    You don't need freerides when you got freeheels

  12. #12
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    yeah, I heard the Fernie riders were in bounds, but the slide propogated out of bounds and ran in. Termionator ridge in Golden is often poached, but it's a permanent closure (they def. rip your pass if they see you there) that slides a LOT. Total shame to go out like that.

  13. #13
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    Not totally on topic, but in my very drugged up state (viral infection and strep at the same time) I read the subject to the post and thought, "I know what a golden shower is but what is a golden fernie avalanche??"
    If you open a second beer and don't miss a beat between sips, is that two beers or just one 24 ouncer? -Tye 1on

  14. #14
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    This is also not totally on topic, but I set off a tiny <class 1 avalanche inbounds on Blackcomb Sunday. It was about four inches deep and the crown was about 25 feet long, but it totally caught me off guard and spooked me. I can't speak for everyone, but I don't usually think about avalanches when I'm inbounds, even though I should.

  15. #15
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    Dr Send - let patrol know when you do that. Its good info.

    I cut a few slabs off Lone Pine myself ski-cutting the top. I didn't get any reaction though to ski cuts and cornice bombs off Flute shoulder the next day on Sunday

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