Three ice climbers found dead after avalanche

[grrrr]

Three ice climbers found dead after avalanche

KOMO-TV STAFF

BANFF, ALBERTA -- Three ice climbers were killed in an avalanche on Mount Wilson, in Banff National Park in Alberta Thursday night.

KOMO News has learned two of the climbers are from Tacoma Mountain Rescue, a search and rescue organization in Pierce County. The other was a friend of one of the other two.

The three men were climbing an ice waterfall when the avalanche occurred. Two other Tacoma Mountain Rescue climbers had taken a different route and found the climbers' bodies when they returned.

One of the climbers killed was 66-year-old James Andrues, who has worked as a Pierce County Sheriff's deputy since 1999. He was one of the oldest rookie deputies to join the force at age 60. He had a long career in the medical profession and has a Ph.D. He was also a volunteer with the Tacoma Mountain Rescue.

The names of the other two victims are being withheld pending notification of family.

"(Two) were both operations leaders from our unit," said Gus Bush with Tacoma Mountain Rescue. "They've led mountain search and rescues on Mount Rainier and all through the Puget Sound area. They're very experienced. They wouldn't go into a situation that they didn't feel right about."

At least one of the men who died in this avalanche was involved in the search and rescue of a missing skier, Dan Witowski, on Snoqualmie summit last month. But these volunteers search all over the Cascades and Olympics.

In all, the Tacoma Mountain Rescue has about 60 volunteers.

[Platinum Pete]

Damn.
It sucks to loose experienced SAR folk.

[AntiSoCalSkier]

Unfortunately, this is one of those situations that proves how dangerous the backcountry really is. It sounds like these guys had the skills and knowledge needed to travel in the backcountry "safely", yet they still ended up dead. I guess it's true that you can only reduce the risk of getting caught in a slide, not remove it entirely (short of skiing indoors).

[Flash]

R.I.P.

[Beaver]

R.I.P.


Three ice climbers dead in Banff avalanche

Calgary - Three experienced climbers were killed Thursday after an avalanche swept them off an icefall in Banff National Park.

The trio were climbing on the west face of Mount Wilson when the slide swept them from the side. Parks officials say it's almost impossible to survive avalanches on waterfalls because the snow falls straight down and knocks climbers off.
The men were reported missing Thursday night by their friends when they failed to show up at an appointed time. The six, from Washington state, had been climbing together all week and split up Thursday to do different routes.

The other group went to Mount Wilson and spotted the car along the highway. At the base of the mountain they saw avalanche debris and a rope and helmet sticking out of the snow.

Two of the men who died were Washington state police officers and members of a mountain rescue unit.

"They were very experienced, part of search and rescue groups," Det. Ed Troyer, with the Pierce County Sheriff's department, said. "These guys were doing it their whole lives."

Troyer said he believes that Lt. John Miner was in his 50s, while deputy James Andrues was 66. He said Andrues only joined the department three years ago, the youngest rookie in its history. He said the third man was a friend of Miner's, whose name he didn't know.

The three were on vacation, Troyer said.

A search for the three began about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, but the climbers weren't wearing avalanche beacons, making the search more difficult. Search crews used avalanche dogs and probes to look for the climbers.

One person was found Thursday night, the other two were found Friday morning. Parks officials said one person was buried under four metres of snow.

The avalanche danger throughout the park is rated at considerable. Twenty-nine people were killed in Canadian avalanches last year.










You would think that experienced ice climbers/SAR guys would wear beacons. It probably would not have saved them but still....

[grrrr]

I hope that "John Miner" is not, in fact Tom Miner. However, as he is with the Pierce County Sheriff, and is on the SAR team I do not hold much hope out. Tom's parents are my next door neighbors. Tom is a great guy and very active in SAR all across the Country, including the FEMA USAR team.

Either way, RIP guys.

[powslut]

Originally posted by Beaver

You would think that experienced ice climbers/SAR guys would wear beacons. It probably would not have saved them but still....

RIP to the deceased, but along the same lines as what beaver was saying you think that experienced SAR guys would know better then to climb ice on a day where the sun was blazing on the routes and the ambient air temperature was warmer then it has been since november (read above freezing in the alpine).

[Will]

Originally posted by Beaver
You would think that experienced ice climbers/SAR guys would wear beacons. It probably would not have saved them but still....

I don't know enough about the terrain and conditions to comment...


...but that never stopped anyone on the internet from tossing their opinion into the ring before, so here goes:

While it may have been a stupid day to climb ice (based on powslut's comment re: weather) the lack of beacons doesn't really surprise me. Assuming, of course, that the approach didn't take them through avy terrain.

If you're on an ice climb and the slope above the climb slides, you can only hope that the route is steep enough for the avy's horizontal velocity to allow it to clear the route and pass 'behind' you.
If instead it travels down the route and hits you, well, you're pretty much fucked. No two ways about it. The freight train of snow will hit you, rip you and your gear from the mountain, and then bury you after you smash into the ground. At that point a beacon is just body recovery.


rip

[JR]

Originally posted by Will
I At that point a beacon is just body recovery.

And the faster that happens the less time rescueers are in harms way. Beacons are a good idea for more reasons than just saving victims. They serve to keep resueers in dangerous situations for a lesser period of time.

Wear your damn beacon!

[BanditXXX]

Guess that Ph.D. didn't do him any good. About the avy beacons, don't use your cell phone when trying to use the avy beacon. They don't jive...............

[BanditXXX]

"Avy danger in the park was rated considerable" -----HELLO-----

[grrrr]

FUCK.

John Miner was my next door neighbor's son. I didn't know him, but I know his brother Tom and his parents. His dad was my boss before he retired.

Their family represents a lifetime of service. Frank, the dad was a WW2 vet, who joined the volunteer fire department on his return. By the 1980s when he was too old to be the fire chief anymore, he became a fire commissioner.

Tom is a deputy in Pierce County, and head of the USAR team for this area.

John was a police officer and volunteered with SAR. He was a very experienced climber as well.

God, I don't know how Frank and Shirley are going to take this. Their both in their 80's and they thought the world of their sons.

RIP, John.

[L7]

I've read a bit more about this. Powslut had some good points and there was an intense inversion that was very obvious up high on the lifts but with no usual indication of ice cloud where it mixed.
Apparently at the base of their climb it was -10 or colder and the avie report made no mention of inversion. Still a blue sky sunny day and a slope above taking the full hit. It's a tragedy and somehow you'd think (wish) with the level of experience a different decision might have been made that day. RIP