Brother Caught in Avalanche Today in St. Anton

**Demolition Woman** · 01-29-2007, 08:10 PM

wow. that story gave me chills. glad he got out alive, and with relatively few injuries! +++vibes on the fib recovery. sounds like you Both need a beer!

**stantonbum1** · 01-30-2007, 06:11 AM

Glad to hear that he is ok. Really scary that it happened in the middle of Mattun. So far looks like another really bad year for avies in St. Anton

**epic** · 01-30-2007, 06:26 AM

Holy shit H. That's way bigger than what I pictured. That would be like sliding all of White Heat wouldn't it? With rocks in the middle, that must've hurt. Glad your brothers alive man.

**brannen** · 01-30-2007, 06:33 AM

fuck beans man...........that is super shitty.......we were over there probably post slide......i got in a slide on the chutes left of schindler yesterday. only slid about 50 meters, but i was pooping my pants the entire time. probably a 45 degree pitch, not too steep, but Mattun is like 30 degree. fuck JOEYS! i hope they catch that no talent assclown, if you can give me a discription i can investigate.......anywho, glad he is okay, minus the broken bone....

**Stanton** · 01-30-2007, 06:52 AM

Made the News in Austria

http://www.tirol.com/chronik/oberland/55128/index.do

I was there that sunday.

**verbier61** · 01-30-2007, 07:01 AM

holy balls! so good you're fine

**Ripzalot** · 01-30-2007, 07:10 AM

skeery....+++viibes+++

hey, at least your bro has a great story to tell now!

**powslut** · 01-30-2007, 08:11 AM

Wow H, that's really intense. I happened to call my friend Marco when he was in the midst of searching for your bro, sounded like an intense few minutes there. I'm glad everyone came out relatively unscathed

**hev** · 01-30-2007, 09:39 AM

damn! really glad your bro is OK

**H-man** · 01-30-2007, 11:39 AM

**biggins** · 01-30-2007, 11:45 AM

Best to you and yours. Glad he's gonna be alright.
Way to go shovel.

**The Dad** · 01-30-2007, 01:24 PM

Yet another argument for carrying a shovel. Wow.

**Free Range Lobster** · 01-30-2007, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Stanton

Made the News in Austria

http://www.tirol.com/chronik/oberland/55128/index.do

I was there that sunday.

Translation plz?

**klar** · 01-30-2007, 03:39 PM

glad everyone is more or less ok. scary stuff.

Originally Posted by Free Range Lobster

Translation plz?

An American skier was carried 280m by an avalanche in Tirol on sunday. The avalanche stopped above of a steep chute but the man fell another 150m, the police explained. The 38y/o suffered a fracture of the lower leg.

The man was skiing in the "freier skiraum" (= not avalanche controlled off piste areas) in Mattun near St. Anton am Arlberg with his brother and an instructor. The group skied into the chute at about 11:20.

Witnesses saw another skier who entered the chute near the crown of the avalanche above the three men (this is what the article says, not sure what it's supposed to mean) and was thus also responsible for triggering it.

The victim was buried in the avalanche in the beginning but stopped on the surface after the fall. From there he was rescued and flown to St Anton.

The fourth skier helped during the rescue effort but skied away when police asked him for his information (ie name, adress etc).

**comish** · 01-31-2007, 01:45 AM

Wow, sobering gnarly story. Sooo glad you and your bro are ok.

That is one of those things that has always scared the piss out of me. People act like its controlled in-bounds area when in reality its sketchy OB non avi controlled terrain.

Don't think I'm gonna share this thread with Mrs. Comish. She already gets nervous enough skiing in Yurp off-piste. Seriously glad he is ok H.

**rideit** · 01-31-2007, 01:51 AM

Wow, Killer body armour!!!

Great outcome, give thanks! (not in some silly hippie/religious way, of course!!)

**vertigo** · 01-31-2007, 05:30 AM

I'm just wondering, looking at your brother's ABS pack, whether he activated the airbag? I'm thinking of getting an ABS but i've always wondered whether you'd have the time or the presence of mind to activate it.

**SnowHot** · 01-31-2007, 05:48 AM

I've always been a believer in being armed with the right stuff, Gear, buddies, stones and brains,but this is a prime example of someone well equipped in all areas.
I don't think I've ever had more respect for the power of nature than I do right now.
Wow, just wow!

**vertigo** · 01-31-2007, 05:59 AM

Originally Posted by SnowHot

I don't think I've ever had more respect for the power of nature than I do right now.
Wow, just wow!

I think this case is more about the power of stupidity with some fool dropping in above H-Man and his brother.

**SnowHot** · 01-31-2007, 06:04 AM

Originally Posted by vertigo

I think this case is more about the power of stupidity with some fool dropping in above H-Man and his brother.

You got that right. I'm of the belief that stupid people tend to breed faster than they die off.

Still, we all get stoked when we get a huge dump, but when the force of that snow lets loose, it's a powerful thing.......triggered by an idiot or not.

**RIDEr** · 01-31-2007, 08:26 AM

There are way too many unfortunate cases where a person doesn't make it... glad to see he is out and functional. All my families prairies are with you and your family wishing for a speedy recovery.

**schindlerpiste** · 01-31-2007, 08:39 AM

Whoa. Glad everything is OK. ++++++Vibes+++++++ sent. I'm very happy that, in the long run, this will amount to nothing more than a lesson learned and a good story to tell the grandkids!

Edit: The ABS pack didn't open?

**H-man** · 01-31-2007, 10:18 AM

This was one of our mistakes. The pack was brand new. We had test fired it the night before along with another one. The bags were repacked and the canister changed. When packing the handle, my brother accidentally grabbed the previously fired handle and put it in the pocket.

The next day we skied into Mattun from Kapall and stopped a little way in to put on our final gear, me my avalung and my brother to put his handle on the pack. It was at this point that we all realized that this mistake had been made. We decided to contniue skiing Mattun and that we would head directly to the Jennewiein Sport Shop at the top of the Galzig Bahn to get a new handle after we got down.

Not five minutes later the avi happened and I was standing at the entrance safe zone yelling "MOVE MOVE MOVE! PULL THE HANDEL! PULL THE HANDEL!" out of instinct even knowing that it would not work. At that second he was wailed by the wall of snow and that was the last seen point.

My brother says that he heard me yelling and again out of instinct reached up to pull the handle, which he did say he was successful in doing, but obviously it did not fire.

Completely our mistake and we are very lucky that this did not effect the outcome. Try to imagine my feeling after he got swept away knowing that one of the best life saving devices was on his body and completely worthless due to our own stupidity, haste or however you want to define it.

Please comment and critique away, this is how we learn from our mistakes. For me, having the right gear doesn't mean shit if you haven't been diligent and made sure it is all there and in working order. Slowing down a little and making sure your gear is complete and functioning before it is to late is my lesson number one from this.

**skiguide** · 01-31-2007, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by H-man

Completely our mistake and we are very lucky that this did not effect the outcome. Try to imagine my feeling after he got swept away knowing that one of the best life saving devices was on his body and completely worthless due to our own stupidity, haste or however you want to define it.

Please comment and critique away, this is how we learn from our mistakes. For me, having the right gear doesn't mean shit if you haven't been diligent and made sure it is all there and in working order. Slowing down a little and making sure your gear is complete and functioning before it is to late is my lesson number one from this.

wow. just wow. Gives me chills just reading that.

**vertigo** · 01-31-2007, 11:01 AM

yeah, that's pretty scary. especially as it's so easy to see how it could happen. I've been in similar situations before where i've realised that i've forgotten my beacon (yeah, that's super stupid i know) but still skied stuff with avi potential - which is extra dumb not just for me, but for those i was with. I guess (some) people do get a little blase about the risk sometimes, and just think 'it won't happen this time'!

At least it's quite reassuring that he did manage to grab the handle and pull, even tho nothing came of it!

It makes me feel sick just imagining what i'd do if i saw that happening to my brother.