Brother Caught in Avalanche Today in St. Anton

[hutash]

Great report, thanks for sharing it at an obviously difficult time. Glad all is well and everyone safe. I hope your brother heals quickly.

A few observations; this shows how difficult an rescue is. Even with training and practice, the real thing is going to be different. Emotions run high, confusion abounds, glad you kept it together, you did an excellent job. Another point is the importance of one person taking charge of the rescue. With so many people trying to help it is even more important that one person, Andy would seem to be the best here, should be trying to control the situation. Organizing who will be probing, shoveling, searching etcetera. If for no other reason then to get everybody in search mode. I know it such situations everybody wants to help, but it is critical to organize such help, or pandemonium ensues. Finally, the non-functional ABS should be a non issue. If you would ski a run because you have it, verses passing because you don't is a good reason to pass on the line any ways. Sure it is good to have the safety gear, but it should not be giving extra confidence to ski sketchy lines. I am not making any criticisms, but relaying some thoughts that came to me while reading this. In the end I am very glad everyone came home with only some significant, but heal-able injuries.

Peace

[biggins]

Thanks for posting all this. Best to you and your brother.

Edit: Just finished the post below. Damn fine account.

[H-man]

We all eventually met at my house. Herbie had shown up at the end of the search. He went down to town while Andy and I went back to the scene and he checked in with my brother at the doctor’s office and then went and got my dad and brought him down to town to see Christoph. Andy had had a birthday cake made the day before for his girlfriend. At the end of the first post in this thread, I commented that it was like a new birthday. This was before he even brought the cake up for us to celebrate Christoph’s, and I guess all of our lives.

The victim and his cake. Sorry you never got any Elly…


A couple of beers were drank, pictures were shared and the diagram included in this report was made to give to the police.

The search for the guy who started the slide goes on. I am not really sure how I feel about him potentially being prosecuted. I guess what he did was wrong, all be it accidental, but to be honest I wonder if I haven’t done something similar in the past. I don’t have any idea what they could do to the guy if he was caught. I’d love to hear others comments on this. I reflect back on the article in “The State of The Backcountry” from a couple of years ago about slide bys. There was also an interview with The Ski Club Arlberg’s own Patrick Ortlieb in the same issue about how he considers slide bys his greatest fear in the back country.

I acknowledge that we made some mistakes. Powder fever, haste, gear checks and not elevating our degree of safety once some of the mistakes were noticed. Thank god that the cumulative effects of these mistakes did not have a more negative impact on the outcome.

We did some things right also, and I think that I can generally say that I am proud of how we reacted. I am haunted by finding myself suddenly sitting there doing nothing however. I hope this was caused only because it was my brother. But in reality, most times if this situation happens the victim is at least a close friend. Will I react differently if it ever happens again?

The biggest thing to take away of course is that you have absolutely no control of the other people out there. Anything that you can do to minimize their impact on your safe ski day should be of paramount importance I would say.

A close second in lessons learned will sound like rhetoric, but believe you me no truer words have been spoken. No matter how hard you train and how educated you are, when the shit hits the fan it is going to get crazy really fast. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought of such a crazy beacon search. For those of you who train, try this exercise sometime. Obviously you need a lot of beacons to simulate it but I can’t imagine anything more frustrating right now. I have heard from a few people out there that I consider knowledgeable and that I look up to who have said that they never had considered such a scenario before either. That at least makes me feel a little bit better.

At some point in the search and rescue, I don’t remember exactly when, Andy told me that by paying attention and yelling like I did that I had saved his life. He said he remembers looking over his shoulder at the snow blast as it encompassed Christoph and being very shocked and surprised. This seems like a lot to bear for some reason to me. If I saved his life, I’m glad, but I think that we, as a group, made enough right decisions that we were able to walk away.

Christoph is recovering well. He has a hairline fracture of his right fibula, a bruised left knee, right shoulder and he thinks that he may have some bruised ribs. All in all, pretty inconsequential. I think that his weight lifting and his great physical strength had a lot to do with him surviving the ride like he did, especially the training he does on his neck. He is one tough bastard. How about that shovel? Thank god for that. I did inspect his helmet after seeing the shovel and there wasn't a scratch on it.

Andy will face a trial by his peers I believe, to make sure that he did what he was supposed to do and be critiqued on his performance. He is not worried and I am not either. I will ski with him again.

Speaking of skiing… One week from today, I am back on a plane to Anton, this time with my sons for two weeks. With them along, it will not be the big hardcore touring, back country, off piste trip most of us crave. There will most likely be a day or two when the goods are served up. I really wonder what it is going to feel like heading out to ski like that the next time?

Partners? These guys are pretty good ones.



Thanks for listening and helping. One of my most favorite things about this community is that people let you use it as a diary, for the good and the bad.

Safe tours and turns Mags.

[hutash]

Good on ya H. That's the way to get back on the horse. It is important to learn from the past, but don't let it consume you. Sounds like you are dealing with everything well, keep it up.

[iceman]

Jesus, if they turn the music on Christoph will be toast. What the hell is that setup?

[H-man]

Jesus, if they turn the music on Christoph will be toast. What the hell is that setup?

Ok Ice, you made me pee my pants with that one. As much as that would be the killer sound system, it is actually a traditional Tirolean wood stove. Stoves like these were common place before modern heating. They have a huge fire box feed from another room and the think is filled with rocks that get heated and stay that way for along time. Very nice to sit down at the table, drink a beer and have the warm heat against your back at the end of a long day.

[H-man]

i skied maybe 4 month lech total - i never said get in an avy there - your interpretation ....

TIP:to slow down speed i grapped the tips of my open jacket and formed a sail - with that avy bag you can do the same - in an emergeny - go for it - air takes much speed !!!!

TIP:NEVER STOP SKIING IN AN EXPOSED OR UNSAVE LOCATION LIKE UNDER A CORNICE !
THE TWO OTHER SKIIERS ARE ALSO STANDING IN A SUSPICIOUS LOCATION AND THEIR PLANNED PATH OF DESCENT IS NOT VERY SAVE.
There were special weather conditions in St. Anton much heat and much sun that causes an avi easy.Also talk was about an ice layer that was snowed on.You ignored all these special weather warnings.

Tip: skiing injuries can heal well or leave permanent damage.Are these skieers applying the neccessary care in treating their injuries ? I can´t see beer going along with healing.

Another tip:in a location like this have the stuff to get out.Be very fast and have a lot of speed to leave such a location fast.If there is an avy try to pull out of its way.

And:never enter a location in which an avi can be triggered without knowing noone can trigger it !!! It´s like leaving a sharp granade or gun with the public having access to it.germans are known to act offensve on the slopes st anton is next to germany !!



And : be careful about hate attacks - currently people in lech have a bunch of reasons for attacking people like you

I guess I will say thanks for your concern. I do wish you would re read the thread and my description as obviously you didn't get it.

[H-man]

no time read some - why not enroll in lechs ski school ??? so your family ...

Dude, FYI, there would be no Lech Ski School without my family.

Again thanks for your concern.

[iceman]

As much as that would be the killer sound system, it is actually a traditional Tirolean wood stove.

Heh, I knew that of course.

no I didn't.

[Tippster]

It's called a "Kachelofen" - literally a "Tile Stove." They rock - I wish I could build one in our house.

[comish]

H-

So glad everyone is ok. Thanks for sharing the story. Really very educational. Never thought about the beacon chaos in a situation like that.

I remember thinking and I think writing about just how many people really have no clue about the dangers they are getting themselves into in the Arlberg. People with no gear and especially no clue, and yet the pow frenzy is definitely there. Scary and actually very difficult to deal with... This was one of the reasons why I asked the questions about Schindler and how much it is typically controlled.

The slid in the gully looks like it practically went to ground which might mean it went down to the depth hoar that had formed prior to my visit there which I would be willing to bet is still at the bottom of that lovely snow pack. Interesting and purely conjecture on my amateur self.

For the love of god don't let ObernardIdon'treadormakeanysense get under your skin!

To many more pow turns in the Arlberg and that everyone came out relatively unscathed. Thanks again for sharing it all with us.

[skibee]

Wow, what a thread. I have many jealousies about European rescue systems, all I can say is... two hours after the fact and you are starting the investigation, actually the investigation looks like it started before the rescue finished... If a similar accident happened in a north american BC the evacuation would have taken considerably longer and your bro' would have suffered more exposure and discomfort. His obvious strength and endurance would have done him great good in such a scenario. The strong Euro rescue system is a very good reason to ski over there, so are the guides. This Andy guy sounds like a great guide, he kept his head and finished the rescue by continuing to move down the slope. One very hard part of dealing with a multiple deposit zone slide like this is finding where all the snow went, I have seen reports on slides with deposit zones on three different aspects with burials in multiple zones. Never give up until all zones have been checked. I admire your Bro for being concerned about you despite of his own experiences, he is a strong man.

Enjoy your trip with yer kids, looks like great terrain out there.

[greg]

I have heard from a few people out there that I consider knowledgeable and that I look up to who have said that they never had considered such a scenario before either. That at least makes me feel a little bit better.

this scenario would have never occurred to me. thank you for posting that. i wish you good times with your boys.

[SummerSux]

Thanx for that indepth post and the heads up on another board about it.
Glad everyone is ok, hope there are no permenant mental scars and you all can enjoy the mountains safely again.

[H-man]

Taking a deep breath and counting to 10...

[El Kanone]

Thanks for posting this. I'm glad everyone is ok. It is very good to read about others events. Way to show some restraint with O burn hard. And that is a sweet stove, I thought it was a sound system too.

[smitchell333]

Wheewwwwww!!

Glad your brother is OK.

That is a excellent write-up and very imformative.

My question for you is regarding terrain management. To me it looks like you could have avoided this terrain by going around a ways above/right of the cornice - which seems to be where you were heading anyways. Why didnt you guys select that route instead of traversing directly under a laden cornice?

[Snowy Wintergarden]

My brother is fine. He went for a 300 meter plus ride in a narrow chute and walked away with a hairline fracture in his ankle. It was a classic slide by where other people dropped a cornice on top of him and he was gone like that.

I could not find him and am very shaken up. I'm glad everything ended up ok. I went back to the slide with my guide and the police to do an investigation. I will provide full details at some point with many pictures.

Right now, I'm so glad my brother is alive. It was very difficult not to give up the search and just start crying.

Thanks for your thoughts and vibes mags.

It's like a new birthday.

Glad it all turned out fine-ish. I'll have to read the rest of the thread but, wow, I got what you were feeling and am really happy it worked out. A new biirthday, indeed. Hang onto that feeling.

This kind of thing reminds me I have to tell those close to me I love them asap - things can change so fast. You might never get the chance.

+++vibes+++

[H-man]

My question for you is regarding terrain management. To me it looks like you could have avoided this terrain by going around a ways above/right of the cornice - which seems to be where you were heading anyways. Why didnt you guys select that route instead of traversing directly under a laden cornice?

I agree that we could have gotten to the terrain that we wanted by not going through the gully. The line we were looking for could have been accessed either above or below the gully, that way if it did slide there would have been a little more time to move.

I say the reason is powder fever. Going fast trying to find an unskied line before it gets chewed up and staying as high as possible to keep the options open, but at the same time, looking around every corner to see if someone left a slot behind. Powder fever.

Thanks for the question.

[IridePow]

0BernhardFranz
Please shut the fuck up !!!

This was an extremely valuable and interesting thread until you started adding shit.
I am really not sure what your are thinking (if you have a brain at all)..... someones brother/father/son almost died and it is really not the time to mess up this thread.

So again:
Please shut the fuck up 0BernhardFranz!!!

[H-man]

0BernhardFranz
Please shut the fuck up !!!

This was an extremely valuable and interesting thread until you started adding shit.
I am really not sure what your are thinking (if you have a brain at all)..... someones brother/father/son almost died and it is really not the time to mess up this thread.

So again:
Please shut the fuck up 0BernhardFranz!!!

Thanks for the support. The management is on it.

[cazziebug]

h-man - i'd say its f-n lucky christoph survived the copter ride! shit - at that point - i would have walked down to the ferwall. so glad you are all whole. ski safe and stay above those who don't. vibes cazziebug

[squaremountain_local]

Wow what a story! I had to remind myself to keep breathing while reading it. The beacon chaos must have been the most frustrating thing ever. Good to hear your brother is recovering fast. Have fun with your boys.

[IridePow]

Did 0BernhardFranz's comments get deleted from the administrator?

If so thanks..... and hopefully he is banned from the forum as well, because he just tries to stir up shit all the time.

[Jer]

Thanks for the super-detailed no-holds-barred report!

Like some others, I've never considered the possibility of a continual stream of transmitting beacons arriving on the site of a search. I've practiced scenarios involving one or two undisciplined searchers, and even one wandering beacon can cause a lot of confusion.

I hope my response in this situation would have been to immediately deputize probably three or four people to keep others at bay until they had turned their beacons to search mode or OFF (depending on the technology, lots of audible beeps can be a problem.)

What that means is that I'd have to spend time being an organizer instead of searching - which would be very frustrating. The confusion of languages would make it even worse.

The other factor is personal reaction. I hope I would be able to control it, but who knows. It's worth keeping in mind that five minutes in a search situation feels like half an hour.

Despite 0Bernhard's rudeness (I thought he was an alias?), the underlying point is one about route selection and hazard evaluation.

The situation was a backcountry crowd - so you have to expect skiers doing all sorts of stupid things above you. Add that to the hunger for powder and race against the others and you have: Human factor = Red.
Terrain factor in that cornice / gully / cliff line looks red to me.
Snow factor - probably yellow? Weather = green, from the sound of it.
Doesn't matter, though, with two red lights already.
You could've just given the line a pass. Testing the cornice might've helped; skiing it one at a time was critical, the situation might've turned out far worse with another person trapped.

Not that this $0.02 is news to you. Anyway, very glad everyone came through in tolerable shape!