WHITEFISH AVALANCHE!! PAGING FLATHEAD MAGS!

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Very sad. My thoughts go out to all he family and friends of the victims.

[AsheanMT]

It hasn't been officially reported yet but I have it on good authority that the two people that the snowmobilers saw getting swallowed up could be a European couple (one person told me Austrian the other person told me Swedish) that have not been back to their hotel room in a couple of days.

One of the patrollers I talked to said that the search is very difficult due to the depth of the snow and todays windy and snowy weather. They have been conducting their search by probing down 8 feet at a time and then removing that layer of snow with a cat and then going back over with the 8ft probe and again with the cat. Over and over again.

[LT]

It hasn't been officially reported yet but I have it on good authority that the two people that the snowmobilers saw getting swallowed up could be a European couple (one person told me Austrian the other person told me Swedish) that have not been back to their hotel room in a couple of days.

One of the patrollers I talked to said that the search is very difficult due to the depth of the snow and todays windy and snowy weather. They have been conducting their search by probing down 8 feet at a time and then removing that layer of snow with a cat and then going back over with the 8ft probe and again with the cat. Over and over again.

Friggin brutal. Kudos to the SAR teams to get these people back to their loved ones, even if they don't realize they are "missing" yet.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

Thanks Ashean 4 the update.
AP said the search was called off due 2 avalanche risk, is that still in affect?

[AsheanMT]

Thanks Ashean 4 the update.
AP said the search was called off due 2 avalanche risk, is that still in affect?

Yup. No searching going on right now. Currently its snowing rather hard and the temps are dropping by the minute as a system is moving in from Canada. HEAVY winds at the summit of Big Mtn right now are hitting gusts of 60mph creating heavy wind loading. Avi danger is currently being rated as HIGH all through NW montana. We had some early snow this year followed by some rains that created a crust fairly deep in the snowpack in and around Dec 3rd followed by lots of snow since then. Recently, before the current storm system and right before this avi, we had warming temps and some rain that percolated down onto the Dec. 3rd slab creating a nasty ice sheet. RIGHT NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE GOING BACKCOUNTRY UP HERE. In fact, I don't think its gonna be safe til the spring melt/freeze cycle. (exceptions occuring only very high up where a rain crust had never developed)

[KoKopeLLi]

So are there definitely two people missing but could be more?

there had just recently been a strong warning against going back there in canyon creek, because a crazy one-eyed moose had been attacking people. i saw one of the moose warning signs at the bottom of chair seven on saturday, but don't remember exactly what it said.

They killed that moose on Sunday

[AsheanMT]

So are there definitely two people missing but could be more?

Not yet *confirmed* but my money is on at least two people still buried.

Authorities still didn't know if more skiers were caught in Sunday's avalanche. Witnesses have said they saw two other people in the area of the slide, although authorities have not received any missing person reports.

Like I said, a very reliable source has told me that the sheriff's department was notified that a European couple has not come back to their hotel room (where their personal belongings are) for a few days. That happened this morning. I'm sure that the Sheriff's office would like to confirm the whereabouts of them before making an announcement.

[uglymoney]

Just found this.

"youtube"



"$40 bucks for this son-of-a-bitch."

Awesome. Nobody that needs to see this video will though

[danimal's dead]

I really hope they find the European couple, maybe they went to Fernie or something.

I got to the bottom of the canyon, the bottom of the slide, just as those 2 snowmobilers got back to the scene, they had gone back to the canyon creek trailhead to call 911 as there is no cell service in that spot. When they saw that everyone was searching at the top of the slide, where they had just dug out the kid who died from slide trauma (it looked to me like he was impaled on a tree) they started freaking out and screaming, "they're looking in the wrong place."
"We saw 2 people get buried right here," and they pointed at a huge debris pile at the bottom of the slide.

The 2 bilers said, "We saw 2 people running down the hill with their skis on their shoulders and they were definitley buried."
My hope is that in the confusion they either thought those 2 were buried when in fact they freed themselves, or they saw the 2 guys get buried that have already been found.

Prayers.

[powXer]

Jesus H this is an intense thread. praying for the best...

[SuperChief]

Mother Nature can be harsh, I'm sad for the families that lost a son, husband, brother inlaw and more on the mountain.

It's very unnerving to hear this when I have so many friends and family that ski canyon creek, knowing that anyone can access the goods and don't give a shit about other peoples safety let alone the other users in the area.

I can imagine the mountain getting sued over this, and we lose sidecountry access just like we lost the furniture races. I've always wished the mountain was as strict as Big Sky or Bridger when you use their lifts to enter uncontrolled terrain. That kind of policy made me want to learn about the risks.

Prayers to the families.

[St. Jerry]

Shit, just got an email from a classmate about this and figured there was a thread about it already. I went to high school & college with Gogolak. damn...


Authorities identify skiers killed in slide

By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian

WHITEFISH - A 19-year-old from Kalispell and a 36-year-old Whitefish man
have been identified as the skiers killed Sunday in a backcountry
avalanche north of Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Anthony Kollmann, 19, is thought to have accidentally triggered the slide
that rushed down onto a groomed snowmobile track that David Gogolak, among
other skiers, were using to re-enter the resort boundary.

Gogolak, who moved to Whitefish only recently, was with his
brother-in-law, also of Whitefish, when the snow began moving. Both men
were buried, but Gogolak's brother-in-law was able to dig himself out.

Two other skiers, meanwhile, are believed to be buried in the massive
slide, but their identities, and even their existence, continues to pose
something of a mystery.

Snowmobilers who witnessed the avalanche reported that two additional
skiers were swept away, but so far searchers have found no sign of
additional victims, Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan said, and no one
has been reported missing.

"We've been following up leads all day," Meehan said late Monday, "and so
far, nothing."

Before the search for additional victims could continue Monday morning,
explosives experts first had to blast away an overhanging lip of snow.

"Our first priority was to make sure our search and rescue people are
safe," Meehan said. "We couldn't get going with probe lines until the
blasters assured us it was safe."

Meehan's search and rescue squad, as well as other Flathead Valley rescue
organizations and groups from both Lake and Lincoln counties, have been
hunting since Sunday afternoon for the two unknown skiers.

"But it's a bit unsettling," Meehan said, "because we still don't have
anyone reported missing. It's hard when you just don't know what you've
got up there."

He said the two suspected victims "are kind of an unknown. They could be
visitors who just haven't been noticed missing yet, or they could be home
in bed this morning."

Undersheriff Pete Wingert said his department spent Sunday evening and
Monday afternoon tracking down cars left overnight at the resort, trying
to make sure their owners were accounted for. They also re-interviewed the
snowmobilers who reported seeing the skiers, "and they're pretty adamant
that they saw what they saw," Meehan said.

"We just don't have any leads on who they might be," Wingert said, "or
even if they're actually up there. We're searching for ghosts."

Nevertheless, at least 60 searchers and a small pack of trained dogs
headed into the backcountry north of Columbia Falls at first light Monday.

Many had snowmobiled into the same area the day before, part of a team
that recovered the bodies of Kollmann and Gogolak.

Meehan said Kollmann was killed when he triggered the slide while skiing
on a steep south-facing slope. Gogolak was buried by the avalanche while
hiking up the narrow canyon below, after skiing popular powder chutes not
far out of bounds, on the north side of Whitefish Mountain Resort.

According to witnesses, Kollmann had packed a track up south-facing
Fiberglass Hill, on the north side of the Canyon Creek drainage. Canyon
Creek trailhead, located about five miles north of Columbia Falls on the
North Fork Road, is a primary access into a large network of groomed
snowmobile trails.

One of those trails leads to the summit of Big Mountain - and Fiberglass
Hill, not far from the resort, is a common play stop for snowmobilers.

Skiers generally stick to the other side of the steep canyon, entering
from the ski area, and then re-enter the resort via the snowmobile track
that runs up the bottom of the gully.

That's what Gogolak and his brother-in-law were doing, hiking the trail
back toward Whitefish Mountain Resort, when Kollmann apparently triggered
the slide above, on Fiberglass Hill.

According to Meehan, Gogolak and his brother-in-law - both from Whitefish
- saw the slide coming and dove for cover in the trees. The avalanche,
however, filled the gully and even pushed its way up the other side, into
the forested flank of Big Mountain.

Gogolak's brother-in-law was only partially buried, and was able to dig
himself out. But Gogolak was lost beneath the slide.

His body was found some four hours later, buried in about three feet of
snow and debris. He was not wearing an avalanche beacon.

Some search party members initially indicated he may have survived the
slide only to suffocate before being dug out. But search leader Jordan
White, who was at the scene when Gogolak was found, said Monday "it was
solid pack, very dense and wet."

So tight, White said, that "there's no way he survived the slide. It was
immediate."

There was no sign of spit - backcountry users are taught to spit when
buried, to figure out which way is up - no sign of struggle, "no signs of
movement or life whatsoever."

The other victim - Kollmann - was found alive within minutes of the slide,
but died "almost immediately" from severe trauma, Meehan said.

Two snowmobilers, riding nearby but not caught in the avalanche, reported
seeing two additional skiers hiking up the groomed track, well below the
others who were swept away. The witnesses said those skiers were buried as
well; thus Monday's continued search for victims.

"It's totally unknown" whether those skiers actually are buried beneath
the snow and debris that in some places is piled more than 30 feet deep,
Meehan said, "but we have a credible report they're in there, so that's
what we're working on."

The work began with the daybreak explosives, which successfully dropped a
cracked cornice near the slide area. That cleared the way for the 60 or so
search and rescue professionals to begin probing the snow with long poles.

The problem, White said, is the depth of the avalanche debris in many
places exceeds the length of standard probe poles. In addition, he said,
when the south-facing slope slid it not only filled the canyon bottom but
also ran partway up the north-facing slope on the other side.

There it pushed through dense trees, snapping them off and burying them
deep.

"It's a mess in there," White said. "Lots of debris in beyond treeline. It
requires a lot of digging and shoveling in a situation like that."

Search teams used dogs to lead the way Monday, White said, hoping to
better pinpoint spots of interest before the digging began in earnest.

"The dogs keyed in on a few small areas," Meehan said, but all those areas
unfortunately were spots where snow is deepest. Crews used a large groomer
machine to scrape away the top five feet or so from three sites of
interest, Meehan said, "but no luck."

On Tuesday, he said, searchers will scrape more snow from the areas
located by search dogs, and will continue digging and probing deeper.
Meehan also hopes a specialized team of dogs from Fernie, B.C., will
arrive Tuesday.

"It's tough terrain to dig in," the sheriff said. "There's a lot of
debris, a lot of downed trees and such. And it's piled 30 feet deep."

Searchers left the scene at dark Monday, with plans to return at daybreak.

The Forest Service, meanwhile, has closed the entire area - including the
popular ski lines around Flower Point - until the search is complete.

Fiberglass Hill is notorious for its avalanche danger, and indeed is named
such because of the snowmobile parts and pieces left behind in earlier
accidents and avalanches.

In fact, the state's first avalanche accident of the season happened
there, when a Kalispell snowmobiler was buried. He was carried more than
300 feet, and sustained a broken femur in the Dec. 19 accident.

The following day, another snowmobiler, who had stepped away from his sled
in the same area, lost his machine to yet another avalanche.

Sunday's avalanche deaths were the first of the season in Montana.

The last avalanche deaths in Flathead County were on Jan. 16, 2006. Two
Kalispell snowmobilers were killed in that slide near Red Meadow Lake.

[Hutch]

Got an email about Gogolak, too, apparently he is a friend of a friend. Originally from Darien, CT, he was the owner of Asquew Grill in the Haight in SF, an establishment I frequented when I lived in the neighborhood.


Positive thoughts for all friends and families involved.

[St. Jerry]

Wife & 2 kids left behind .

http://www.hobsonschoice.com/behindthebar.html

[sfotex]

Wife & 2 kids left behind .

http://www.hobsonschoice.com/behindthebar.html

Fuck, I know I ordered a drink from him if he's worked at Hobson's for along time.

[skiingsamurai]

just saw this:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...terstitialskip

vibes+++

[Fear Of A Flat Planet]

"youtube"



"$40 bucks for this son-of-a-bitch."

Awesome. Nobody that needs to see this video will though

i think you meant to link this video..pretty blunt...

[mc_roon]

^^^i feel the same way as that guy right now^^^

+++vibes+++

i can see something like this happening(again) at The Canyons

it was bad enough up at The Canyons over the weekend that 3 patrollers and an avy dog were hanging out by the backcountry gate just in case something happened. I watched while snowboarders with no gear stopped in the middle of a a slope, built a kicker, then while 3 of them sat on the slope with cameras the rest dropped...all while over 20 people skied the same slope right by them in groups as large as 5 at a time.

Once i got to the top of the bootpack i there was a line(yes, a line) of people waiting their turn to take a picture next to the gate that says, "you can die"

one patroller had a beacon out and was checking to see if anyone was beeping. When she saw we were, she asked where we were headed. We looked around at the clusterfuck of people with death wishes, and told her we were getting as far away as possible from these morons. she said she would be doing the exact same thing...

gates and signs aren't enough...a 300 pound bouncer with a baseball bat is all some of these people will understand

(the avy danger was moderate w/pockets of considerable on this particular day - slope north facing and windloaded)

[RootSkier]

Fuck. They should post signs that warn of $1000 fines and a day in jail for leaving the area through gated areas without the requisite gear. This is fucking STUPID.

[RootSkier]

Fuck. They should post signs that warn of $1000 fines and a day in jail for leaving the area through gated areas without the requisite gear. This is fucking STUPID.

[Boomer28]

^^^i feel the same way as that guy right now^^^

+++vibes+++

i can see something like this happening(again) at The Canyons

it was bad enough up at The Canyons over the weekend that 3 patrollers and an avy dog were hanging out by the backcountry gate just in case something happened. I watched while snowboarders with no gear stopped in the middle of a a slope, built a kicker, then while 3 of them sat on the slope with cameras the rest dropped...all while over 20 people skied the same slope right by them in groups as large as 5 at a time.

Once i got to the top of the bootpack i there was a line(yes, a line) of people waiting their turn to take a picture next to the gate that says, "you can die"

one patroller had a beacon out and was checking to see if anyone was beeping. When she saw we were, she asked where we were headed. We looked around at the clusterfuck of people with death wishes, and told her we were getting as far away as possible from these morons. she said she would be doing the exact same thing...

gates and signs aren't enough...a 300 pound bouncer with a baseball bat is all some of these people will understand

(the avy danger was moderate w/pockets of considerable on this particular day - slope north facing and windloaded)

Jesus, man that is pretty fucked up. We are not trending in a good direction when it comes to the increased BC usage by well intentioned people who don't have a flying fuck of a clue that they are risking their lives and that of others.

I've seen similar situations at the Whistler BC gates, people with the "a lift brought me up here so I am safe" attitude.

Once 2 years ago a guy saw me and my buddy checking out beacons before skinning further out and was like "are those walkie talkies"? We were like, "ummmm, no...."

When we told him what they were he proceed to tell us it was like wearing a seatbelt on an airplane and that there was no way they would help us if we were burried and we were chumps for thinking differently. When asked, he informed us that this was his first trip to Whistler but he did this all the time back in Colorado and he wasn't scarred one bit.

I'm not saying all those who enter the BC without the proper training/equipment are such ass clowns, but this guy is not alone in his way of thinking.

[AsheanMT]

Many times I have watched people head out of bounds at Big Mountain with absolutely no equipment. I've also seen,on many occasion, people pointing a laughing at those that are wearing a beacon, shovel, and probe. Unfortunately those people will not be getting the last laugh.

[Danno]

Fuck. They should post signs that warn of $1000 fines and a day in jail for leaving the area through gated areas without the requisite gear. This is fucking STUPID.

unfortunately, you need more than just the gear, you need the knowledge. All of the people involved in this tragedy would still be dead even if they were beeping.

[Ermine]

it was bad enough up at The Canyons over the weekend that 3 patrollers and an avy dog were hanging out by the backcountry gate just in case something happened. I watched while snowboarders with no gear stopped in the middle of a a slope, built a kicker, then while 3 of them sat on the slope with cameras the rest dropped...all while over 20 people skied the same slope right by them in groups as large as 5 at a time.

You know...we know, it's just a matter of time before the next incident out that gate. Next time it could be 2->4->10 that could get caught. I don't have any good suggestions/solutions other than one of those gate thingies that checks to see if you're beeping before the gate opens...that costs $ and then could throw the onus onto The Canyons in court...I don't know? It's easily circumvented as well.

Sorry for the hijack, just checking this thread for more info from Big Mtn. Still sounds like there could be more buried out there?

[telepow]

I heard they found a rogue ski when probing. Never a good sign