Post control slide at Mammoth, and how TGR may have saved my life

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

I think the seemingly increased frequency of this just has to do with more avenues of information being available today.

Makes sense.

[tarkman1]

A fair amount of people traverse under D2 from Chair 3 before Chair 23 open to ski the lower half of 23. That traverse always has me on pins and needles with new snow. It's very within reason for those people on the traverse to get buried from the snow fields above. No one did on this occasion.

Aside: For Monday 2/25, I am told the crown on Climax today at Mammoth was from the gun. I am told the release on the entire Drop Out area was from a hand charge. Big crowns on both.

[timstich]

Dude, good job connecting all the dots and keeping yourself out of that CF. Experience without having to pay the penalties sure is priceless.

[DharmaBum]

Other inbounds, post-control slides this year....Sun Valley (buried a kid who was then rescued) and wasn't there one at The Canyons?


Hutash, way to keep your head and thanks for the educational post.

[fluffballs]

I think that small skier triggered post-control slides are frequent. When I say small, I mean less than a foot deep or short runners that might knock someone over put likely wouldn't bury you. The bigger slides are scary. I don't believe they are more common, simply better word of mouth.

[here2day]

Hutash - good on ya. Nice to hear about King. Very cool that MM has a search dog.

Snowman - thanks for the pics. Heading up tomorrow. Will be interesting (and a drag) to see all of the avi debri.

When was the big slide on Climax - something like 2006? That was a monster.

[Gebster]

When was the big slide on Climax - something like 2006? That was a monster.

Mid April 2006

[AltaPowderDaze]

king is a good dog. he found me in a hole last season. pretty quick about it too.

[H-man]

could someone pls summarize that post? way too long

Now that is fucking scary. Sounds like Bob didn't even get through the beginning about what can be learned by paying attention to these types of posts on TGR.

Hutash, well played man. I am especially impressed by your observation of the boarders powder fever and that huge clue which most may not notice. I include myself in that group.

Now, not only have you learned from here, but you have taught also. Thank you.

[hutash]

Thanks mangs, but I want to give a shout out to BSS, and his right up of his experience at K-wood. I literally stood at the top of the crown and thought "what would BSS do?". It is post like that, and dozens of others from all the mags here that helped me make some good decisions. I want to keep these types dialogs going, because they do save lives. This was not a huge slide, but it was big enough to bury someone.

To all the mags out that that post avi information:

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

[Gebster]

Any relation to the Joey Bag O' Donuts avitar?

[gh444]

^^^^leave jbod and his childhood huskiness out of this^^^^


Hutash, glad you're ok dude. sickened to think that I never really thought too much about post-control slides when I'm in mm. I'll be beeping from here on out up there.

[hutash]

^^^How was Sea World? MM was tits.

[skibee]

Way to go... I guess we should add this post to the "should we wear avi gear inbounds" questions!!! Very nice pick up on the powder fever with the boarders.

as for post control slides... I think one thing that is changing is the terrain that is being controlled and opened to the public. In the Canadian Rockies we have been privileged to ski some very steep terrain (for our historic stability) because the snow safety gang has worked hard to control and open it up. I'm thinking things started up when SSV re-opened up Delirium Dive and LL responded by opening Whitehorn 2 and the ER bowls... when stability allows (most of these areas remain closed and we should probably have some of our snow stability guys on depression watch cuz they are so bored and discouraged). What I'm saying is that the post control slides are happening and we are aware of them because of increased communication and because we (the public) are asking for the terrain and the control gang is delivering... that kind of terrain is simply harder to predict and harder to guarantee. I'm glad it's not Disneyland out there, Disneyland is boring. (well this year is a bit like Disneyland, boring, safe and predictable on the right side of the rope)

Please give King a belly rub for being such a good dog! (If you are allowed!)

[TWINS]

Glad to here you are O.K. Hutash.Took this pic Monday.

[Joey Bag O' Donuts]

Any relation to the Joey Bag O' Donuts avitar?

Do I look Chinese ass neck?

[seanpistol]

Damn. I saw it from 395 on the way to June yesterday morning. It also looked like most of 9 slid.

Way to think quickly.

[Gebster]

Do I look Chinese ass neck?

Nope, but then you don't really look like your avitar. Hopefully BB won't see this and come up with a new nickname...being called snaggle tooth is enough

[hutash]

Glad to here you are O.K. Hutash.Took this pic Monday.

So what set this off, the bomb above, or the ski cut? If it was the cut, who ever made it must have had to change shorts

That is a pretty big crown, must had made for some fun drops when they opened it.

[jrbd]

I don't know if it was post-control but there was this thoroughly-youtube'd avalanche at Alta last year, that chased a skier down a run.

More angles: http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...e&search_type=

[gramboh]

Nearly all of the runs off the top had control releases Saturday mourning, so it was obviously unstable. D2 did not slide, but it is much narrower, and has several large rocks that act to anchor it. It was ski cut multiple times with no cracking et cetera. The four boarders that set it off all hit the trigger zone at the same time. (The trigger zone for all the controlled slides were 10-20 off the top, and this was no different.)

First off, thanks for the post and good job on your actions.

Newb question here, I don't know the terrain at all as I've never been to Mammoth, but in what situations do rock features act as anchors vs weak points in the snow pack? I learned in Avi 1 that depth changes in the snowpack around large rocks can be weak/release points, but I've also read info where they can anchor a snowpack. Does it depend on the type of slope (e.g. concave/convex, hanging etc).

Thanks

[Imz]

I rode from the main (side) entrance of Chamoix down through the choke and out into the middle of the bowl a few years ago; it definitely made me more diligent...