Avalanche fatality in The Taylor Hilgard range. Montana. Few details yet

[FussyDutchman]

Just seeing this, thoughts to all who knew them both. Incredibly sad start to the season. RIP

[Dantheman]

Every death in the mountains is tragic, but this is like nothing I've ever heard of. Deepest condolences to his family and friends. Reading the Evening Send post gives me chills.

[summit]

It makes me wonder how often this has happened before, but not widely reported because of privacy or a delay between the incident and suicide...

[skiracer88_00]

I wondered about this too. I'll leave my thoughts to myself but this stuck out as odd.

RIP to all those involved and thoughts to their families. This is a pretty awful scenario.

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He probably couldn't bear the thought of having to break that news to anyone.

[BFD]

overwhelming sense of helplessness. my heart goes out to all those touched by this tragedy.

[Skidog]

He probably couldn't bear the thought of having to break that news to anyone.

Yeah for sure impossible to get into his head. The grief shit can be crazy. Just odd they, or she didn't have a beacon on. No beacon check? Thought that's pretty standard. Maybe they didn't read an avie report?

Again vibes this is shitty all around.

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[plugboots]

This sucks on every level.

[garyfromterrace]

Shitty, shitty deal. So sorry to all involved.

[powdrhound]

Truly heartbreaking.

R.I.P.

[Hacksaw]

It makes me wonder how often this has happened before, but not widely reported because of privacy or a delay between the incident and suicide...

I know of one case where the survivor of the avalanche, died in a flash flood a year or two later. He'd often go hike alone. I think he never got over the avalanche accident.

[Danno]

Just odd they, or she didn't have a beacon on. No beacon check? Thought that's pretty standard. Maybe they didn't read an avie report?

I doubt there was an avy report to read yet. And it being so early season, they may not have been really thinking about the possibility or been thinking about normal SOP. Maybe they hiked for miles with skis on back, and so weren't yet in winter mindset?

[adrenalated]

I doubt there was an avy report to read yet. And it being so early season, they may not have been really thinking about the possibility or been thinking about normal SOP. Maybe they hiked for miles with skis on back, and so weren't yet in winter mindset?

There was an early season bulletin issued on October 3rd, not dissimilar to the early season statewide bulletins issued by CAIC.
http://www.mtavalanche.com/current

[nutmegchoi]

Rest well both.
Just terrible.

[Rideski]

Condolences to all.

[plugboots]

I doubt there was an avy report to read yet. And it being so early season, they may not have been really thinking about the possibility or been thinking about normal SOP. Maybe they hiked for miles with skis on back, and so weren't yet in winter mindset?

I read that the beacons were off and inside their pack. I know, (Monday morning QB), but "on at the car off at the bar" is so ingrained in my mind that I don't remember when I learned it.

[summit]

I read that the beacons were off and inside their pack. I know, (Monday morning QB), but "on at the car off at the bar" is so ingrained in my mind that I don't remember when I learned it.

There is no doubt that weighed heavily upon the poor man. It doesn't seem like he would have had any delusions about those details on his long hellish walk out. He had time to ruminate and subject himself to metal torture over such things.

Without personally knowing this well loved person, it takes little imagination to see a genuine guy crushed by grief and guilt, his vision twisted by hindsight and darkened by loss until they couldn't see any escape, unable to detach and think rationally... the darkest and most torturous of places to be

[Tye 1on]

A pretty moving tribute: http://rockandice.com/remembering-hayden-kennedy/

This is just horrible. A Bozeman friend's daughter grew up with Inge and it's so harsh that she has to go through this at such a young age.

[RegCT]

There is no doubt that weighed heavily upon the poor man. It doesn't seem like he would have had any delusions about those details on his long hellish walk out. He had time to ruminate and subject himself to metal torture over such things.

Without personally knowing this well loved person, it takes little imagination to see a genuine guy crushed by grief and guilt, his vision twisted by hindsight and darkened by loss until they couldn't see any escape, unable to detach and think rationally... the darkest and most torturous of places to be

I think this.

Its been emotionally exhausted going over and over this incident in my head and can't make ANY sense of it....

Extremely high winds in the 24
Hours leading up to the incident everywhere in SW MT. It hasn't stopped. It's windy as I write this. Early season snow. Weak layer on a NE aspect. New snow. Slope angle. No beacons.

It's not armchair QB, it's science. That slope wasn't not going to avalanche. Beyond frustrating. There are no words.





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[Skora89]

Awful, awful story and extremely tragic so sorry to hear of this news. Kinda scary reading that Oct. 3 bulletin.

[MrMan]

Tragic beyond words. They just weren't thinking avalanches.

Peace to to the deceased and loved ones.

[Single Track]

Haven't been able to not think about these two despite the fact I never knew them. Every year these incidents hit me so hard.

Not sure if this has been touched, but do you think that HK knew her beacon was off and in her pack? Did he walk out thinking his rescue skills failed her? I suppose there's no way to find out.

Ski in peace.

[Gepeto]

it takes little imagination to see a genuine guy crushed by grief and guilt, his vision twisted by hindsight and darkened by loss until they couldn't see any escape, unable to detach and think rationally... the darkest and most torturous of places to be

That slope wasn't not going to avalanche. Beyond frustrating. There are no words.

do you think that HK knew her beacon was off and in her pack?

Given the enormity of circumstance and the immediately abundant (very visual and tactile) evidence of failure on his part once he gave up locating her body?

His choice wasn't selfish from my field of view.

This young man gets a pass

God's Speed to both these young expert stewards of life

Most positive vibes to the parents, siblings, family and friends

[WMD]

Many years ago Kim Schmitz, a big mountain climber with lots of Himalayan experience, told me that you can't judge decisions that were made in a mountain accident if you weren't there. There are so many things we will never know because we weren't there. Many things seem obvious from the warm comfort of your living room, but often it is a series of small things in the mountains that 999 out of 1000 times would be inconsequential, but for some reason add up to catastrophe this time.

We will never know what led them to make the decisions they did, but we do know they were very experienced and didn't make major mistakes normally. Maybe they had a big ass argument on the hike in and were so mad they didn't think clearly about beacons. Maybe they had walked on rocks for miles, had just put on skis and didn't realize they had moved into an area with snow that was more than a few inches deep. Maybe one of them had gear trouble or something else and the other had just joined them to help when the avalanche broke. Maybe this, maybe that. There are so many things we will never know, and it does no one any good to judge them. They paid the ultimate price for their decisions. Leave them at that.

We do know that we can learn from the things that in hindsight seem so obvious: always wear your beacon, always check your partner's beacon, always travel one st a time in avalanche terrain,etc.

[muted]

Survivors guilt can be heart breaking. It can also completely crush you.

[XXX-er]

A few years ago we lost a buddy to an aviy in mid october in the mtns, it was an industrial accident they weren't even skiing but the reality is it doesn't take much and an aviy can happen any time of year in the mountains