Silver Mt, ID 1/7/2020 Two Fatalities

[bodywhomper]

Condolences to all involved.

I have never skied there, but have always enjoyed the role as the one punching in the traverse (as a resort “guest”) on a powder day (e.g., kirkwood, Alta, sugarbowl). It’s always in avi terrain.

Vibes to all involved. I feel for the patrollers, not only will they have guilt and doubt, but heavy scrutiny.

I’ve known/met (and tried to talk to) 2 people that worked patrol during the incident at alpine meadows in the 80s. One was very open to talking about the accident and one was not. It’s a tough burden to carry.

[Hey Diddle Diddle]

Condolences to the to the victims and their families and friends. Thoughts also with snow safety, patrol and the other first responders.

[RootSkier]

That story is scary as shit. Wow.

Vibes to everyone involved.

[adrenalated]

Thanks Summit for that more detailed graph!

Any updates on the potential third victim?

My understanding (based on Facebook posts from the ski area and from info in the Inland PNW thread) is that the missing person has not yet been found and search efforts are still ongoing.

[406]

Scary stuff and amazing to survive 50 min.

[jono]

Strong testament to those hail mary efforts of swimming and working for an airway. Guessing he'll remember that calm voice for the rest of his life.

I might be mis-reading it, but I got the impression that he was not the last person rescued. Anyone know for sure?

ETA: found in the Spokesman-Review article that the dude telling "Yeah!" was found next after Bill.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/20...inutes-recall/

Tuesday night, at the urging of his wife, he wrote down what happened, hoping to process the experience.

As he did, he realized how many people were “just trying to help.” And he owes his life to that, believing that if they’d taken 10 minutes longer to get to him he would be dead.

“The reason I’m here is because they were so quick and so responsive and worked so well as a team,” he said. “That’s what blew me away. The community of skiers and riders that came together to help us so quickly.”

FKNA Silver

[MagnificentUnicorn]

^^^^ holy shit first person burial account.

Not armchairing this, but it seems odd that there was no traverse cut by patrol?

Not odd at all. Mitigation was performed from the top. We put in the traverses all the time here. The routes for mitigation are not the same as for skier entry.

[MakersTeleMark]

Anyone care to guess the odds of surviving full burial for 50 minutes? Big WoW!

What I found equally as lucky is that he was found without a transceiver. Just a probe strike in the exact right area.

[total_immortal]

Looks like the third victim was located.

https://www.kbzk.com/news/u-s-and-th...tain-avalanche

[2FUNKY]

Looks like the third victim was located.

https://www.kbzk.com/news/u-s-and-th...tain-avalanche

Edit to add female recovered. [emoji20]
Finally closure for her family. RIP

[The SnowShow]

Fucking sobering. How often are we all chasing deep inbounds snow in perfect avalanche terrain, for seconds of joy. Shit like this makes me think of the countless times I’ve jumped right into a big rope drop or terrain with huge amounts of new/wind loaded snow with dozens of others and not thought twice. Vibes to all those effected and passed. Ugh.

[pipedream]

I'm curious as to the method of control employed before the terrain was opened. Hand charges? If so, how many? Anfo? If so, how large and how far above the snow surface?

One would think that a major slab like this would be sussed-out with a big enough charge. But the question is the placement and size of that charge. There are important lessons to be learned here on the hazard reduction side, too.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Avalanche mitigation doesn’t remove all the hazard. Most of the time we’re lucky and it works pretty well. People are lulled into a false sense of safety skiing off piste avalanche terrain.

[toast2266]

Super shitty situation. Vibes to everyone in that area.

Skied the same storm in Whitefish. Light snow from the afternoon before covered by a bunch of heavy, warm snow. Super, super touchy storm slabs. I got a bunch of stuff to run in areas that patrol had already bombed and cleared. I'd imagine that Silver is similar in having a bunch of shitty sugar / facet layers at varying depths below the more recent storm slabs. Seems like maybe something stepped down?

[Bunion 2020]

For anyone who has actual information and not rumor. Had that area been open this season?

[2FUNKY]

For anyone who has actual information and not rumor. Had that area been open this season?

No

[glademaster]

I'm curious as to the method of control employed before the terrain was opened. Hand charges? If so, how many? Anfo? If so, how large and how far above the snow surface?

One would think that a major slab like this would be sussed-out with a big enough charge. But the question is the placement and size of that charge. There are important lessons to be learned here on the hazard reduction side, too.

This x1000. Somebody done fucked up.

[2FUNKY]

This x1000. Somebody done fucked up.

Maybe, maybe not. I will wait for the investigation and full report to come out before i wag my finger at someone.

[Bunion 2020]

No finger wagging but if that area was being opened for the 1st time of the season....

I had a list of watchout situation when I was forecasting. Similar to the Wildland Fire Watchouts. https://www.nps.gov/articles/firefig...situations.htm

# 1 Area being opened for the 1st time that season.
# 2 Area being re-opened after being closed for an extended period, > 1 week with snowfall.
# 3 No one on that route was on that route the day before.

Etc Etc.

One would think that a major slab like this would be sussed-out with a big enough charge. But the question is the placement and size of that charge. There are important lessons to be learned here on the hazard reduction side, too.

Explosives testing is exactly that, a test of an area at a certain point in time. There are plenty of stories of paths being repeatedly shot and avalanching minute or hours later.

The hill I was skiing today has had at least 1 significant deep slab avalanche every day for the past 6 days. They are playing it conservatively and for good reason.

[Danno]

Speechless about the whole thing. Condolences to the families of the deceased, vibes to patrol, congrats to those rescued.

[2FUNKY]

No finger wagging but if that area was being opened for the 1st time of the season....

I had a list of watchout situation when I was forecasting. Similar to the Wildland Fire Watchouts. https://www.nps.gov/articles/firefig...situations.htm

# 1 Area being opened for the 1st time that season.
# 2 Area being re-opened after being closed for an extended period, > 1 week with snowfall.
# 3 No one on that route was on that route the day before.

Etc Etc.



Explosives testing is exactly that, a test of an area at a certain point in time. There are plenty of stories of paths being repeatedly shot and avalanching minute or hours later.

The hill I was skiing today has had at least 1 significant deep slab avalanche every day for the past 6 days. They are playing it conservatively and for good reason.

Fully agree. Know your background and respect it.
I do not know what was done for mitigation that day as i was not there.
Could Patrol have done something different? Maybe, maybe not, i wasn’t there so not sure what was or wasn’t done.
Could the skiers have approached and skied that terrain differently, possibly. I know for a fact I personally would have not got on that slope with such a big group, esp after such a big day.
I’m also lazy so I would not have cut the traverse in.

[Bunion 2020]

Points well taken, especially the last one.

I feel for the folks that were in charge their world has turned to shit. A worst nightmare come true.

[CascadeLuke]

Fucking sobering. How often are we all chasing deep inbounds snow in perfect avalanche terrain, for seconds of joy. Shit like this makes me think of the countless times I’ve jumped right into a big rope drop or terrain with huge amounts of new/wind loaded snow with dozens of others and not thought twice. Vibes to all those effected and passed. Ugh.

So Fn true.
I’m beeping in bounds from now on with any inclination of shaky conditions or new snow.

Heavy heart for the victims

[2FUNKY]

Points well taken, especially the last one.

I feel for the folks that were in charge their world has turned to shit. A worst nightmare come true.

Lol. Esp for that terrain. Just not worth the effort.

Yeah, i know the head troller and it’s gonna be rough for him.

[Kopi_Red]

Lol. Esp for that terrain. Just not worth the effort.

QFT