Berthoud Pass 1st Creek Avy Fatality

[Kinnikinnick]

Here we go again. No transceiver? Found with probes.

https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/a...lN108_aMLZgVGI


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[doebedoe]

No beacon, no apparent partner. Chimney Chute.

Vibes. Rough start to this season here.

[ASmileyFace]

God damn. What a tragic two weeks for avalanches in Colorado.

Based on the accidents pages on the CAIC I'm guessing they were a XC skier or something else? They've gone out of the way to classify it as "Other" rather than "backcountry skier/snowborder" or even "snowshoer/climber/hiker." And the lack of a transceiver makes me think this incident was unusual in some other way.

Vibes to those involved.

[tang]

Sad, again. Condolences to friends and family.
If was an xc tourer or snowshoer, likely unaware and triggered from below? The chute is above the drainage straight back from the pull out right?
If was rider who dropped in from the top solo, unfortunate decision given conditions, angle and aspect.
This CO season is starting so badly. But it’s 2020 still I guess.
Condolences.

[simple]

If it is "other" now I am kinda even more worried it is a powsurfer friend of mine. He frequents First Creek to ride.

[goldenboy]

If it is "other" now I am kinda even more worried it is a powsurfer friend of mine. He frequents First Creek to ride.

I thought one of the benefits of powsurfing is that it makes meadow skipping more challenging and therefore fun, so no need to get into avy terrain? In any case, hope it isn't your buddy.

[simple]

Thanks bud. He and his crew like to bootpack uphill into the chimney chute area. They don't go very high but with these trigger mechanisms this year it could be the case.

[powdork]

It does not sound like a powsurfer. This was the report from GCSAR

Tonight we are sad to report that GCSAR responded to a fatal avalanche accident in First Creek, near Berthoud Pass. The solo skier was caught, buried and killed.
Family members reported the man overdue, but had a good last seen point.
The first GCSAR team found a recent avalanche and were able the search the debris area, first finding a pair of goggles, and then the person, fully buried. He did not have a transceiver.
The deceased was transported to the trailhead and turned over to the Grand County Coroner.
Please, please, please be careful out there.

And then CAIC constantly refers to 'backcountry tourer' which to me says there has to be skis of some sort involved. There were also reports of it being a very busy Saturday with lots of people playing and learning to tour/make their first skin track all around the parking areas.

Hope your friend is ok.

[simple]

Yeah confirmed it wasn't my powsurf friend. Thanks

[blazes_boylan]

Yeesh, Chimney Chute is very serious terrain to solo with no transceiver in normal snowpack conditions, let alone this year's completely fucked snowpack. 4 deaths in 9 days. Not a good start.

[chicken feathers]

Just a thought, perhaps CAIC is referring to the individual as a backcountry tourer in an effort to reach people who are entering avy terrain w/o intentions of descending? Or in other words people who are not recognizing whether they are in or not in avalanche terrain.

Lots of new folks in the backcountry this winter, so maybe an attempt to change the language and attitude towards backcountry travel.

[bean]

Just a thought, perhaps CAIC is referring to the individual as a backcountry tourer in an effort to reach people who are entering avy terrain w/o intentions of descending? Or in other words people who are not recognizing whether they are in or not in avalanche terrain.

Lots of new folks in the backcountry this winter, so maybe an attempt to change the language and attitude towards backcountry travel.

"Backcountry tourer" is how backcountry skiers and splitboarders are referred to in CAIC accident reports.

[adrenalated]

"Backcountry tourer" is how backcountry skiers and splitboarders are referred to in CAIC accident reports.

This. Backcountry Tourer is a specific category used in tracking statistics of avalanche incidents; the term is used intentionally.

[summit]

Looking back fall 2010 through 2020 (so far), of 63 CO deaths, 11 were no beacons burials.

2020 Berthoud
2020 Guided ice climbers in Uncompahgre Gorge (no beacons all around)
2019 Roofalanche death in CB
2018 Solo hiker smoked by the solo rope ducking snowboarder in Bear Creek
2018 Snowmobiler who forgot to turn it on in the Swan (I was on this one)
2017 Snowbiker in the flatops (one had a beacon the other didn't)
2014 Rope ducking resort skier at Vega Bowl (friend go the Recco find)
2012 Inbounds closed trees solo skier tragedy at Vail
2012 Inbounds closed trees solo skier tragedy at WP
2012 Snowmass side country death
2011 Flat tops snowmobiler (one ride had a beacon, the other didn't)
2011 Berthoud snowboard (left beacon in car, wife was on this recovery)

[Foggy_Goggles]

A little bit more info here https://www.skyhinews.com/news/skier...ass-avalanche/

Friends of Berthoud Pass and the Forest Service (and maybe Friends of CAIC) are working on getting some Avalanche Terrain Warning signage at the trailhead (possibly with beacon checkers at somepoint). I wonder if this victim has any awareness of either the avalanche hazard or avalanche terrain?

I always think about "What, as a community, could we have done to prevent the fatality". Often my answer is "not much", however a bit of signage may have been beneficial in this case.

[gmorgg]

https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/o...p?obs_id=41292

Found an old report on Chimney with a video of a skier triggered slide.

[wannabe]

Maybe signage would have saved this one but who knows.
So sad that his family was watching his run and he never made it to the bottom.



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[blazes_boylan]

Coroner IDs skier killed in Berthoud Pass avalanche

https://www.skyhinews.com/news/coron...gqPRTSaRUAMdoo

[Danno]

I just don't get this one. Why were his family watching him? Why no gear?

He's supposedly an experienced skier [edit: incorrect, he was not an experience BACKCOUNTRY skier], worked in my kid's school district.

RIP.

[turbomike15]

I just don't get this one. Why were his family watching him? Why no gear?

He's supposedly an experienced skier, worked in my kid's school district.

RIP.

+1 on that, really difficult to read this one...

[blazes_boylan]

I just don't get this one. Why were his family watching him? Why no gear? He's supposedly an experienced skier, worked in my kid's school district. RIP.

Its hard to wrap your head around this

[ASmileyFace]

wow. I was not expecting him to be experienced at all. What an enormous bummer.

RIP.

[powdork]

I just don't get this one. Why were his family watching him? Why no gear?

He's supposedly an experienced skier, worked in my kid's school district.

RIP.

To be fair, gear wouldn't have helped him. The question is why did he go? And maybe it was because his family was watching him.

The stories keep mentioning him being lowered 'to the trailhead' with a 300' rope. Using Google's measure distance tool it is about 300' from the trailhead to the talus. That sucks.

[Danno]

I suppose I could have misunderstood about the experienced part, I'm not 100% sure of that. [EDIT: yes, that appears to be incorrect]

[galibier_numero_un]

To be fair, gear wouldn't have helped him. The question is why did he go? And maybe it was because his family was watching him.

The stories keep mentioning him being lowered 'to the trailhead' with a 300' rope. Using Google's measure distance tool it is about 300' from the trailhead to the talus. That sucks.

Why do people lose track of the fact that wearing a beacon is (at a minimum) an act of respect for those who may be recovering your body?

... Thom