Avalanche death-Crystal

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Fun CH
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Re: Avalanche death-Crystal

Post by Fun CH »

PAL wrote: Sun Dec 12, 2021 9:24 am From the other BB. Chris do you know anything about this?

"1 skier dead, and 5 trapped in Crystal Mountain Avalanche"

The season has just started and we already have an avalanche caused death.

Similar dangers exist here locally, be careful in the backcountry this week!
Didn't see this thread when I posted the crystal mt official statement.

One of the biggest mistakes we BC skiers make is traveling to close together through avy terrain. In this case all 6 were caught which left no one to do the necessary quick rescue of any critical burials (head buried).

People were also jonesing to get out. Also, NWAC had a day with extreme wind and 12" of new snow rated at only considerable as opposed to high which may have decreased any group's uncertainty (you can't trust NWAC to make your call, they forecast at 6 pm the day before with very few actual location data points).

The wind at the very least can double the loading and up to tens times the loading. It also creates wind slab in the process with are more likely to be reactive during a storm (avy can be easily triggered by a human or natural trigger)

Many here in went out locally on Saturday only to turn around. One group I heard about had to skin back down their route because it was too deep and the relatively warmwe top surface layer made turning impossible.

The group I was in on Sunday also traveled too closely together at one crossing of an avy path. Personally I realized it but thought that we were too far down in the Avy path to be in danger. It would have had to had been an historic Avy to reach us and that's not as likely, but does happen often enough. Still a risk.

The trail breaking was extremely difficult and our group of three had already broken up over a mile to the head of the hair pin. We made a last minute decision to change course to ski a different slope aspect. We where also in a position to observe that slope in order to plan our up and down route.

We could have backtracked back down the trail and crossed lower down the valley in the smaller trees which were extremly difficult to negotiate with holes near every tree. A natural avy did come down later after we crossed, but no where big enough to reach our crossing point.

When entering the hairpin valley you are immediately in an avy path and cross at least five major slide zones climbers right of Early Winters creek. Again, we did keep our trail lower down in thoses paths, especially after I caught up with the other two and discussed that very thing.

The bottom line, the skiing was outrageously good, but never worth dying for. All three or 4 groups in the hairpin on Sunday crossed avy paths on the trip in and everyone on the hwy crossed multiple Avalanche paths snowmobiling.

All we can do is try to learn from our mistakes and do better the next time.

So far, I've been lucky and survived 3 near miss mistakes in the mountains which could have been deadly. Only one was an avalanche.

And I had a few close calls where the danger was there and we (or I) somehow threaded the needle to avoid it.

Its always a Risk vs Reward calulation, even when getting in your car, or taking a shower. Even rating home and sitting on your couch has it's own risk.

Best to learn how to mitigate that risk the best you can.
What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding--Nick Lowe
Can't talk to a man who don't want to understand--Carol King
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pasayten
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Re: Avalanche death-Crystal

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pasayten
Ray Peterson
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Avalanche death-Crystal

Post by PAL »

From the other BB. Chris do you know anything about this?

"1 skier dead, and 5 trapped in Crystal Mountain Avalanche"

The season has just started and we already have an avalanche caused death.

Similar dangers exist here locally, be careful in the backcountry this week!
Pearl Cherrington
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