Inbounds slide at the Basin kills 1.

http://summitdaily.com/article/20050520/NEWS/50520002

wrote:
http://summitdaily.com/article/20050520/NEWS/50520002

How awful. I know that bit well. I hope it was just the one desperately
unlucky person.

ant wrote:
wrote:

http://summitdaily.com/article/20050520/NEWS/50520002


How awful. I know that bit well. I hope it was just the one desperately
unlucky person.

Busted link. What part of A-Basin did it happen at?

And how did it happen in-bounds? That's supposed to never happen. Did
they poach something that was temporarily closed?

Dave

Dave Stallard wrote:
ant wrote:

wrote:

http://summitdaily.com/article/20050520/NEWS/50520002



How awful. I know that bit well. I hope it was just the one
desperately unlucky person.


Busted link. What part of A-Basin did it happen at?

Pallavicini


And how did it happen in-bounds?

Short answer: Accident. Long answer (I'm guessing but here's how it
happens around here Warm weather softened/loaded the upper layers and
they lost cohesion. Typical of steeper terrain in the spring. Everyone
skiing should be aware of evolving conditions and afternoon slides, AND
cornice drops.

That's supposed to never happen.

It happens. More than the resorts want you to realize. It's the
mountains, not a controlled amusment park. Use your own judgement
instead of blindly trusting.

Did
they poach something that was temporarily closed?

No. Reports say it was open (nice skiing in Pallavicini.)


Dave

Dave Stallard wrote:
ant wrote:
wrote:

http://summitdaily.com/article/20050520/NEWS/50520002


How awful. I know that bit well. I hope it was just the one
desperately
unlucky person.

Busted link. What part of A-Basin did it happen at?

And how did it happen in-bounds? That's supposed to never happen.
Did
they poach something that was temporarily closed?

Dave

Busted already, figures.

Here's the link to CAIC.
http://geosurvey.state.co.us/Avalanc...=44#AB05202005

lal_truckee wrote:

It happens. More than the resorts want you to realize. It's the
mountains, not a controlled amusment park. Use your own judgement
instead of blindly trusting.

But it is a very rare occurence. Here's what the link says:

Avalanche deaths occurring in-bounds on open terrain are very rare;
in Colorado where nearly one-third of all US avalanche victims have
died such accidents are extremely rare. The last skier killed on open
terrain in a Colorado ski area occurred back on January 9, 1975. A
man skiing in the trees between trails triggered and was killed in a
small avalanche at Crested Butte.

In the United States -- prior to this accident -- there have been
only 4 other skier-deaths on open terrain since 1985. One death
occurred in California (November 1985), another in Utah in February,
1986); the third died in Wyoming (January, 1999). The fourth fatality
occurred this winter when a 13-year-old boy was blown out of a lift
chair and buried in Nevada.

Actually, I wonder if ski areas are actually *safer* than controlled
amusement parks, at least as far as deaths due to "equipment failure"
go. By this, I would mean in-bounds avalanches and chair lifts falling
off the cable (ala Whistler Creekside several years ago). I wonder how
would this death rate would compare to the death rate from ride
malfunction at amusement parks. There were deaths in MA just this past
year. I'm sure it's lower for ski areas.

Of course, in skiing, as soon as you reach the top of the lift, you go
off on your own, and are then free to hit another skier or a tree.
That's a different modality of death and a separate death rate, for
which there's no analogy in the amusement park experience (I think!).

Dave

wrote:
CLIP

Here's the link to CAIC.
http://geosurvey.state.co.us/Avalanc...=44#AB05202005

From that URL:
"Note: This weekend is bringing the first real warm/hot days of spring
and thaw conditions with very warm temperatures (well over 50 degrees at
12,000 feet). Overnight low temperatures will not freeze. The snowpack
should be treated as though avalanches will be likely, both triggered
and natural."

Dave Stallard wrote:
lal_truckee wrote:

It happens. More than the resorts want you to realize. It's the
mountains, not a controlled amusment park. Use your own judgement
instead of blindly trusting.


But it is a very rare occurence. Here's what the link says:

Avalanche deaths occurring in-bounds on open terrain are very rare;
in Colorado where nearly one-third of all US avalanche victims have
died such accidents are extremely rare. The last skier killed on open
terrain in a Colorado ski area occurred back on January 9, 1975. A
man skiing in the trees between trails triggered and was killed in a
small avalanche at Crested Butte.

Not so extremely rare. At Alpine Meadows in 1976 an avalanche killed
four people in east Beaver Bowl, on controlled and open terrain. More
recently, since the advent of avalanche dogs, I can recall a more recent
instance of the dogs rescuing someone caught in an avalanche on
controlled and open terrain (F-Tree slope above South Face, I believe.)
I suspect there are others which I, not being fully connected, don't
know about.

In the spring what often happens is softened, wet snow releases and a
slow mo avalanche rides anyone caught on down the slope - real burials a
less common than the passenger getting forced into and battered by
trees, or pushed over rocks on even over a cliff (latter happened in
Munchkin not long ago. I've ridden one of these spring slides -
benignly, thankfully. I watch and avoid what I consider slide prone
slopes even when they are open. My life, my responsibility. Just this
spring I've avoided slopes late in the morning, and returned the next
morning to find the slide sometime after I passed.


In the United States -- prior to this accident -- there have been
only 4 other skier-deaths on open terrain since 1985. One death
occurred in California (November 1985), another in Utah in February,
1986); the third died in Wyoming (January, 1999). The fourth fatality
occurred this winter when a 13-year-old boy was blown out of a lift
chair and buried in Nevada.


Actually, I wonder if ski areas are actually *safer* than controlled
amusement parks, at least as far as deaths due to "equipment failure"
go. By this, I would mean in-bounds avalanches and chair lifts falling
off the cable (ala Whistler Creekside several years ago). I wonder how
would this death rate would compare to the death rate from ride
malfunction at amusement parks. There were deaths in MA just this past
year. I'm sure it's lower for ski areas.

Of course, in skiing, as soon as you reach the top of the lift, you go
off on your own, and are then free to hit another skier or a tree.
That's a different modality of death and a separate death rate, for
which there's no analogy in the amusement park experience (I think!).

Dave

Dave Stallard wrote:
ant wrote:

wrote:

http://summitdaily.com/article/20050520/NEWS/50520002



How awful. I know that bit well. I hope it was just the one
desperately unlucky person.


Busted link. What part of A-Basin did it happen at?

I took some pics of it yesterday. This thing was huge.
http://www.bullockfamily.com/photos/....php3?catid=96

----------------------
Chester

A man who lives in a glass house should change in the basement.

Chester Bullock wrote:
Dave Stallard wrote:
ant wrote:

wrote:

http://summitdaily.com/article/20050520/NEWS/50520002



How awful. I know that bit well. I hope it was just the one
desperately unlucky person.


Busted link. What part of A-Basin did it happen at?

I took some pics of it yesterday. This thing was huge.
http://www.bullockfamily.com/photos/....php3?catid=96

----------------------
Chester

A man who lives in a glass house should change in the basement.


Most of what you see in you pictures was from bombing the next day so
they could continue their search. The slide was originaly mainly in
the first alley.

snoig