R.I.P. (one of ours)

[gravitylover]

My first employee ever at my shop was killed in an avi outside Steamboat yesterday. R.I.P. Mike, see ya buddy :frown:

[Pinner]

Condolences. :(

[truth]

RIP Mike...

[basom]

http://www.tetongravity.com/ubb/icons/icon9.gif

[cmsummit]

So sad.... :frown:

[The Reverend Floater]

Shit. Please be careful, all, and RIPow, Mike.

[climb2ski]

Prayers are with his friends and family...

[Telenater]

My condolences.

[Tippster]

Condolences.

:(

[Aldo]

Sorry to hear that my man.
RIP Mike.

[Grange]

Prayers going out to his family and friends. :frown:

[Below Zero]

R.I.P. my fellow Colorado brotha!

[jonski]

thoughts to his family and friends.

:(

[wookalar]

a few of my friends in Denver knew this guy and said he was truly one of the good ones...thoughts and prayers are with you....

[divegirl]

My sincere Condolences... :(
Link (http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4045733/detail.html)

[Yossarian]

Damn. :( :(

[snowsprite]

I'm very sorry to hear the sad news gravity. Hang in there!
:(
Sprite

[Big E]

:( Condolences

[xboat]

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/section/frontpage_lead/story/27710

A 26-year-old Steamboat Springs man died Monday in an avalanche on Soda Mountain.

Michael Gebhardt was backcountry skiing when an avalanche triggered in an area just northwest of Buffalo Pass. Gebhardt was in the backcountry with his brother, who was visiting, and two local friends, Routt County Sheriff Lt. Richard Wood said.

The death is the first avalanche-related death in Colorado this winter and the first in Routt County since 2001. The accident occurred on a high-risk avalanche slope known as the Flume of Doom, about five miles from Dry Lake Campground.

Gebhardt was a professional ski tuner at Extreme Tuning and was a talented backcountry skier with a huge heart and a knack for making people laugh, his good friend Dan Vandevender said.

"There was nothing that could stop that kid. Every day it was go, go, go," he said. "He was a 100 percent, happy go-lucky guy."

Gebhardt had plans to enter extreme skiing competitions next month.

"He loved skiing, loved every aspect about it," Vandevender said.

At about 12:30 p.m. Monday, Gebhardt was dropped off at the top of the slope by one of his friends on a snowmobile. He was about halfway down the slope when the avalanche started and caught him, Routt County Search and Rescue Incident Commander Scott Havener said.

Gebhardt was the first one in the party down the slope. His two friends were at the bottom of the slope waiting wit

h snowmobiles and watched as the avalanche moved down the mountain, Wood said.

The brother, who was skiing above the avalanche when it triggered, had lost sight of Gebhardt. He heard the friends yelling from below and continued down the mountain to help.

Gebhardt, who was wearing an avalanche beacon, was buried in about three feet of snow. It took eight minutes for the other men to find him and dig him out. The group had one shovel, Havener said.

The friends administered CPR; however, they were unable to save the man. Medical officials determined he was dead when they arrived on scene about an hour later. No one else in the group was injured.

One of the men called for help from a cell phone. Two of the men stayed on scene, and another took a snowmobile to Summit Lake to meet search and rescue workers and guide them back to the scene, Havener said.

Avalanche danger was still very high when rescue workers arrived on scene, Havener said. About 30 feet of snow slid in the avalanche that buried Gebhardt and snow remained above that area and was capable of breaking.

All the search and rescue workers had avalanche beacons, Havener said, and they tried to have only one person in the avalanche zone at a time.

Eric Deering, director of snow safety for Steamboat Powdercats, said avalanche conditions are the worst he has seen in the Buff Pass area for the past four or five years.

Steamboat Powdercats does daily skiing and snowmobile tours in the Buff Pass area. Deering watches for avalanche activity and does frequent digs to test snow conditions.

The high-risk avalanche conditions are a result of a lack of early season snow, Deering said. When the area receives little early season snow, the snow becomes stressed, weak and sugary. The conditions worsened when last week's storm arrived and covered Buff Pass with very warm and wet snow. The area also received heavy winds.

"The way the snowpack is set up this year, there are quite a few dangerous parts. We can expect to see more problems this year," Deering said.

The Flume of Doom is a textbook set-up for avalanches, Deering said, and is the most likely spot on Buff Pass for avalanche activity.

"Often good avalanche terrain is good skiing terrain," Deering said.

He advised backcountry enthusiasts to be cautious and check the avalanche forecast before heading out.

"We are blessed with quite a safe snowpack, but I think we still need to be aware of it. This early season snow was exceptional for us," Deering said.

Late in the winter of 2001, Routt County experienced its first avalanche fatality in almost 30 years. Sean Clancy, 34, a local construction worker, died in a snow slide on Farwell Mountain in North Routt on March 18. He was a member of a party that was using snowmobiles to access untracked skiing.

Clancy was buried three to four feet deep and was found by an avalanche rescue dog three hours after the accident. The dog found Clancy within minutes of arriving at the site.

Gebhardt's death, the first avalanche death in Routt County since Clancy's, was a blow to many of his friends in a tight-knit Steamboat circle, Vandevender said.

Gebhardt came to Steamboat Springs from New York. He often could be found with his black dog, Puma. He enjoyed mountain biking, motor crossed in the summer and was a Yankees fan.

Gebhardt owned a snowmobile and loved to ski in the backcountry, Vandevender said.

"When he walked into a place, the place lit up," Vandevender said. "He was star quality."

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

condolences mang. RIP Mike.

[gravitylover]

I was just sitting outside and smoking a fat one looking at the (melting out) ski area that this kid grew up on. I remember him kicking my ass in the GS course and the hours we spent at night clearing tree runs using our bike lights and hand tools to keep it quiet. Yeah, like someone else said, he had heart.

DAMN...

Be careful everybody :cool:

[truth]

8 minutes...sounds like they did everything they could with 1 shovel.

Be smart, be safe.

[Foggy_Goggles]

RIP. It's a small world and not in a good way.






side note not intended to to disrespect the dead: its amazing how poor most of the media coverage is. That article linked by DG documents avalanche conditions hundreds of miles away is a different mountain range on a different day and attribute it to the CIAC. You'd think in a mountainous state, the media would have a better handle on avalanches.

[Castro's]

So sad. :frown: RIP

[hev]

RIP :(

......

[gravitylover]

Aww shit. I missed that one in '01. Sean was one of my best friends. So much time we spent together... Aldo, you probably remember him, he was the HUGE dude that worked the door at BW's. He was like 6'5" and 300 pounds. FUCKITY FUCK I think now I need to go smoke another one. Man great day for me huh...

[Dr. Gaper]

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/section/frontpage_lead/story/27710

Gebhardt was in the backcountry with his brother, who was visiting, "


:frown: :(

[Stoysluttie1]

Sorry to hear that. :(

[splat]

what a bummer.....

Second or third eight minute death I've heard about lately. We need to remember to get those hands up in front of your face once you go under and keep building an air pocket and moving your head until the snow has totally settled if you end up buried. And try to keep your mouth closed.
Tough to do, but it could make the difference.

[EPSkis]

Dam, GL - Sorry to hear about this. :frown:

RIP, Michael.

[Darkside]

so sad, be safe everyone.

[watersnowdirt]

Sad news. So sorry to hear that.

Condolences to friends and family.

[gonzo]

:(



23456789

[killclimbz]

My condolences to friends and family.

[laseranimal]

damn

RIP Mike :nonono2: :frown:

[Trackhead]

Condolences to friends and family.

[ak_powder_monkey]

8 minutes...sounds like they did everything they could with 1 shovel.

8 minutes is fast, sounds like they did everything right, and he still died :(

[freshie247]

condolences!

[Summit]

condolences

[Endlessseason]

So sad. RIP.

[G]

Sorry to hear.

[rossibandit]

my condolences :(

[bagtagley]

RIP Mike :frown:

Sorry to hear it, gravity. My condolences to all that knew and loved him.

[Hicks]

Condolences!

[AltaPowderDaze]

sorry to hear that your friend moved on, gravity. it would seem that the good do die young and you'd better believe that there is a place they can still do all the things they love. mourn for the family, not for your friend. he'll still be with you if you let him.

[Rdy2ski]

Damn...so sorry. Hard to ever know what to say, when someone 'leaves' us.

My heart feels for you, Mikes family and many friends.

[Lance_K]

Positive thoughts go out to his family, friends, shop co-workers, ski-buddies.

Go make some turns for him- everyone be safe.

[Yeti]

Condolences to all. RIP Mike.

[xboat]

sorry to hear that gravitylover. i'm sure some of my friends in town knew him, also. ++++++

today's update -

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/section/news/story/27717

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center is investigating the avalanche that killed a 26-year-old Steamboat Springs man Monday.

Dale Atkins of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the center sent someone to the avalanche site on Soda Mountain on Tuesday and is hoping to interview those involved. The center tries to investigate all avalanches where fatalities, serious injuries or close calls occur, Atkins said.

On Monday afternoon, Michael Gebhardt died when an avalanche swept him down a southerly facing slope on Soda Mountain, which is northwest of Buffalo Past.

Gebhardt, a professional ski tuner at Extreme Tuning and an experienced backcountry skier, was with his brother and two friends, who were using snowmobiles to access untracked skiing terrain in the area.

Atkins said it is unusual for avalanches to occur on southerly facing mountains but noted a break was reported in the same general area last year in March. The slope where Gebhardt went down is known as the Flume of Doom.

"Avalanches in midwinter are fairly unusual (on southerly facing slopes). Most tend to happen on northerly and easterly facing slopes," Atkins said.

Officials with the avalanche center hope to talk to those who were involved in the incident to determine their level of experience and find out why they chose to ski that slope. The center also will look at snow cover and weather conditions in the area.

"In every accident, there is a lot of information that can be used. We try to find the lessons learned and pass it along," Atkins said.

Also on Tuesday, Routt County Coroner Rob Ryg said Gebhardt died of suffocation. Reports indicate that Gebhardt died quickly after being caught in the avalanche.

Gebhardt was buried in 3 feet of snow, and it took about eight to 10 minutes for the group to dig him out. His friends attempted CPR.

Ryg said no autopsy would be done. Gebhardt will be taken home to New York for a funeral, a representative from the Yampa Valley Funeral Home said.

A memorial fund to help the family with the cost of the funeral has been set up in Gebhardt's name at Wells Fargo Bank, his neighbor Jeanne Heffley said. Donations can be made at the Steamboat Springs Wells Fargo Bank. For more information, call the bank at 879-0550.

[VC]

R.I.P Mike

[Rusty Nails]

R.I.Powder

[KQ]

Always breaks my heart to hear about these kinds of things.

Caught this on TV the other day when I was channel surfing...perhaps it's something for us all to consider for when we are in the BC:

Avalanche Airbag (http://akxtreme.net/index.htm)

More Info w/FAQ (http://www.abs-lawinenairbag.de/html/englisch/airbag/unterkapitel/faq.htm)

[AfroMullet]

May you have endless freshies on the other side...

[roll - gybe]

Sad. At least he was a man who understood the risks and lived out the benefit. My thoughts and prayers go out.

[powstash]

I've got good friends in the Boat that knew Mike. Condolances to them and the family. RIP Mike, RIP.

Hey Mangs, let's be sure keep safe out there.

[FreakofSnow]

Tips up man. Be safe everyone.

[LaramieSkiBum]

I was in the 'boat when this went down. Got back from a day on the mountain on tuesday and flipped on the news...so sorry for those involved.




8 minutes is fast, sounds like they did everything right, and he still died :(

I don't know about that, with all due respect to those involved:

1) Obviously, 3 people and only 1 shovel between them

2) We won't know for awhile and might never know, but I wonder if any analysis was done on a similar aspect or even that slope - maybe a false sense of security since it was south facing?

3) Sounds like possibly there were two skiers on the slope at one time? Brother above brother?

Mostly useless speculations...

again, my condolences....RIP

[gravitylover]

Services will be held tonight in Carmel NY. If anybody would like to come PM me for details.