Thread: 11/12 Tahoe Weather, Conditions, Stoke, and What's Up Thread... IT'S BAAAAAAAACK!!!

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoelaces

Oh man i didnt know that about Sierra....

Indeed there was a small inbounds slide at KW today. Broke just below the traverse out to Palisades...and run a ways into the first gully skiers right of the first "sign line". They shut down 6 immediately. Heard about 1 partial burial (dont have details beyond that) and then once i realized they needed help with probing the drebris path for the possibility of others i went up to help probe with a bunch of other volunteers. Must have been 40 of us probing for 2 hrs or so. Snapped the attached pic while waiting for more probes to arrive.

Then i got stuck there for a few hours, then inched my way down 88 to Folsom behind numerous accidents spinouts and general mayhem. Took me 4.5 hrs to get home (normally takes 1.5 - 2). Just walked in the door at midnight. Exhausted.

Originally Posted by coop64

Evening Tyron,
Always reading, not posting to much... But listening to it all.....
Thanks for the help my friend! Thanks to everyone who assisted with the search! Your efforts and energy are what make Kirkwood, Kirkwood....
Stay Thirsty,
Coop

Jumping in on the rescue is why you guys are the shit and have the grit, Ty and Coop. Well done.

Originally Posted by snapt

Went cat sking today and was pleasantly surprised by the terrain offered. North facing on the north shore skied nice until I went for a bit of a ride mid morning.
Here's the footy of the slide, i suck at embeding. be safe peeps. http://vimeo.com/38897916

snapt, what a ride.

Originally Posted by snapt

Went cat sking today

Did you find your ski? Glad you are safe. That's gnarly.

yikes. that looked unfun. i just read on SAC that someone got caught in a slide on red lake but coudnt find any more info on it. anyone??? monday on that peak was as good as it gets.

Originally Posted by 4matic

Did you find your ski? Glad you are safe. That's gnarly.

Luckily my other ski was resting on top about a hundred feet below me. Hope the red lake incident turned out ok.

Crazy how some of those slides start out kind of slow and seem like no big deal and then they really start to pickup speed. Curious, what were you doing (or trying to do) with your hands during the slide in that video?

snapt, quite a ride, glad you didn't get pulled into any trees or other exposure. What did the guides say after your ride?





sooooo, given the warmingz .... I think it's time to discuss


LBD at Vailwood anyone?

Originally Posted by TahoeJ

Crazy how some of those slides start out kind of slow and seem like no big deal and then they really start to pickup speed. Curious, what were you doing (or trying to do) with your hands during the slide in that video?

First I put my avalung in my mouth and then I was trying to swim like hell to stay on top. Crazy feeling being weighed down despite how shallow it started.

The guides immediately changed the game plan and we looked for some different stuff. We took a bit of a calculated risk in my opinion that the entire group was ok with to find some decent snow. Overall I was impressed with them.

TRUCKEE, Calif. — Search and rescue efforts Sunday and Monday for a pair of missing skiers turned up an unexpected find when Union Pacific crew members discovered a soot-covered man lying in a fetal position one mile inside Norden Tunnel 41.

“Whenever we have a search, it's standard procedure to call Union Pacific,” said Placer County Sheriff's Office Lt. John Weaver. “We ask them to slow down, because we have guys and equipment criss-crossing the tracks. We don't want our guys to get hit, and if the train slows down, it gives us an extra pair of eyes.”

The eastbound train was on alert for the skiers reported missing Sunday from Sugar Bowl Resort. It traveled at a reduced speed through the tunnel with Engineer Phillip Tufi riding on the nose of the train as an outlook.

According to a report from Tufi, after the man was spotted, the train stopped and the tunnel quickly began to fill with black, diesel engine smoke.

“If a train had come through soon before, there would have been too much smoke to be up on the nose,” said Tufi in a phone interview. “But when the tunnel is clear, you can see into the alcoves and crevices. I asked myself, if I were a skier, where would I be?”

Tufi and another crew member, Mike Weatherford, ran — ducking to avoid the smoke — back a quarter of mile. They retrieved the man and took turns carrying him to the train's head end, where the man then climbed aboard on his own accord.

Tufi described the man as a white male, emaciated, thirsty and dirty.

“He was black like he had been dipped in tar,” Tufi said. “When we picked him up, we weren't sure what we were dealing with.”

Once the train was outside the tunnel and within radio communication, train personnel contacted emergency services in Truckee.

Representatives from Union Pacific police and first responders with the Truckee Fire Protection District met the train at the Amtrak station in Truckee, and the man was then transported to Tahoe Forest Hospital in stable location, Truckee Fire's Gene Welch said.

The man was somewhat talkative when speaking to the train crew, Tufi said, but when questioned by medical personnel he communicated only with nods.

Aaron Hunt, director of corporate relations and media with Union Pacific Railroad, said the man reportedly showed signs of being hit by a train. The incident is currently under investigation by the Union Pacific police.

“I don't know how he got there in those weather conditions,” Tufi said. “It's a 12-mile climb.”

Though Tufi and his crew are employees of Union Pacific, they were operating a train owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company. BNSF was renting the tracks from Union Pacific.

Norden Tunnel 41, at more than 10,000 feet long, burrows under Mt. Judah, a mile south of Donner Pass.

According to other media reports, the PCSO reported the two missing skiers were found in good health early Monday morning at Sugar Bowl.

Weaver said the man found in the tunnel was not one of the missing skiers. No further information is available at this time.

http://www.sierrasun.com/article/201...ntProfile=1051

Originally Posted by BGnight

put a fork in it ...
...at least til next storm

I've never seen the best conditions of the year go to the worst conditions of year in 24 hours like that. I bailed on my partners 1/2 way up west shore due to everything turned to saturated unrideable mank. I mean it was terrible on a SNOWBOARD. I'm pretty sure no snow on any aspect got spared today.

Yeah, this actually happened to me on Monday, which kind of sucked. Half way up over the echo lakes area we had to bail due to breaking binding. This was after a bit of a late start, so we tried to get at least a few hundred feet of descent down a N aspect, but it was already riding way too slow. Everything still looked so good, but just wasn't. Seemed like the snow on top had gotten cooked a bit, held a little moisture, and which would then freeze in the powder underneath. Spent several minutes scraping massive ice buildup off my skis before the re-skin to get out.

Was a bit of a bummer, as I'm sure there were better options that day, but given the binding situation it wasn't too disappointing. Beautiful day to be out there...

Originally Posted by snapt

Went cat sking today and was pleasantly surprised by the terrain offered. North facing on the north shore skied nice until I went for a bit of a ride mid morning.
Here's the footy of the slide, i suck at embeding. be safe peeps. http://vimeo.com/38897916

Damn, that looked scary. Glad you're okay. What a season.

Originally Posted by snapt

First I put my avalung in my mouth and then I was trying to swim like hell to stay on top. Crazy feeling being weighed down despite how shallow it started.

The guides immediately changed the game plan and we looked for some different stuff. We took a bit of a calculated risk in my opinion that the entire group was ok with to find some decent snow. Overall I was impressed with them.

Wow, way to stay cool and take care of business, snapt.

As soon as I saw that vid posted by MRA on Facebook, I said, "Hey, isn't that snapt?" Glad you're ok man.

More news, from one of the UP guys, on the guy they found in the tunnel:
"True, transient had been in tunnel for two days. He would hide behind electrical cabinets when trains passed. Eastbound train was moving thru tunnel looking for reported lost skiers when he was found. Fellow was dehydrated and totally black from soot. Said he walked up from Truckee with another person."

Odd.

Thanks for the update lightranger! This deranged tunnel man is the most interesting news of the year so far! Im dying to hear more. In other news looks like shasta is getting nuked tonight. who wants to go do some touring/sled skiing up on the volcano this week? (probably below treeline as friday is the only day that this skys might clear)

I'm driving up to Alpine on Friday and back to the peninsula on Sunday if anyone wants to rideshare. Posted rides on Zimride. Might have room at the condo for a guest if you're a well behaved maggot and not a complete tool.

Originally Posted by snapt

First I put my avalung in my mouth and then I was trying to swim like hell to stay on top. Crazy feeling being weighed down despite how shallow it started.

It's amazing that you can swim in them...and how much your skis act as an anchor. My ride went something like this...holy fuck...swim...swim...swim...get sucked under by skis...swim...swim...swim...sucked under by skis....fuck me...swim...swim...swim... Hopefully, there's never a next time; but if there is I'm definitely ditching the skis and poles once I get knocked off my feet. There's a reason why they tell you to do that in Avy 1, which I didn't take until after I went for a ride...inbounds no less.

I got taken for a ride down Chamoix at Kirkwood in a slide like that- From the top of the bowl through the crux and well out into the run below. Buried up to my armpits by the time I came to a stop... not fun.

I don't remember flapping my arms, but I do remember thinking how weird it was to be getting carried so far...

Wow some of the best riding this year and now it is firmly in place. This new storm snow is not blowing anywhere. Monday was the best although still crowded. My 2 trips through Pali on Sunday were scary deep. Covered Wagon delivered neck deep turns on Monday - I wish that thing was longer. The wood delivered and vail brought out the crowds and jibroneys for sure.

In two days...



Anyone else planning on showing?

okbye

man, I'm heading up to squaw tomorrow night, you guys are making me think it's going to be shitty. oh well.

is it at least still soft up on granite?

I'm guessing that if it's cold this weekend, things are going to be fiRRRRRRRRm on all aspects after the soggy mess of rain and heat htat trashed the snow this week. What say you guys?

Was thinking about an overnighter ... at least the travel will be fast. Maybe just bring the skis and try to get deep instead of actually making legit turns anywhere ...

^
^^
those are poor attitudes gentlemen

Originally Posted by powdork

^
^^
those are poor attitudes gentlemen

ugh you're right.

but they started it!

Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio

I'm guessing that if it's cold this weekend, things are going to be fiRRRRRRRRm on all aspects after the soggy mess of rain and heat htat trashed the snow this week. What say you guys?

Was thinking about an overnighter ... at least the travel will be fast. Maybe just bring the skis and try to get deep instead of actually making legit turns anywhere ...

Looks like south aspects will warm up enough on Friday, but for Sat/Sun I'll be hoping that 1-3" skis like a lot more.

I missed the mank?

Oh well, Telluride delivered Palmyra Peak yesterday. Now locked in sunny high pressure and headed to Silverton for a day of snow skiing.