Silver Fork Slide

[Ermine]

So, was it not from the top of the meadow chutes? Did the slide start at the rollover to the bottom half? Were they skiing the often thicker trees you go through on the ascent? If they were skiing right around the ascent route, that makes the slide even scarier to me.

Prelim report lines up with what lakeAffected said:

"He descended from the ridge while the other two stood on the ridge waiting for him to descend. The slope rolls over into a steeper section about halfway down and it appeared that he triggered the slope from the breakover and the fracture propagated upslope nearly to the ridge line. The skiers on the ridge felt a collapse and they saw the avalanche start down below them and they saw the dust cloud descend into the bottom of the canyon and up the other side of the drainage."

Grim. Still waiting for official report and pics from Bruce's gang. Take-home from yesterday: slides are propagating a long ways and up to low angle terrain (see Drew's ordeal by Yellowjacket Gulch).

[lakeaffected]

Its a slide path to the skiers right of the trees that are normally ascended through.

[Trackhead]

And, to the people who are being dicks on this thread - Why? Do you have no sense of decency?

Sociopathic individuals who were weaned from the breast too soon, harboring life long dysfuntion because of it.

[skifishbum]

Not that it matters much but the slide was on the lower portion of the main ridge that is normally ascended to ski the meadows. I'm unaware of any name for that area.

Condolences to Ricardo's family and friends.

You were skipping up there yesterday? Notice any instablities? Dig any pits?
just got back from up there I think Bruce and UAC crew do an awesome job
but I like a more hands on learning experience. I'm having some issues with my memory card so no pics till i figure it out.
Pit at the crown where it appears he entered 4' depth failing ct 17-21 at ground facets with a fairly clean shear. I apologise for arguing with ashats in this thread. I didn't know Ricardo if he were my bro I'd start a memorial thread and hope the asshats don't cunt it up but the grow like leaves around here. Will post pics if I can

[skifishbum]

Slide

debris feild

~1/2 way up slide path looking down

Looking up

Not meaning to be calus but there are slope history clues in this shot

Skiers right of path at crown near skier enterance

Just above crown and what I'm guessing are enterance tracks

crown face


Slope skiers left we choose to desend

Once again props to Soli patrol for fast and efficiant rescue attempt.
These type incidents are hard on the first responders.
Partners were on time constraints wish I had time to do a more detailed and multiple pit profiles.

[Trackhead]

SFB,

Thanks for the best post in this thread. We all learn from this stuff.

[skiski]

SFB,

Thanks for the best post in this thread. We all learn from this stuff.

what he said. Thanks for posting the pics.

[MultiVerse]

Yeah X3, thanks SFB. The debris field is huge, very scary. The midslope rollovers on that hill are bad news especially on such an easily accessible slope that presents so much temptation after every storm.

[schindlerpiste]

It's all about gathering info., acquiring knowledge, and providing insight. Can you describe the weak layer(s) for us? It looks like it broke right at ground level.

[skifishbum]

I have neither near the knowledge or interwebular skills as Wow or BT so no detailed pit diagram I'd imagine thered be one on the uac incident.
But ~ 8"fist 2 1/2 4 finger down to a one finger (last thurs dense) back to 4 finger, a prestorm suncrust sugary 4 fingery facets about where the saw is
down to 6-12 of fist ground facets.
Part of me wanted to stay and do ect's or another pit on the lower angle skiers left slope. But the snow was manking up and I didn't feel like hanging out and skiing down alone so i split with my partners.

[skiski]

The trib has an article up with a bio of Mr. Presnell and a couple of pictures. Didn't know who he was by name, but, as I suspected, on seeing his pic I thought, yeah, I've seen that guy around. Makes it a little more personal. Looks like a nice guy. Whoever commented that he always had a friendly smile was right.

[MakersTeleMark]

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14289618

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

[Ermine]

... a prestorm suncrust sugary 4 fingery facets about where the saw is
down to 6-12 of fist ground facets.

Thank-you skifishbum

[skifishbum]

BT and EL pit diagram here

http://avalanche.org/~uac/photos/Ima...Meadow_Chutes/

[arctic_grayling]

Anyone have pictures of the actual slide location?

avalanche.org has a complete report along with several photos.

[RTR]

avalanche.org has a complete report along with several photos.

Thanks. Just read the whole report. Thanks, Dibs, for supplementing their info with your insight!

[mikemcee]

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14289618

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

So sad when you read this. Just a guy and his friends doing what they loved to do, thinking they were making good decisions. Tragic. RIP

[StraightChuter]

Slope skiers left we choose to desend

Really?

Avalanches, either natural or human triggered, are one of the best signs of instability out there, which would immediately make me suspect of an adjacent slope at the same elevation, aspect and almost the same angle as a proven killer.

A friend in Switzerland who flies mountain rescue helicopters once responded to a multiple burial just outside of a ski resort, then two days later returned to pick up another body on the slope right next to it.

But, you obviously survived and posted up some great photos, so it turned out well in the end.

[Dantheman]

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14289618

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Damn, pretty sure I saw that guy hanging out at the GMD early saturday morning when we went up early to beat the road closure. Sounds like he was a hell of a guy, tragic.

[tertske]

Another link, so you guys have a better picture of what an amazing person was lost the other day. Ricardo had more positive energy than anyone I know.

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/

[skifishbum]

I think the slope skiers left has a few degrees less slope angle myself and doesn't have the convex rollover that the slope that slid does. still steep enough to slide though. Skiing next to the slide path also gives you that
slidepath "out" as the crown was lower angle and felt pretty good about hang fire danger.
Then again I would have thought that steeper concave bowl off the highest point would have slid before the slope that did slide and there were numerous skipper tracks on that slope.
Your tracks Lake Affected?
My camera sucks so you can't really see the tracks.
.
FWIW We skied the lower angle nose of Flanigans Mon. cut a few test slopes and leapfroged each other from what I consider small islands of safety of + 4' diameter spruces.

Pretty much being a sheep in the sheeps pen the last 10 or so seasons has it's advantages in that we know the high danger lines we perfer to ski and I've been skiing them with pretty much the same partners.
Then again that can lead to over confidence and mistakes. But for a while if I'm getting out it'll be on something I've skied a lot.
Skied the nose of the Guild line today personally I was more spooked today than Mon.
part of that being some rollover chokes but a great part of that being you could look over and see the slide path that took someones life who was from what it sounds like is about as expreinced as you and just out enjoying the same thing that your doing.

[sfotex]

Talked to someone who interviewed the victims partners after the accident, partners said the victim had the most knowledge in the group and it was assumed he knew what he was doing. (not trying to criticize, etc. just think it's a possible good reminder about the expert halo trap.. )

[Jonathan S.]

Came across this old thread when trying to verifying Dr. Presnell's fate as described later on in the following article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/ma...-15Gold-t.html
"The person Kennecott sent north to check out the claims struck everybody as unique. In a field in which the archetype is a large, taciturn white man, Ricardo Presnell was short, ebullient and black. He had a Ph.D. from the University of Utah, was the review editor of an important academic journal and had searched for minerals all over the world. A generous talker and an even more generous listener, he knew how to win the respect of prospectors. “Hardly taller than me, and looked up to by everybody,” Wood said."

[gramps]

Yeah, I read that article today too, it's a great read. It was really jarring to be reading a story about people and places that couldn't seem further apart from me, and then to come across the line about him dying in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood. I immediately remembered this slide, but I didn't know anything about the victim until now.