Snowboarder buried in ice tunnel collapse at Oregon's Mt. Hood

[MTT]

I just saw this on CNN online.

did not see any mention here so I posted it up.

Sucks to go like this in AUGUST! in the US.
Vibes to family and friends of
Collin Backowski
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/04/studen...html?hpt=hp_t2

[linds-o-rama]

I can't make sense of what happened. He was on the south side, was he on Palmer? Or White River? How does someone snowboard through an ice tunnel? I hate it when mass media covers ski, snowboard, or mountaineering accidents and don't use the correct terminology. How are the rest of us supposed to learn from it?

This is really sad. My condolences to all his family and friends.

[Slaag Master]

+++vibes to family, friends, and tribe. does anyone know whether this was back country??!?

[Vt-Freeheel]

Certainly sad, condolences to friends and family.

More details here

[pappag]

Collin was my homie. We spent a lot of time in the mountains, hanging out in Denver, and doing yoga. Was supposed to visit him in Costa Rica this fall during his surf trip. He was always smiling, always stoking out life as much as possible... never saw him upset about anything. And he truly did experience a lifetime's worth of living in an incredibly short amount of time. So sad to hear he's gone but the way he road this one journey we have will be more than enough inspiration to live like he did.

Shread in peace.

[kokomas]

I'm very sorry for Collin and for your loss PappaG

[Shredhead]

Rip In Peace Collin.


Was this cave below Illumination Rock?

[astralboy15]

The word I've heard is they were in white river somewhere.

[oftpiste]

Sorry PG. Hugs to friends and fam.

[Plinko]

Thank you PappaG for sharing. HUGE loss.

[PNWbrit]

Sorry PappaG.

[HansJob]

+++ joss to his family and friends.

[MTT]

That was a nice tribute to collin PappaG

[pipedream]

From what I can make of all the various reports of the accident, it sounds like the group was exploring an ice cave at the toe of the White River glacier (~8,100' elev.). Whether they were shooting snowboarding photos or not is unclear, but they were equipped with professional-grade camera gear. Out-of-the-blue, a portion of the ice cave collapsed and buried the victim, who happened to be a coach working at HCSC for the summer.

Ice caves are incredibly dangerous, esp. in the summer months. They have killed before and will kill again, you're best staying well away from them as their behavior is unpredictable. Adding insult to injury, it really sucks that a great guy with a full life ahead of him went out such a horrible way. Condolences to all, sending good vibes to those grieving...

[pappag]

Photo gallery of the accident site:
http://www.katu.com/news/local/Snowb...lery&c=y&img=3



Colling was on the Never Summer team and they had a nice tribute for him yesterday ... hopefully they make a board in his honor.







And this Collin every time you saw him ... being goofy and smiling as much as anyone could

[hawkgt]

sobering pics of the accident site. Sorry for the loss of your friend PappaG

[detrusor]

Many condolences PappaG. May he be at peace.

[harpo-the-skier]

I think the White River Glacier is on the right side of the Palmer Snowfield looking up at the summit. Illumination Rock is across the Zig Zag Glacier to the left of the Palmer. Correct me if i am wrong. Condolences to friends and family.

[miahw2828]

rest in peace. thanks for sharing the pics of your friend, looks like he loved life to the fullest

[bendtheski]

Sorry for your loss PappaG.

[KansasBoarder]

RIP Collin! Keep shreddin' in the afterlife. If you were coaching at HCSC, then you were passing on your stoke for snowboarding with kids - what a gift. Thanks for living it so well.

[strode420]

Super bummer, one of my close homegirls was good friends with him through yoga and photography and said they had just been talking about taking shots at Hood last week. RIP and ++++vibes to all affected.