fatal slide in japan

[HansJob]

http://unofficialnetworks.com/skiers...lanche-126681/ vibes

[icelanticskier]

vibes is right. quite the terrain trap

couldn't quite make out the report due to it not being in merican words, but i'd love a translated copy.

rog

[TBS]

^^^As would I. That is quite a crown for this early in the season.

[hop]

Here's a firsthand account.

http://www.modestbike.com/dlp/index....tateyamanov23/

[east or bust]

Wow that is some heavy stuff.

[NoPostholio]

wow - that is pretty sad. What is up with that hudge tent city at the base of that mtn in that guys pics?

[dewam]

Thanks for the link hop. Quite the sobering read. I will try and get some good from it, maybe some more search and rescue practice.

[icelanticskier]

thanx hop.

"But what I do want to say is that when you wear a beacon on your chest its not there to save you- its there for you to save some one else. With out being too over dramatic- you need to treat the beacon like a badge a fireman wears and understand that when the alarm goes you better be ready to run in to the fire."

yup.

rog

[babybear]

I was looking for more info on this avalanche so thanks for the link.
Holy moly is all I can say
The whole issue with the stander-by's is insane

[spook]

as far as the bystanders were concerned, i thought maybe when they first got there or were wherever they were when they saw a huge avalanche that the bodies were getting pummeled in the snow plus all the blast cloud. maybe they didn't know there was anybody there until the actual rescuers arrived. still doesn't excuse not helping dig but it's weird. maybe they were in shock.

[babybear]

Yea I gathered that they were in shock too and were essentially petrified
Can't blame people for that after seeing something so insane but it's still crazy that so many people were around and couldn't react.
the high res photo was crazy

Also random side note, but I'd never heard of this area. Seems like a cool place, aside from the tragedy that happened yesterday.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

Here's a firsthand account.

http://www.modestbike.com/dlp/index....tateyamanov23/

whew...Heavy. Thorough, engaging and horrifying write-up.

Vibes to those affected.

[DasBlunt]

Seems like a lot of speculation from the report. Glad that guy did as much as he could.

a few possibilities . I am sure there are many more.

1. The people on the sidelines did not have beacons.

2. they were shellshocked and froze.

3. they were fucking idiots who left their beacons on while people were searching ( hence the guides showing up and yelling for everyone to switch from send to receive).

super sad, that range looked like the ultimate shitshow with hundreds of tracks.

[NoPostholio]

if you look at this tent city, i gotta believe there were hundreds of people around there ill prepared for disaster



I count almost 100 tents and it looks like that might only be half of them.

they really worked that left side of the mtn -

edit to add this pic of that area at night - looks like special place to hang in right conditions

http://www.modestbike.com/dlp/index....oing/tateyama/

[neck beard]

if you look at this tent city, i gotta believe there were hundreds of people around there ill prepared for disaster

That particular weekend is an annual event of sorts. It attracts a wide variety of people with a wide variety of skills and experience.

Two weeks earlier - not much/enough snow. One week later, mechanised access to that area shuts. That is why you get so many people in one place at one time on that one weekend, which often coincides with a public holiday.

[NoPostholio]

for perspective, what is elevation gain from tents to summit ish?

[neck beard]

Tents at 2300m. The highest ground in that photo is 2800m or so.

[moose pit]

Shit hop... that is a heavy read.

[Wickedbrew4u]

Crazy crazy happenings. Thoughts out to the fam and friends and CMH skiing.

[dark_star]

Very sad. And wow, that’s quite the early season crown line, and as Rog said, quite the terrain trap. Vibes and best wishes to all involved and their families.

[userA]

thanx hop.

"But what I do want to say is that when you wear a beacon on your chest its not there to save you- its there for you to save some one else. With out being too over dramatic- you need to treat the beacon like a badge a fireman wears and understand that when the alarm goes you better be ready to run in to the fire."

yup.

rog

situational awareness is not the strength of most humans.
sad situation indeed.
b

[icelanticskier]

situational awareness is not the strength of most humans.
b

tragedy brings that strength to the forefront for a short time till the dust settles. then it all comes round again..........slowly ramping up the phenomenon that is complacency.

rog

[NoPostholio]

Seems like a fascinating place - if you look at one of the pics in this article, it looks like the bus terminal that I guess you can basically commute to by mass transit, pops right out the side of that mtn? And it seems like it has the summer tux kinda shitshow appeal since one video had about 80% of the people with skis racked and hoofing it up a low angle snowfield. Looks like nice place for summer hut trip. Makes sense what NB said, now that I read this - I guess there were so many peeps camped b/c the way to get out there would be closing soon.

http://www.poachninja.com/wiki/tatey...ama-prefecture

[neck beard]

about 80% of the people with skis racked and hoofing it up a low angle snowfield. [/url]

In Tateyama, virtually no one boot packs their skis on their shoulder, if that is what you meant. Not important either way, just clarifying.

Also, looking at it through avalanche eyes, there is actually very little worthwhile low angle terrain that is usable during elevated avalanche danger. A lot - but not all - of the worthwhile low angle has (multiple) steep start zones above and is exposed to overlapping runouts. What it does have in its favour is plenty of ridges and high-ground features allowing you to reduce exposure if you are willing to thread them all together.

None of this post is a commentary on the incident, just in general regarding the Tateyama area.

Note: I classify terrain as "low angle" and "steep" from an avalanche's perspective, not a freeride movie perspective.

[icelanticskier]

I boot pack with skis on shoulder quite often

this line was close to 1500 vert. did it 5 times before lunch. shouldering my skis.

twas an early morning.

packs are heavy.

rog