RIP to 2 US Ski Team Athletes

[nyskirat]

SOELDEN, Austria – The U.S. Ski Team is mourning the loss of two promising development level ski racers killed Monday morning in an avalanche in Soelden. The two were among a group of six athletes freeskiing at the Austrian resort. The other four skied out of the slide and were not injured.
Killed in the avalanche were Ronnie Berlack, 20, of Franconia, N.H., and Burke Mountain, Vt., and Bryce Astle, 19, of Sandy, Utah

http://skiracing.com/stories/2-us-sk...den-avalanche/

Sad news

[strawjack]

Well this is just shitty news. RIP

[ClarkleberryFinn]

Very sad.

Apparently it was a massive slide, and if I've understood correctly, ran onto a closed piste. No transcievers: http://www.tt.com/panorama/unfall/94...n-getötet.csp

Google translate:

The avalanche was described by mountain rescuers as "huge". Parts of the snow went up to the locked because of avalanche danger "Piste 30" from, on which there was no skiing on Monday. In use were 60 rescuers, alpine police and search dogs. Since the victim did not carry emergency equipment, the location and recovery was difficult.

Sketchy conditions around here atm.

[freak]

sad news. RIP.

Very sad.

Apparently it was a massive slide, and if I've understood correctly, ran onto a closed piste. No transcievers: http://www.tt.com/panorama/unfall/94...n-getötet.csp

they corrected the report, it wasnt on a closed piste, the slide just reached a closed ski run. massive slide, buried 3 to 4 m deep, no beacons...

so many avalanches over here at the moment (especially in Ötztal), stay safe out there.

freak~[&]

[klar]

Very sad news.

The article says they were burried 3 to 4 meters deep and did not carry safety equipment. Apparently they skied something off Gaislachkogel and down to Rettenbachtal. This would be starting and ending at groomers (though not controlled or behind any kind of boundary as is common in Europe).

In neighbouring Obergurgl there was an avalanche fatality yesterday and an avalanche with a partially burried person today. Further avalanches without people getting hurt but with authorities being alerted in Obergurgl, Pitztal and Stubai. The number of incidents over the past few days has been very high. The Tyrolean avalanche forecasting service has a blog where they published an impressive collection of images on saturday:
http://lawinenwarndienst.blogspot.co...rsportler.html

[Bunker]

** Vibes ** to the families and the teammates. Two young talents taken too early. RIP

[Name Redacted]

3-4 meters deep and no amount of safety equipment will help you.

Bummer, RIP

[gageyk]

I was just in Utah this past few days a happened to to share a chairlift with Bryce's father. He was telling us how stoked his kid was to be skiing the Europa cup. Total bummer. I believe there are 2 other sons as well. Devastating blow.

[Johnny Deep]

Vibes and condolences.

[Buster Highmen]

VVVVV sad day VVVV

[hikesalot]

so sad.... RIP

[WaistDeepGroomers]

RIP guys. We're working on a post on the main site now... vibes!

[From_the_NEK]

Posted this in the Slide Zone thread:
I'm sure I've seen Ronnie ripping gates at Burke. RIP both skiers.

Ronnie's stomping grounds (Burke foreground and Cannon/Franconia ridge in back).

[Tap]

sincere condolences to both families and their friends. just plain terrible.

[Mofro261]

Sad to lose anyone in an avalanche, double sad for being so young and full of life still.

RIP.

[Dantheman]

I've known Bryce, his brothers and his parents for ten years. Bryce and his younger brother Chris were part altachic's crew of AYC groms when Bryce was maybe 6. It is completely surreal reading this. I can't fathom the agony his family must be going through right now.

[Ottime]

very sad; condolences to all involved.

[Tryingtostaywarm]

Does anybody know exactly where it was? Maybe off to skier's left off #1 red run? I ski here almost weekend and trying to get my bearing where this was...I'm only assuming it was on the big wide north facing slope which leads right down to the blue run/ gletscherstraße. I just returned from Nätschen where slides were EVERYWHERE on the weekend..Be safe out there.

[VTColdSmoke]

RIP, so sad...

[klar]

Does anybody know exactly where it was? Maybe off to skier's left off #1 red run? I ski here almost weekend and trying to get my bearing where this was...I'm only assuming it was on the big wide north facing slope which leads right down to the blue run/ gletscherstraße.

yes. there are pictures on the blog of the tiroler lawinenwarndienst.

[summit]

Terrain. Trap.

[ClarkleberryFinn]

Does anybody know exactly where it was? Maybe off to skier's left off #1 red run? I ski here almost weekend and trying to get my bearing where this was...I'm only assuming it was on the big wide north facing slope which leads right down to the blue run/ gletscherstraße. I just returned from Nätschen where slides were EVERYWHERE on the weekend..Be safe out there.

http://lawinenwarndienst.blogspot.co...n-letzten.html

According to that people we still skiing the area during the rescue operation...

[stuckathuntermtn]

That's sad, just kids.
They don't do much control work in the Alps, or this was just a freak accident? I figured they do a lot of control work in yurp.

[Franz Klammer]

I've skied that terrain many times before. It's basically between Piste 1 and Piste 30 but it's quite steep and skiing it in such conditions without a beacon is crazy. Very sad.

http://www.soelden.com/urlaub/files/...,prop=data.jpg

[ClarkleberryFinn]

That's sad, just kids.
They don't do much control work in the Alps, or this was just a freak accident? I figured they do a lot of control work in yurp.

Groomed pistes are protected/controlled, and in some places a few marked but ungroomed trails get bombed.

Everything else is wild and you take responsibility for yourself. Nothing freaky about the accident given the current conditions.