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  1. #1
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    WY/ID Slides the last 48 hours.

    From over in Alpine, 1 fatality.
    The second rider on the slope was side hilling when the slide released. That rider was buried for 8 to 10 minutes and was evacuated by a helicopter and died later. The slide failed on a buried layer of surface hoar and dug down through several inches of faceted snow to a hard crust that formed in late November. Two other riders were partially buried but not injured.
    And check out this video from Island Park: https://www.facebook.com/clark.johns...56142055261108

    Lots of interesting decisions being made given the current state of the snowpack, it seems from the commentary on social media we've moved from Moderate means Go to Considerable means go given the slow start to the season. Scary stuff.

  2. #2
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    From the BT avalanche center, comment on a slide in No-Name: "Skier was shocked to have caused a slide since forecast was only "considerable". Was swept into a tree, slide continued around him. Snow had piled 5 feet against tree, but kept flowing. No injuries. Party had not done any assessments such as pits."

    Teton Considerable, game on.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by panchosdad View Post
    From the BT avalanche center, comment on a slide in No-Name: "Skier was shocked to have caused a slide since forecast was only "considerable". Was swept into a tree, slide continued around him. Snow had piled 5 feet against tree, but kept flowing. No injuries. Party had not done any assessments such as pits."

    Teton Considerable, game on.
    this blew my mind when reading the avi report this am too
    the literal definition of considerable: notably large in size, amount, or extent

    I guess it's hard to understand avalanche danger when a person doesn't even understand words
    skid luxury

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by b-bear View Post
    I guess it's hard to understand avalanche danger when a person doesn't even understand words
    I like the bar analogy. It makes the words "moderate/considerable" more broadly understood, I hope. Would you go into a bar if there was a ____________ chance you may get shot/stabbed?

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by b-bear View Post

    I guess it's hard to understand avalanche danger when a person doesn't even understand words
    $$$$$$$

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    god created man. winchester and baseball bats made them equal - evel kenievel

  6. #6
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    I honestly think people read the avi report and don't even pay attention. Doesn't matter if its moderate or high avi danger, the pass lot is full no matter what by 730 am, and you're pretty much guaranteed to see tracks down twin slides, road cuts, or any other pretty much blatantly obvious avi zone. Hell even during extreme danger last year that lot was full and people were making "good decisions". Its bullshit and people are going to get others killed, not just themselves.

    Like when some jabroni set off a slide on twin and buried a guy in a jeep 12+ feet deep. People started bitching about closures and how they have every right to be there, not HOLY SHIT some guy commuting almost died because people are morons. Or the guy who ski cut Taylor a couple years back, set off one of the bigger slides in years, on top of like three or four groups below in the drainage. Dude just high tailed it out of there. Nothing changed.
    Live Free or Die

  7. #7
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    I was 1 car behind that Jeep last year. The skier up above was pretty embarrassed. All good points.

  8. #8
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    I think I remember you mentioning that. Crazy stuff.

    I suppose its good the guy felt bad, but feeling guilty after you almost kill a guy doesn't make it cool. (Not implying thats how you feel, this is how I feel)
    Live Free or Die

  9. #9
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    No to contribute to thread drift but.

    There are a lot of good skiers and snowmobilers who think they understand the avalanche hazard and make good decisions.

    Unfortunately they confuse being good with making good decisions.

    Last Friday about 2:30, heavy snow, strong winds after several days with a lot of snow. A party or solo (still unclear about that) dropped off the back (west) side of Bridger into very complex terrain that usually has a fragile snowpack. One caught, carried 1200' injured and broken gear. By the time the report reached SAR it was 3:15. The report left of the avalanche part.

    2 members of the Bridger staff responded with a toboggan as the sun was starting to set and along with SAR were able to get the patient out to the trailhead on the west side.

    This is not the first time members of this group has been rescued from that area.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ETC...ature=youtu.be
    Last edited by Not bunion; 01-02-2018 at 06:08 AM.
    I have been in this State for 30 years and I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem.

    "Happiest years of my life were earning < $8.00 and hour, collecting unemployment every spring and fall, no car, no debt and no responsibilities. 1984-1990 Park City UT"

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Not bunion View Post

    This is not the first time members of this group has been rescued from that area.
    For reals? Jesus H...

  11. #11
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    There's also been at least 2 inbounds slides at Lost Trail on open terrain in the past week. I was right next to one of them when it happened. Fucking scary.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by the_kid View Post
    There's also been at least 2 inbounds slides at Lost Trail on open terrain in the past week. I was right next to one of them when it happened. Fucking scary.
    LT doesn't do any mitigation work correct?

  13. #13
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    snowmobiler was from Utah....wife and a couple kids....sad way to start the year....

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by snapt View Post
    For reals? Jesus H...
    Yep. From what I understand an airlift last time for same guy.

    Also 2 snowboarders (separate incidents) in the Flathead. Cliff drop with blunt force trauma and a tree well accident.

    Think another sledder was airlifted out of Cooke from riding off cliff.


    Not all avy related but damn be safe people and make good decisions.
    Last edited by lifelinksplit; 01-02-2018 at 08:25 PM.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by lifelinksplit View Post
    Yep. From what I understand an airlift last time for same guy. But hey you can donate to his gofundme to pay for his MRI.....
    The avalanche superiority snark is not constructive. I guarantee you have made similar poor decisions but the dice didn't come up snake-eyes that day.
    "If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough."

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by snapt View Post
    LT doesn't do any mitigation work correct?
    Some ski cutting. No blasting and I am not certain they have any paid staff.


    The news has another incident and rescue in progress down near Sage Peak.

    I understand what you are saying Nest but at the same time I have to say WTF at a lot of the antics I see.
    I have been in this State for 30 years and I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem.

    "Happiest years of my life were earning < $8.00 and hour, collecting unemployment every spring and fall, no car, no debt and no responsibilities. 1984-1990 Park City UT"

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by nest View Post
    The avalanche superiority snark is not constructive. I guarantee you have made similar poor decisions but the dice didn't come up snake-eyes that day.
    Sorry. Yes that comment was unnecessary(deleted) I just wonder how some people justify their risk tolerance after multiple incidents. Especially when it puts others well being at risk. The write up for this incident is up on MT avy site now.

    Either way be safe everyone.

  18. #18
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    Just to clarify, it was not the same person who was injured this Friday that was helivaced a few years back. It's a little unfair to let that continue 'cause it is two different people and also two different locations.
    "The skis just popped me up out of the snow and I went screaming down the hill on a high better than any heroin junkie." She Ra

  19. #19
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    The Bzn Chronic reports the incident down south near Cabin Creek as single snowmobile fatality.

    Vibes.

    Thanks for the clarification TC.

    And then there is this:

    Name:  IMG_7337.jpg
Views: 1101
Size:  374.4 KB

    Two skiers were caught and partially buried in a avalanche below the cliffs of saddle peak on 1/2/2018. They were traveling under the cliffs after leaving the south boundary and had stopped to look at the cave. They heard a rumble from above, saw snow coming over the cliffs, looked at one another and started skiing downhill as fast as they could. They were overtook by snow coming off the cliffs and one, possibly both were buried up to their waist. After self extricating and retrieving gear, they were able to ski to the bottom of the Slushmans lift and report. Ski patrol and Search and Rescue made sure no one else was buried in the slide.

    The slide was apparently triggered above the cliffs by a snowboarder cutting across a small wind loaded pocket (black circle in photo). The fracture was at most 20" deep and 60' across.

    Strong downslope and south winds transporting recent new snow was the predominant weather creating small to medium sized wind slabs mid slope across the greater Bridger Bowl region the previous night and morning.
    https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/1...lly-buriedpic1
    Last edited by Not bunion; 01-03-2018 at 08:24 AM.
    I have been in this State for 30 years and I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem.

    "Happiest years of my life were earning < $8.00 and hour, collecting unemployment every spring and fall, no car, no debt and no responsibilities. 1984-1990 Park City UT"

  20. #20
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    Once again, the relentless 40mph downhill wind changed everything in just a few hours...Before that it was all mostly amazing perfect sparkle pow just a little ways down from the ridgetop. Very glad to hear the first event of this kind below those cliffs had a happy and instructional ending.

    That run in the picture is interesting, there are some really fun ways to ski it when it's actually good, a lot of real estate up there...Many times it's fun to ski all the way to that last rollover and cut out lookers right much like the black line. I've never triggered a slide there, always avoid that spot during questionable loading events especially that classic downslope hurricane of yesterday... But I always think of what an unconscious bad habit it is for some people to do that last traverse out the lower boundary (out of sight here) to make those couple of flat turns below the Saddle cliffs.

    Not trying to be critical, but just a practical warning about that spot for anyone else who thinks that's a great pow stash. You are poking out there and traversing at slow speed, dicking around side stepping/skating getting over to the turns, and hanging out for a couple more minutes as you do 10 flat noodle turns right in the gun barrel. Sure there are plenty of times when there is practically no chance of a slide big enough to go over the cliffs. But I see people do this on questionable hazard days because they think they are "safe" and not some yahoo skiing off the top of Saddle when it's sketchy...But people WILL ski the top of Saddle and the Football field when it's sketchy, and it won't take much of a slide to make it over those cliffs, for example yesterday. So I would just really ask yourself if it's ever really "worth it" to make that lower traverse, where you have no idea what's going on above you, right below one of the biggest and most heavily trafficked start zones in the range, and you are in no position to get out of there quickly enough even if you did hear a slide coming. It's just not a place to spend a lot of time. I see people build kickers in that runout zone and hang out there all day after a big storm. I would just really hate to see several people get smoked down there in a big event that they themselves had no direct role in causing.

    edit to add this video from a few years ago. Just go one at a time and don't hang out down there!



    another good one from around the same time of year. Its always good to remember the full range of potential of the terrain you're in.

    Last edited by tone capone; 01-03-2018 at 02:25 PM.
    "The skis just popped me up out of the snow and I went screaming down the hill on a high better than any heroin junkie." She Ra

  21. #21
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    ^^^ Pretty good advice.

    If I recall correctly, there was a small sign at the start of that lower traverse in years past that warned of exactly that same hazard from above.
    I have been in this State for 30 years and I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem.

    "Happiest years of my life were earning < $8.00 and hour, collecting unemployment every spring and fall, no car, no debt and no responsibilities. 1984-1990 Park City UT"

  22. #22
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    Not a fan of Chabot's 'Spicy Moderate' thing, just call it considerable?

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Not bunion View Post
    No to contribute to thread drift but.

    There are a lot of good skiers and snowmobilers who think they understand the avalanche hazard and make good decisions.

    Unfortunately they confuse being good with making good decisions.

    Last Friday about 2:30, heavy snow, strong winds after several days with a lot of snow. A party or solo (still unclear about that) dropped off the back (west) side of Bridger into very complex terrain that usually has a fragile snowpack. One caught, carried 1200' injured and broken gear. By the time the report reached SAR it was 3:15. The report left of the avalanche part.

    2 members of the Bridger staff responded with a toboggan as the sun was starting to set and along with SAR were able to get the patient out to the trailhead on the west side.

    This is not the first time members of this group has been rescued from that area.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ETC...ature=youtu.be
    Are these people accessing the terrain from the lifts? Would the area give them the boot for repeatedly causing problems?
    “I have a responsibility to not be intimidated and bullied by low life losers who abuse what little power is granted to them as ski patrollers.”

  24. #24
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    Open boundaries, free country.
    I have been in this State for 30 years and I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem.

    "Happiest years of my life were earning < $8.00 and hour, collecting unemployment every spring and fall, no car, no debt and no responsibilities. 1984-1990 Park City UT"

  25. #25
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    Another slide yesterday in the Island Park area?

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