another WA Cascades avy death

**GeezerSteve** · 03-05-2018, 02:37 PM

Skier killed in avalanche Sunday [March 4] near Mazama

**plugboots** · 03-05-2018, 03:15 PM

^^^I want to read more about that one. 12 miles up the road from the SnoPark, which seems to imply snow machine, yet they couldn't extract the body out of there. Nobody I know personally skis up that drainage, but there are always pick-ups and trailers parked there.

**GeezerSteve** · 03-06-2018, 08:22 PM

victim identified + some details. I ran into him a couple times, friend of friends

**John_B** · 03-06-2018, 08:30 PM

Same for me. I've only heard good things about him.

**GeezerSteve** · 03-07-2018, 05:10 PM

I just spoke with one of Ian's close friends, who is currently with Ian's family. His partner, family and friends are devastated.

**plugboots** · 03-07-2018, 05:28 PM

Wow, I can understand why they'd be devastated.
http://methowvalleynews.com/2018/03/...e-near-mazama/
Really hard to find anything they did "wrong", except the fact that they were skiing that day.

**ccwaskier** · 03-08-2018, 11:33 AM

Based on that news article, the first skier down deserves a lot of credit for finding true safe zone to stop and not becoming a second victim.

From my experience, folks in the PNW aren't used to persistent weak layers, since we just don't see them very often. As NWAC has repeatedly mentioned, these layers are different, stubborn and don't behave like our normal PNW snowpack. The closest I have come to having a bad accident was when I triggered a slide on our third lap on the same slope. We had dug a pit, the slope had been skied at least 10 times, there wasn't new snow, but it slid on buried surface hoar.

**andrewpringle** · 03-08-2018, 04:37 PM

In case anyone's inclined, an Ian Fair memorial fund has been established. Thanks for considering

**PNWbrit** · 03-12-2018, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by ccwaskier

Based on that news article, the first skier down deserves a lot of credit for finding true safe zone to stop and not becoming a second victim.

From my experience, folks in the PNW aren't used to persistent weak layers, since we just don't see them very often. As NWAC has repeatedly mentioned, these layers are different, stubborn and don't behave like our normal PNW snowpack. The closest I have come to having a bad accident was when I triggered a slide on our third lap on the same slope. We had dug a pit, the slope had been skied at least 10 times, there wasn't new snow, but it slid on buried surface hoar.

Another one this Saturday.

Apparently hucked his sled onto the slab that then killed him by trauma.

What the fuck people.....

A single snowmobiler triggered and was caught, carried and killed in a large (D3) slab avalanche on Park Butte in the Mt. Baker National Recreation Area. The avalanche was triggered just below the summit on a NE aspect near 5400'. The victim was carried 1000' through a gully and sparse trees. The avalanche was 200 ft (60 m) wide and averaged 4' deep (1.2m). It failed on a 2 cm thick layer of facets above a rain crust.

**GeezerSteve** · 03-12-2018, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by ccwaskier

From my experience, folks in the PNW aren't used to persistent weak layers, since we just don't see them very often. As NWAC has repeatedly mentioned, these layers are different, stubborn and don't behave like our normal PNW snowpack.

Yeah, that surely is in play this year. In theory, the PWL persists more E of the crest, where there has been less subsequent snowfall to help crush the facet layer. Nonetheless, as evinced by Saturday's Park Butte fatality, a PWL over rain crust exists in places W of the crest. It's a fucking mess, gonna be awhile before the PWL gets obliterated throughout the range.

**PNWbrit** · 03-12-2018, 12:10 PM

A good time to suggest making a donation to NWAC if ANY OF YOU DON'T already.

**SeatownSlackey** · 03-12-2018, 12:39 PM

Anyone know if alpy is hosting a NWAC benefit day like last year?

**PNWbrit** · 03-14-2018, 10:33 AM

Worth reading..

Persistent Problems in the PNW

How do I manage the problem?

Simply put, Persistent Slab avalanches are a high consequence, low probability event. Overall caution is advised when dealing with Persistent Slab avalanches as they are difficult to forecast and often exist in isolated or specific terrain features. Continuous and wide-reaching snowpack assessment is key to determining a weak layer’s distribution and reactivity. We mitigate the hazard by relentlessly tracking it, and avoiding the terrain where we know or suspect it to be present.

• There is no mitigating this hazard with ski cuts or slough management. These avalanches can break far above you and much more deeply than is manageable.

• Don’t expect the problem to announce its presence. Shooting cracks and recent avalanche activity are generally not observed, although large audible whoomphs can indicate the presence and collapse of a weak layer.

• Put a sufficiently large physical margin between you and any suspect slopes. Terrain is your friend, enjoy the soft snow on lower angle slopes with no overhead hazard.

• In busy backcountry areas, make sure to exercise clear communication to avoid skiing or riding on top of one another. Some parties will have different risk tolerance, understanding, and local knowledge than others, and people could be traveling in terrain that you ruled out.

• PWL’s often awaken during periods of intense loading–think storms that drop over an inch of water within 24 hours. Be sure to give suspect terrain time to digest this new load.

• Warming or even strong solar radiation can trigger Persistent and Deep Persistent Slabs, or render them more sensitive.

As they continue to be buried and our cold temperatures moderate, our PWL’s will likely become more stubborn and the associated grains will begin to heal, but as stated, this process takes time and patience must be exercised.

**John_B** · 03-14-2018, 10:48 AM

Thanks for the link Brit. I forgot that NWAC occasionally blogs.

**Deebased** · 03-14-2018, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Another one this Saturday.

Apparently hucked his sled onto the slab that then killed him by trauma.

What the fuck people.....

Josh was a good dude and excellent sledder. The PWL that high up west of the crest caught everyone by surprise. We put a pit in on a similar aspect maybe 10 miles away across BLR at a slightly lower elevation and things looked pretty good.

RIP

**snoqpass** · 03-14-2018, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by Deebased

Josh was a good dude and excellent sledder. The PWL that high up west of the crest caught everyone by surprise. We put a pit in on a similar aspect maybe 10 miles away across BLR at a slightly lower elevation and things looked pretty good.

RIP

That weak layer has been well known for awhile

**PNWbrit** · 03-14-2018, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by snoqpass

That weak layer has been well known for awhile

Yep..

Wasn't a surprise.

https://www.nwac.us/avalanche-foreca...er/#discussion

And a pit 10 miles away on a lower elevation ain't worth shit.

And it looked good worth even less.

Good dude still dead.

**Deebased** · 03-15-2018, 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Yep..

Wasn't a surprise.

https://www.nwac.us/avalanche-foreca...er/#discussion

And a pit 10 miles away on a lower elevation ain't worth shit.

And it looked good worth even less.

Good dude still dead.

Looked pretty good was based on a shovel shear and compression test... obviously its a regional assesment

From the report

Observations

Baker

An avalanche professional at Heather Meadows reported significant wind transportation of snow. He did not find a buried persistent weak layer below the recent storm snow in the locations he observed.

"A new persistent slab avalanche problem has been observed in the Stevens Pass area and in locations along the Eastern Cascades. Newly buried surface hoar and facets have resulted in several avalanches on a variety of aspects (E, SE, S, NW) between 4400-5400 feet"

I'd still say it was a bit of a surprise North of Stevens.. but it doesn't matter now.

**PNWbrit** · 03-15-2018, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by Deebased

Looked pretty good was based on a shovel shear and compression test... obviously its a regional assesment

Mmmmmmm...

Simply put, Persistent Slab avalanches are a high consequence, low probability event. Overall caution is advised when dealing with Persistent Slab avalanches as they are difficult to forecast and often exist in isolated or specific terrain features. Continuous and wide-reaching snowpack assessment is key to determining a weak layer’s distribution and reactivity. We mitigate the hazard by relentlessly tracking it, and avoiding the terrain where we know or suspect it to be present.

**raisingarizona13** · 03-15-2018, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Deebased

Looked pretty good was based on a shovel shear and compression test... obviously its a regional assesment

Or spacial variability?

**ridinshockgun** · 03-16-2018, 10:42 AM

Lots of stability testing was going down on the Shuksan Arm last Saturday. Considerable forecast at all elevations with Persistent Slab listed as a problem.

Big crown noticeable on the Hemispheres that likely went Friday and looked skier triggered.

In the morning, most of the tracks were on a mellow ridgeline that looked really safe but as the day went on I was surprised. Bright sunny day, people dropping into and hucking cornices onto steep slopes that ran out into gullies.

I kept thinking "they know something I don't?". Maybe, but maybe not. I was just chairlift quarterbacking and taking pictures from 8 but I kept waiting for one to pop, glad nothing did.

**abraham** · 03-16-2018, 12:09 PM

I count three crowns in that picture?

**GeezerSteve** · 03-16-2018, 01:31 PM

I had a brief communication with Ian's longtime roomie and BFF. So sad. It evoked my memory of learning of the loss of 3 friends in an avalanche 16 years ago. Be safe out there.