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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    4,115

    Maroon Bowl Avalanche 1 Dead

    Surprised this has not been been posted. Pretty amazing, that a member of Aspens Mountain Rescue was killed. Multiple warnings from NOAA, CAIC, PITCO Alerts and Mountain Rescue Website.. Snowed up to 17 inches, with high winds, shallow snow pack. The patrol couldn't get highlands bowl open either. These guys went out on the west facing slope, into the the gut of the bowl, then started skinning back up the more NW aspect. One dead from trama. You talk about ignoring all the warning signs.

    https://www.aspentimes.com/news/back...side-of-aspen/

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Carbondale
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    12,478
    Been posted elsewhere, but this is probably the best place for it. Sad to see a member of MRA gone.
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Your Mom's House
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    8,296
    RIP. Super sad.

    I prefer to wait until the full reports are released before making any judgement about the party's decision making.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    4,115
    Quote Originally Posted by adrenalated View Post
    RIP. Super sad.

    I prefer to wait until the full reports are released before making any judgement about the party's decision making.
    yeah, usually i would as well. But this was just plain dumb. No excuse for being in there. None.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    In a van... down by the river
    Posts
    13,644
    Some photos and new info in the prelim from CAIC:

    http://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/ac...=665&accfm=rep

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Aspen
    Posts
    1,492

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    5,517
    RIP.

    Looks like a tough one to understand putting themselves there from the pictures and conditions. There may be a more complicated explanation.

    f nothing else we can deduce that even the best mountain travelers among us can easily fall prey to the heuristic traps and lure of fresh powder and a steep line and then we are vulnerable.
    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Profane View Post
    Keystone is fucking lame. But, deadly.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Aspen
    Posts
    9,421
    Quote Originally Posted by Kinnikinnick View Post
    RIP.

    Looks like a tough one to understand putting themselves there from the pictures and conditions. There may be a more complicated explanation.

    f nothing else we can deduce that even the best mountain travelers among us can easily fall prey to the heuristic traps and lure of fresh powder and a steep line and then we are vulnerable.
    They threw 100 explosives in Highland Bowl and didn't open it. No f-in clue why they thought skiing and skinning across Maroon was a good idea. Weak snowpack, heavy snow, warm temps, high winds, the list goes on and on....

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    5,517
    Quote Originally Posted by funkendrenchman View Post
    They threw 100 explosives in Highland Bowl and didn't open it. No f-in clue why they thought skiing and skinning across Maroon was a good idea. Weak snowpack, heavy snow, warm temps, high winds, the list goes on and on....
    Perplexing for sure. I don’t know that terrain other than looking over there the couple times I skied Highlands, but I sure wouldn’t have been in there in such conditions with an avy warning in effect from CAIC even if I knew it well.




    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Profane View Post
    Keystone is fucking lame. But, deadly.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    Not in the PRB
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    32,776
    Quote Originally Posted by Kinnikinnick View Post
    RIP.

    Looks like a tough one to understand putting themselves there from the pictures and conditions. There may be a more complicated explanation.

    f nothing else we can deduce that even the best mountain travelers among us can easily fall prey to the heuristic traps and lure of fresh powder and a steep line and then we are vulnerable.
    Well said.

    RIP.
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Vernon BC
    Posts
    1,765
    My thoughts go out to the family and his ski partner, challenging times.

    It's hard to make commentary on the incident with the little detail provided, and its really easy to to call the plays from our desks.... but, this is a good opportunity to think about things like the expert halo and familiarity and the roles they play in our decision making process. There are very few of us (if any really) who can honestly say that they have not fallen victim these heuristic traps. I always try and read these reports and give some self reflection to decision I have made.
    "Its not the arrow, its the Indian" - M.Pinto

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
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    none
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    8,334

    Maroon Bowl Avalanche 1 Dead

    MRA is a volunteer organization and anyone can join.
    They have no idea what these guys were thinking.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Gaperville, CO
    Posts
    5,844
    Quote Originally Posted by Shredhead View Post
    MRA is a volunteer organization and anyone can join.
    They have no idea what these guys were thinking.
    For those thinking that maybe this was just some new volunteer that didn't know jack, I'd recommend reading Lou's post. A 30 year vet of the MRA.

    Hard to understand. Vibes to family and community.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    9,300ft
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    21,938
    Usually when it is hard to understand how anyone could have fallen into the trap, particularly an experienced person, it turns out to be a failure of human decision making falling into one or more of the FACCCETS heuristic traps.
    Quote Originally Posted by blurred
    skiing is hiking all day so that you can ski on shitty gear for 5 minutes.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Last Best City in the Last Best Place
    Posts
    7,268
    Dude sounds pretty cool based on Lou's article. RIP. Really, really sad for that community.

    Hopefully the injured partner can shed some light on their thought process.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Ten Mile Vistas
    Posts
    4,025
    Gonna tiptoe through the dragon's lair and not wake it up......

    RIP.
    Old's Cool.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    2,620
    Quote Originally Posted by Kinnikinnick View Post
    RIP.

    Looks like a tough one to understand putting themselves there from the pictures and conditions. There may be a more complicated explanation.

    f nothing else we can deduce that even the best mountain travelers among us can easily fall prey to the heuristic traps and lure of fresh powder and a steep line and then we are vulnerable.
    This is incredibly well said and is a way that I need to think more.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Carbondale
    Posts
    12,478
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    Not in the PRB
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    32,776
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Maine Coast
    Posts
    4,681
    Don't normally comment on these threads, but that was strange texting his wife prior to putting his beacon in search mode.

  21. #21
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    Sep 2005
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    Agreed
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  22. #22
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    Jan 2005
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    cb, co
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    5,034
    The video was crazy- I'm guessing that's a webcam that they took all those pics off of?

  23. #23
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    Jan 2009
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    Aspen
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    Yep. You can view it here: https://aspen.roundshot.com/highlands/

  24. #24
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    cb, co
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  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    4,115
    I heard both papers received numerous letters to editor ripping into these two. They chose not to print it.

    They can do what they want, but when you start putting others at risk, you need to really think about your decisions.
    They brought in a black hawk and dozens of people to recover the body. So much could have gone wrong.

    I would love to know the decision making process of skinning back uphill is such deadly terrain, late in the day with crazy high avalanche danger.

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