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  1. #1
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    2 buried/killed Brush Creek, Crested Butte CO

    https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/a...ep&view=public

    preliminary report only at this time; low elevation SE aspect. condolences to the families.

  2. #2
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    The spot they were in based on the news article I read has some hairy, steep terrain above it with a terrain trap gully below it. Sounds like they were training on the GT course.

    Condolences/vibes to family and friends.

  3. #3
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    Jun 2009
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    Sad ending for what appears to be some pretty decent guys.

    CBAC had a red flag warning for the weekend, hopefully somebody learns from this.

  4. #4
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    RIP. Such a deadly season already. Selfishly, I have to say that it is really weighing on me.

  5. #5
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    Midgaard
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  6. #6
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    Feb 2015
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    Vibes to family and friends

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by snowaddict91 View Post
    The spot they were in based on the news article I read has some hairy, steep terrain above it with a terrain trap gully below it.
    Yeah - I saw a Google Earth screenshot that made it look like the were somwhere low on Teocalli Ridge down near the creek...

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by skaredshtles View Post
    Yeah - I saw a Google Earth screenshot that made it look like the were somwhere low on Teocalli Ridge down near the creek...
    Yup. Don't want to MMQB this too much till the official report is released but if they were on the GT course as articles have stated. I have a pretty good idea of exactly where they were. Unfortunately they may not have realized the terrain/danger they were traveling under.

  9. #9
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    Dec 2008
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    Salida, CO
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    It's a spooky spot for sure.

  10. #10
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    Mar 2009
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    Aspen, Colorado
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    So sorry to read about this accident. I didn’t know the victims, but from all news accounts the were great guys and will be missed greatly

    Google images places the accident on a section of single track which bypasses a hilly section of the main Pearl Pass route. It’s the common summertime bypass when mtn biking or motor riding the area. Maybe a mile below the big stream crossing. If that is part of the grand traverses route, then that is a serious planning error for such a big event. I’d expect the race event to follow the Jeep Road there, especially with all the sled support. I’ve never been there in the winter though. Maybe some Crested Butte locals will chime in with more knowledge about that area

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles View Post
    RIP. Such a deadly season already. Selfishly, I have to say that it is really weighing on me.
    It does seem like a bad season. Ironically, I just read an article in the latest TAR that talked about how avy deaths in CO had been declining for 4 years straight.

    I’m sorry to hear about this latest accident. RIP

  12. #12
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    Nov 2010
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    2 buried/killed Brush Creek, Crested Butte CO

    Unless they have changed the course in the last few years, Death Pass is part of it. I've helped with the event in that area in the past.

  13. #13
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    Jan 2004
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    Quote Originally Posted by snowaddict91 View Post
    Yup. Don't want to MMQB this too much till the official report is released but if they were on the GT course as articles have stated. I have a pretty good idea of exactly where they were. Unfortunately they may not have realized the terrain/danger they were traveling under.
    I agree, i think at some point someone has to broadcast a harsh message, you really need to think before you go. Red flag warning, massive winds and snow totals in the 20inch range.
    I knew Mike well, and it is an awful loss, and maybe something can be learned, but wtf. This was no place for people to be fucking around.
    Scarcity?
    https://www.ellis-brigham.com/news-a...euristic-traps

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by skideeppow View Post
    I agree, i think at some point someone has to broadcast a harsh message, you really need to think before you go. Red flag warning, massive winds and snow totals in the 20inch range.
    I knew Mike well, and it is an awful loss, and maybe something can be learned, but wtf. This was no place for people to be fucking around.
    Scarcity?
    https://www.ellis-brigham.com/news-a...euristic-traps
    Seems more like "over-commitment to a goal", hoping to pre-run the route. RIP

  15. #15
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    i think at some point someone has to broadcast a harsh message
    This is where I am at. I think I'm coming to the realization that we just don't have an organization who's singular focus is the safety of recreational backcountry skiers. It ain't the forecasting centers, AAA, AIARE although they all do great work. We just don't currently have a culture where a feedback loop exists where poor decision making is analyzed for the purpose of enhancing future decision making.

    We are close, but there seems to be some disconnect and I don't know what it is.

    Maybe we should create another thread so we can distance ourselves from the sadness that is this and other fatal accidents?

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles View Post
    This is where I am at. I think I'm coming to the realization that we just don't have an organization who's singular focus is the safety of recreational backcountry skiers. It ain't the forecasting centers, AAA, AIARE although they all do great work. We just don't currently have a culture where a feedback loop exists where poor decision making is analyzed for the purpose of enhancing future decision making.

    We are close, but there seems to be some disconnect and I don't know what it is.

    Maybe we should create another thread so we can distance ourselves from the sadness that is this and other fatal accidents?
    You can't make people's decisions for them. All you can do is present the information, and the education and hope people make the right decisions. But humans are fallible and will make mistakes, until the end of time.

    I've personally seen 6 well trained friends of mine be told to their face by a CAIC forecaster to stay off a certain aspect, then those same people go out and tell other people to stay off a certain aspect. Then, the very next day, those exact same people went directly to that exact aspect and skinned across it with 6 people spaced 50' apart, trigger a massive avalanche, and 5 of them died. No idea how they didn't get the message, it is crazy to look back on.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by shredgnar View Post

    I've personally seen 6 well trained friends of mine be told to their face by a CAIC forecaster to stay off a certain aspect, then those same people go out and tell other people to stay off a certain aspect. Then, the very next day, those exact same people went directly to that exact aspect and skinned across it with 6 people spaced 50' apart, trigger a massive avalanche, and 5 of them died. No idea how they didn't get the message, it is crazy to look back on.
    Sheep Creek?

    You can't make people's decisions for them. All you can do is present the information, and the education and hope people make the right decisions. But humans are fallible and will make mistakes, until the end of time.
    I used to think like that and I have no answers. Can we do more that "hope" they make the right decisions? I don't know. I guess part of my personality is that I'm too stubborn to give up. It is really hard to keep beating the drum of good decision making, without feeling like a dick. Should we just start by being a little more aware of the fact that our own bad decision making is the biggest risk to our own safety?

  18. #18
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    the CAIC report has been updated with a couple of photos and a little bit more information. those pics are rough... aside from the angle, 9400' SE and not a super big or super scary looking slope either. I'm assuming they must have been in uphill mode at the time.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by mall walker View Post
    the CAIC report has been updated with a couple of photos and a little bit more information. those pics are rough... aside from the angle, 9400' SE and not a super big or super scary looking slope either. I'm assuming they must have been in uphill mode at the time.
    Yep, that would be death pass. It's kind of freaky on a bike in summer- not sure the pics do it justice.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by goldenboy View Post
    Yep, that would be death pass. It's kind of freaky on a bike in summer- not sure the pics do it justice.
    Does the Grand Traverse "officially" follow that lower route? Or does it go above on the bench on the "new" Pearl Pass rd?

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by skaredshtles View Post
    Does the Grand Traverse "officially" follow that lower route? Or does it go above on the bench on the "new" Pearl Pass rd?
    Zoom in, it shows the course taking the bike trail.
    https://www.powderproject.com/trail/...verse.org/ski/

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by goldenboy View Post
    Zoom in, it shows the course taking the bike trail.
    https://www.powderproject.com/trail/...verse.org/ski/
    Interesting - in the description:

    "Due to weather and snow safety considerations, the exact course cannot be finalized until race day. Race organizers may change the course based on snow conditions"

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by skaredshtles View Post
    Interesting - in the description:

    "Due to weather and snow safety considerations, the exact course cannot be finalized until race day. Race organizers may change the course based on snow conditions"
    Seems like every other year it's the "Grand Reverse" that doesn't even make it to Aspen. I suspect that in an average year, Death Pass isn't that big of a deal by springtime when they do the event.

  24. #24
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    I do think a national organization that focuses on analyzing accidents developed to the point that it is recognized as the authority on the subject, and thus treated as required reading for BC skiers, could result in a significant reduction in blatant human error. This would be separate from forecasting organizations, but prominently linked to on all such pages. No space for public comment. No shaming. Honest, carefully crafted storytelling an high quality photos + video. It would cost time and $$$ to do it right. Production value matters when you are effectively competing with facebook and instagram.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by goldenboy View Post
    Seems like every other year it's the "Grand Reverse" that doesn't even make it to Aspen. I suspect that in an average year, Death Pass isn't that big of a deal by springtime when they do the event.
    That's a good point. That sort of aspect is so quick to change character as the season gets into late winter and into spring...

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