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Thread: 9990

  1. #1
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    9990

    Word is something slid off 9990 at canyons/pcmr. Even tombstone closed. Praying all are safe.


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  2. #2
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    From Summit County Sheriff:

    “Sad Update - A 45 year old man from Salt Lake City has died after being buried in a backcountry avalanche. We offer our sincere condolences to the family. #backcountry #avalanche”

    This sucks. Vibes to family and friends.


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  3. #3
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    Also, from Sheriff earlier:

    “We are currently working a backcountry avalanche near the ski resort with one confirmed burial. The single snowboarder has been dug out. Life saving efforts are in progress. This is NOT in the ski resort. More details to follow.”


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  4. #4
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  5. #5
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    Vibes to his family/friends.... skied those zones over the years when we lived in PC. From the UTAVY instagram post, the victim had No Avy Gear.... Know Before You Go

  6. #6
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    weird there's still only the preliminary report given they were supposed to be on scene yesterday and there is a certain urgency or time sensitivity to this info (for people still recreating in the area).
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by powdork View Post
    weird there's still only the preliminary report given they were supposed to be on scene yesterday and there is a certain urgency or time sensitivity to this info (for people still recreating in the area).
    At the bottom of today's forecast (wrong place for it but still) they have

    Yesterday, while investigating the recent avalanche accident along the Park City ridgeline we traveled along the ridge to the top of the slope. Standing there, we looked at the last six turns a 45 year old snowboarder made and stood in silence.
    After a couple of minutes four avalanche professionals debated if we should descend the slope to take a look at the avalanche and investigate the crown and layering of the slide. With some discussion we all determined the upper 1/4 was low enough angle (30°) to safely descend. However, the slope midway down pitched to 33° degrees in steepness and we all felt very uncomfortable with the danger of triggering a slide there. Collectively, we decided it was too unsafe to descend the slope to look at the avalanche. We walked back to the resort safely along the ridgeline and descended a southerly aspect to the flats below. Now in the run-out zone we also determined it was too risky to enter from below because of the overhead hanging snow and the possibility of triggering another avalanche remotely (from a distance).

    (etc etc)
    so I guess that means they won't get to the full analysis until sometime later

  8. #8
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    That makes sense, but does that mean that The Canyons or some other organization (WPB) is prohibited from mitigating the remaining danger in order to allow the investigation to proceed? I know that is done in other areas.

    I have to disagree with the idea that there is any sense or urgency here, given what is known about the snowpack on the PC/BCC ridge and the history of that particular area. RIP.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by glademaster View Post
    That makes sense, but does that mean that The Canyons or some other organization (WPB) is prohibited from mitigating the remaining danger in order to allow the investigation to proceed? I know that is done in other areas.

    I have to disagree with the idea that there is any sense or urgency here, given what is known about the snowpack on the PC/BCC ridge and the history of that particular area. RIP.
    i had that thought when i was writing it and went back and added the 'time sensitivity'. If investigating these things is important at all, it is better to do it sooner both to get the info out sooner and because the evidence decays rather quickly.
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  10. #10
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    Also, reading the report was the first time I ever heard about graupel pooling under cliff bands as a potential hazard. Good info.
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  11. #11
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by glademaster View Post
    That makes sense, but does that mean that The Canyons or some other organization (WPB) is prohibited from mitigating the remaining danger in order to allow the investigation to proceed? I know that is done in other areas.

    I have to disagree with the idea that there is any sense or urgency here, given what is known about the snowpack on the PC/BCC ridge and the history of that particular area. RIP.
    is there some sort of scientific urgency to investigate the slide conditions in the current state? yes, certainly one would acknowledge that conditions change quickly etc and if you wanted to get most accurate and timely information, it would need to be collected quickly.

    BUT, are you suggesting that the ski area (or "some other org" ?) perform avy control on a backcountry slope in order to do this research?

    as far as i'm aware, Utah resorts haven't done this sort of thing and i personally wouldn't think it would be even on the list of options. if it was a rescue/recovery mission...maybe and perhaps likely yes, but a simple post-mortem research mission to confirm what we already know? ehhhh....not likely.

    backcountry is backcountry. gotta keep treating it as such.

    edit to add, i appreciated Staples' video review, as posted above. RIP
    Last edited by jmedslc; 12-17-2019 at 11:25 PM.

  13. #13
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    A known existing weak layer.

    2" H2o with strong winds.

    A human triggered avalanche.
    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"

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmedslc View Post

    BUT, are you suggesting that the ski area (or "some other org" ?) perform avy control on a backcountry slope in order to do this research?

    as far as i'm aware, Utah resorts haven't done this sort of thing and i personally wouldn't think it would be even on the list of options. if it was a rescue/recovery mission...maybe and perhaps likely yes, but a simple post-mortem research mission to confirm what we already know? ehhhh....not likely.

    backcountry is backcountry. gotta keep treating it as such.
    Maybe you underestimate the amount of explosive-based control work done by heli and cat skiing operations in terrain that is the "backcountry."

    Powderbirds used to bomb quite a bit in their tenure, is that not the case any more?

    I've certainly read accident reports that clearly state that explosive-based control work (or use of something like the Daisy Bell) was performed to allow investigators to safely access the accident site. I can't recall any specifically in Utah, but it absolutely does happen.

    Not saying it should have here, I was just pondering if it was an option.

  15. #15
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    No random tossing charges in the bc as a means of back country snow stability testing
    Is thankfully no longer part of the powder turds mo
    They still do contract work for udot it and the resorts
    Afaik
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by powdork View Post
    Also, reading the report was the first time I ever heard about graupel pooling under cliff bands as a potential hazard. Good info.
    millions of ball bearings
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  17. #17
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    Its all Ball Bearings these days.
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    I have been in this State for 30 years and I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem.

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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by powdork View Post
    Also, reading the report was the first time I ever heard about graupel pooling under cliff bands as a potential hazard. Good info.
    I've seen graupel pooled under cliffs preserved with a crust over it. Was pretty strange and caught me off guard.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by powdork View Post
    Also, reading the report was the first time I ever heard about graupel pooling under cliff bands as a potential hazard. Good info.
    Not the first time that condition has killed someone in the Wasatch. The most famous incident is the death of Roman Latta in Wolverine Cirque in 1993, but I'm sure there have been others.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by glademaster View Post
    Maybe you underestimate the amount of explosive-based control work done by heli and cat skiing operations in terrain that is the "backcountry."

    Powderbirds used to bomb quite a bit in their tenure, is that not the case any more?

    I've certainly read accident reports that clearly state that explosive-based control work (or use of something like the Daisy Bell) was performed to allow investigators to safely access the accident site. I can't recall any specifically in Utah, but it absolutely does happen.

    Not saying it should have here, I was just pondering if it was an option.
    not sure about underestimating... i live in utah and i'm not aware of resorts doing avalanche control in backcountry areas.

    yes, WPG used to do 'slope testing' w explosives, but as noted by SFB, maybe it's not used anymore. i'm not sure about that. got a buddy i could ask, i guess.

    come to think of it, i haven't seen maynerd's bare ass on a ridge in wasangeles in a while. eheheheheheheh

  21. #21
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    what is this?

  22. #22
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    ^ski forum
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  23. #23
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    Heard a short presentation on graupel acting as a weak layer last year from SAC. Steve wrote a paper on it and presented it ISSW. They used the deep slab cycle in Mt Rose area in March of 2018 as an example. In short...

    Graupel is very common in our maritime snow climate. The combination of graupel and melt freeze crusts interact with each other from year to year with, for the most part, short lived avalanche instabilities. At this point, I could not find any other data to show that a graupel layer has ever persisted for more than a couple days. The SnowPilot data points to graupel as being a relatively safe layer with lower occurrence and less unstable stability ratings compared to other weak layers. This graupel event in March 2018 seems to be a rare occurrence. Though it has occurred and should be added as one more variable that is possible to affect snow stability
    https://arc.lib.montana.edu/snow-sci...2018_P11.4.pdf

    https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.or.../se-relay-peak

  24. #24
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    I’ll let someone else post the video or the dude that took it may be on here. But new snow avy triggered in Dutch draw just skiers right of death a few weeks back. Fully caught on camera from bottom. Rider was clueless he triggered it, almost skied or boarded back into slide. The idiots are strong out there. This will be a good training video.

  25. #25
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    Last edited by fastfroggy; 12-25-2019 at 08:46 PM.
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