CB Avalanche Accident

**ill-advised strategy** · 12-27-2020, 07:12 AM

You’re right, I was just a corn fed rental gear Indiana heehaw flailing around like a scud missile and the world is lucky Jeff Schneider was there to intervene.
Glad you popped up here to straighten that all out.

**Bunion 2020** · 12-27-2020, 08:44 AM

Pissing on someones grave is an action that is best done in private. It benefits no one.

Good luck.

**Name Redacted** · 12-27-2020, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by Bunion 2020

Pissing on someones grave is an action that is best done in private. It benefits no one.

Good luck.

^This.

Show some class.

**tang** · 12-27-2020, 09:24 AM

Back to the snodgrass report... one easy decision is to just always bring avy gear. Don’t make it a debate or decision. Even if you don’t intend to ski avy terrain, life intervenes. For example, maybe you come across another in an accident. Avy gear is so interesting in that you carry it for others. Always bring it, make sure it’s a real shovel and not some light plastic POS, make sure your probe is sufficient for the snowpack depth. And then do your best to never need it!

**goldenboy** · 12-27-2020, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by m104da

Back to the snodgrass report... one easy decision is to just always bring avy gear. Don’t make it a debate or decision. Even if you don’t intend to ski avy terrain, life intervenes. For example, maybe you come across another in an accident. Avy gear is so interesting in that you carry it for others. Always bring it, make sure it’s a real shovel and not some light plastic POS, make sure your probe is sufficient for the snowpack depth. And then do your best to never need it!

All very true. And in the case of Schnoid, even though he was solo it made it easier to find him with his beacon.

Originally Posted by bean

Did they pick up their kids in time?

Easy to ridicule for sure, but external factors come into play all the time, whether that means being distracted by job or relationship issues, being late for work/dinner plans/ and yes, even picking up kids. And then there are really cold temps or wind, which can rush the decision making process as well.

**bean** · 12-27-2020, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by goldenboy

Easy to ridicule for sure, but external factors come into play all the time, whether that means being distracted by job or relationship issues, being late for work/dinner plans/ and yes, even picking up kids. And then there are really cold temps or wind, which can rush the decision making process as well.

For sure, but the report led me to believe the choice to ski the 'reportedly-good' avalanche terrain without rescue gear was driven only be desire to ski something fun, and schedule issues just pushed them to keep skiing it and go faster.

Those parents made a decision that came close to leaving their kids orphans, that bothers me a lot more than the avy-specific part of this to be honest.

**yeahman** · 12-27-2020, 10:10 AM

Man, I remember so many times my wife and I were rushing to get back to town to pick up the kids at school or daycare. When you're a parent of little kids you often have to cram outdoor activites into small windows of time like that. I do recall we would put a backup plan in place when we were elk hunting, in case we shot an elk and had to deal with packing it out. A backup plan for the kids getting picked up is a good idea for risky activities like bc skiing or climbing or whatever, when shit can go sideways.

**~mikey b** · 12-27-2020, 10:31 AM

always carry avalanche gear, and beep even if you’re solo

stick to the plan

**Foggy_Goggles** · 12-27-2020, 10:45 AM

All I can ask is that we all reflect on both how important it is to make consistently awesome decisions and how challenging that can be.

Personally, solo ski touring is about the best therapy for my mental health condition. When conditions make it unsafe, like today, I struggle. But thats my life. I need to make the hard decisions for myself, my loved ones and my community. I'm gonna go chop wood and XC a bit later.

**El Kanone** · 12-27-2020, 11:12 AM

How would avy gear prevent a broken leg?

**tang** · 12-27-2020, 11:31 AM

^^^Uh, the issue isn't the broke leg. He's lucky he wrapped the tree and broke his leg

**zartagen** · 12-27-2020, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by CMSIV

Not sure exactly what you are trying to accomplish by posting your thoughts about the deceased. From an unbiased perspective you're argument is pretty pathetic. Are you really still upset (and/or unwilling to reflect) about the responsibility of your behavior from an incident when you were 19? Sadly in the spirit of this thread all humans are fallible, maybe use this an opportunity to learn.

I don't know who you are, but I know IAS is a kindhearted, good man that suffered some kind of trauma at the hands of this guy. Some of you may idolize Jeff because he skied what he wanted, when he wanted, by himself. I, for one, can see straight through that as a purely selfish pursuit. Dying alone in an avalanche does not make one a hero. Leaving behind a legacy of heroic actions makes one a hero. Whether you like it or not, how this man treated IAS is part of his legacy, and that does not sound very heroic.

**zartagen** · 12-27-2020, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by muted

Nobody gives a shit that you skied x amount of great lines in your lifetime to please yourself. Your legacy is only how you treated others, not what you skied.

(And damn it, I need to take my own advice. Not that I've skied anything worth mentioning.)

This.