Japan and a little close to home..

**Creeker** · 01-29-2023, 06:04 PM

I’ll post this up and leave it…

https://mountaingazette.com/blogs/mo...anche-in-japan

My Truckee Brother in Law is best friends with the BIL of the victim.

**Tap** · 01-29-2023, 06:51 PM

Couple maggots involved. Both OK but lost their ski partner.

So sad. We need to be rallying around Gunder and Adam and the Tahoe community.

**m2711c** · 01-29-2023, 07:18 PM

That truly sucks. There was a big warm up and rain event here a few weeks ago and it’s been pounding snow ever since. There’s a pretty solid ice layer down several feet. It’s kept me from going outside of the boundaries by myself. Thought maybe I was being a pussy but maybe not. Better safe than sorry.

My sincere condolences to his family’s and friends…

**skinipenem** · 01-29-2023, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by m2711c

That truly sucks. There was a big warm up and rain event here a few weeks ago and it’s been pounding snow ever since. There’s a pretty solid ice layer down several feet. It’s kept me from going outside of the boundaries by myself. Thought maybe I was being a pussy but maybe not. Better safe than sorry.

My sincere condolences to his family’s and friends…

Stay safe m27. The upstates needs ya.

Condolences to all involved.

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**powdork** · 01-29-2023, 07:51 PM

This really hits. I lived next door to Kyle and his dad for 9 years before I moved to the west shore, and our familes had been somewhat intertwined before that.

**bodywhomper** · 01-29-2023, 08:53 PM

Really sorry to hear about this. RIP

**singlecross** · 01-29-2023, 08:59 PM

Brutal… getting hit from above in your transition zone.
Thoughts and prayers to all involved.

**benzo92** · 01-29-2023, 09:00 PM

Jesus. Condolences to everyone affected. RIP Kyle.

**yeahman** · 01-29-2023, 09:02 PM

Sad story. RIP

**powdork** · 01-29-2023, 09:16 PM

from Grant's instagram

Yesterday was my absolute worst nightmare scenario

It was supposed to be the last day of the trip so we where just out for a mellow tour to Freeski. As we had one of the best days ever skiing / shooting the day before.

We had dug a pit and then skied a line in the backcountry. I was exhausted from the last 10 days so after that run I skied down to the base lodge. Kyle and Adam chose to go back up and ski it again.

They were at the bottom with a member from another group a long way away from the base of the slope transitioning to skin out. In fact a Japanese party was doing beacon practices at that transition area the previous lap. Every one felt safe in the transition area A second skier from the other group triggered an avalanche that stepped down into a massive avalanche (2m deep crown) on an adjacent slope. The slope that they had now done two runs on didn’t slide.

Adam, Kyle and the other skier tried to run. Adam was buried 1.5 meters deep for 25 minutes and is unscathed. That is a miracle. The skier buried next to him died from internal injuries. Kyle was thrown 50 meters by the air blast and buried and killed.

Another group in the area consisting of two Canadian mountain guides and 4 or 5 emergency doctors / nurses etc as clients performed the rescue. The doctors did everything they could for Kyle and the other skier.

Adam and I will be rehashing this for the rest of our lives.

**Bunion 2020** · 01-29-2023, 09:30 PM

Shit.

RIP.

**Core Shot** · 01-30-2023, 06:52 AM

Fuck. RIP.

That’s a huge slide. And you can’t control people above you.

Vibes and hugs for Adam Ü and Gunder surviving. Hard not to play the what if game.

RIP and love for Kyle and his family and friends.

**bennymac** · 01-30-2023, 11:27 AM

fuck me that sounds like a nightmare

hanging out in a safe area and get hit like that

vibes to all affected

**Eluder** · 01-30-2023, 05:38 PM

Not cool. Sorry for all involved.

**Gunder** · 01-30-2023, 07:31 PM

At some point when the time is right for me I’ll do a more detailed post. I just want it to be clear the transition area was so far from the base of the slope everyone felt 100% safe there. Including me. Even if we had skied the meadow skipping terrain that you ski tour back out of that area from we would have still been hit in that transition area. It was unfathomable to us that a slide would go that far. There is lots of lessons to be learned. I just have too much to deal with now to process it all.

**2FUNKY** · 01-30-2023, 07:41 PM

Holy hell. So unfortunate. Condolences to all affected. Couldn’t imagine.

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**mcski** · 01-30-2023, 07:44 PM

Just awful. Vibes to everyone

**GravityDT** · 01-30-2023, 07:58 PM

Vibes to All involved…

**altasnob** · 01-31-2023, 07:44 AM

Terrible. I think we all have stopped in what we thought were safe zones that were not actually 100% safe. Safe 999 times out of a thousand. Splitboarders often don't have a choice because they can't sidestep to safe terrain. Terrible, terrible, luck.

Does Japan publish avalanche accident reports?

**bfree** · 01-31-2023, 07:59 AM

To those involved, perhaps you could calculate the Alpha angle as an example all can learn from. When you're ready, of course. Vibes, very sorry to read this.
https://www.wildsnow.com/10011/alpha...lanche-safety/

**Stuntmonkey** · 01-31-2023, 09:32 AM

This popped up on my feed from Sammy Carlson, had no idea mags were involved. Incredibly sorry for the loss and trauma. Big vibes to all

**garyfromterrace** · 01-31-2023, 01:10 PM

Condolences and healing thoughts to those involved. My wife, kid and I skied that general area a number of years ago and though I don't know details of the location and incident, (and I realize it's a big area) the terrain we were in sure seemed benign enough. Sorry Gunder and Adam.

**klar** · 01-31-2023, 01:16 PM

the other victim was a big part of the local scene around here. love and condolences to everyone hurting.

**Norseman** · 01-31-2023, 01:22 PM

Shit, sorry to all affected.

**ClarkleberryFinn** · 01-31-2023, 02:13 PM

This is really just incredibly sad and sounds like truly terrible luck.

I knew Schöffi - the Austrian who was killed - a little bit, but not well. Always a really nice guy and a bit of a legend in the Austrian scene, who the last years had started doing a lot to mentor and coach the next generation of Innsbruck skiers.

Just for the record, he always seemed to be truly careful and respectful in terms of backcountry travel and avalanche safety. If any of you saw the Innsbruck Powder People movie posted on the main TGR home page here in autumn, Schöffi was the guy who decided not to ski one of the lines (which the others skied) because it looked too loaded and dangerous to him.