Heliskiing fatalities near Nelson, BC

[oltrepiave]

As another Euro guy I'd be pretty startled by the vastness of the terrain. I wouldn't know how to compare forecasting in the Alps, it is great indeed in well-known zones (eg Switzerland) but in Italy or Slovenia it can be a bit more "generalist" given how much more densely skied and populated the famous lines and zones are. I also think weather patterns can be interpreted more easily given the reduced space in which they function and also given the reduced variability in altitude. In lesser known wilder areas you do get pretty gnarly elevation gains but at least where I live most of that means that you will always start walking. Once you do start skinning nuances within the snowpacks are easier to spot and manage imo.

[The Nuclear Option]

Are there any pictures out there of the terrain involved?

[jono]

This is a fair question. Also agreed this is Slide Zone.

This is subjective to me, myself and I. I have a pre- disposition to find reasons to ski. Taking that into account there are times when I prefer to remove myself from a situation where there is possibility to be tempted.

Someone else pointed out that, in Southern BC, there is a transition time when snowpack goes from winter to spring considerations.

TO ME, this means I start thinking about low probability high consequences slides. The reason is often ( but not always) that previously buried or dormant persistent weak layers come into play. When there are big state changes, occurring over short periods of time, I stop skiing in the backcountry (or ski gentle slopes) until I feel better about snowpack.

These changes can be strong winds, lots of snowfall, temperature swings etc. But then I have luxury of time constraints and fiscal constraints to wait it out. Alternatively to select something else to do than ski b/"c

Hope this helps

This sounds a lot like how I approach that zone (speaking broadly) and the forecasts form a pretty accurate (IME) part of that decision process. I rarely, if ever, discount them. It does help that even on high days there are safe places to go enjoy the mountains when there's no heli-$ pressure. But if it's true that happiness is easier to find with a helicopter, there should be even more options.

Good discussion. I'm not in the habit of calling that kind of avalanche low probability/high consequence, but it reflects the wicked learning environment that even on a high day past experience could make this seem unlikely.

RIP and sorry for everyone's loss.

[TahoeJ]

That’s how I think of it. Low prob / high consequence is scary as shit. Fortunately we don’t have much of it in California compared to say, Colorado.

[old goat]

Professional freeride skiers, like tightrope walkers and race car drivers, take risks the rest of us wouldn't think of taking, at least if they want to keep earning a living at it. You don't go into that line of working without accepting the risk. Skiing like Stein doesn't cut it any more.OTOH I would think it would be easier for them to take the day off than for the client for whom the trip is once in a lifetime so less pressure on the operator to go.

[Shredeagle]

Our best friends fuck up and die. Doesn’t mean they are bad people or made bad decisions. They are just living the ski life and it’s hard for the rest of us and that shit called life ain’t always fair. But still our best friends and we will love them to the end. One love. Keep shredding the pow. It’s a good life. It’s the ski life. Just raise those kids like they are your own, put one foot in front of the other, and be there for each other. None of us would have had it any other way. Make connections from the ashes and keep on living. It’s not worth it but it was all fucking worth it. Love to all my brothers. RIP.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Angle Parking]

this ^^^^

[Dantheman]

Also, all of us have made decisions that could or should have killed us but we got away with it, myself very much included.

[Dantheman]

https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/QgVQejjQ

[pappag]

<p>

Our best friends fuck up and die. Doesn&rsquo;t mean they are bad people or made bad decisions. They are just living the ski life and it&rsquo;s hard for the rest of us and that shit called life ain&rsquo;t always fair. But still our best friends and we will love them to the end. One love. Keep shredding the pow. It&rsquo;s a good life. It&rsquo;s the ski life. Just raise those kids like they are your own, put one foot in front of the other, and be there for each other. None of us would have had it any other way. Make connections from the ashes and keep on living. It&rsquo;s not worth it but it was all fucking worth it. Love to all my brothers. RIP. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

<br />
Very kind words ... and absolutley, I&#39;m sure we each had more than a dozen days (more 2 or 3 dozen) where we skied something that slid just a day or two later ... same slope and everything.&nbsp;</p>

[Core Shot]

Tried to quote. It’s broken. Whatev. But that kudoboard link by dtm was awesome. Chill dude. Living the dream. Rip. Valhalla

[xcboard]

Are we going to get a play by play of what happened?

[Darren Jakal]

Not a lot to say or learn from an event like this where those that died did not cause the avalanche that killed them.

Wrong place at the wrong time.

[hutash]

Having only heli skied once, I am certainly poorly informed about over all operations, but on our recent CMH trip near by to this, I am curious of opinions about the heli outfits assessments of avi risks. We were delayed two out of four days while they flew into the terrain to evaluate weather and avi conditions, which at the time were rated considerable. I do not know what level of avi training they have, but do know they get out to dig pits and drop some bombs, so, I expect, they may have a better pin point knowledge for specific zones or runs that the forecast agency doesn't have, at least until the operations reports get shared...which I assume happens???

Avi science is not perfect at predictions, but do the heli ops have more specific info on their particular zones that the general forecast does not?

[North]

^^^Yes. The heli ops have more info about their specific tenure because they are making observations in that terrain daily. Pretty much any service that has paying clients and is allowing those clients to recreate in avalanche terrain (heli guiding, cat guiding, backcountry hut operators) has access to InfoEx which allows the ops to catalogue and share avalanche observations that are not available to the public.

[Angle Parking]

InfoEx being unavailable to the public speaks volumes about heli, cat, lodge, guided operations. Duty of care is not in their lexicon apparently.