Mt Washington Avalanche Death

[ckofer]

Not to load up AZ with bad news but this seems appropriate:

Tennessee Man Dies In Avalanche On Mount Washington

POSTED: 10:25 am EST January 20, 2008
UPDATED: 5:03 pm EST January 20, 2008


PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. -- Authorities have recovered the body of a Tennessee man who died in an avalanche on (New Hampshire's) Mount Washington. Thirty-nine-year-old Peter Roux of Bartlett, Tenn., was climbing a gully in Huntington Ravine on Friday about three miles from the trailhead in Pinkham Notch. Rescue crews began searching for him Friday night after a friend reported him missing. His body was found early Saturday morning on the east side of the mountain. U.S. Forest Service snow rangers, members of the Mountain Rescue Service and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue all helped with the search. Authorities remind all winter hikers and climbers to check Forest Service's daily avalanche warnings before heading out and to be prepared with proper equipment.

[ChileMass]

Apparently the climber is a Maine native and quite well-experienced in the the Whites, so this shows it could happen to anybody. Have fun but be careful out there.....

[riverc0il]

Originally Posted by ChileMass

Apparently the climber is a Maine native and quite well-experienced in the the Whites, so this shows it could happen to anybody.

Indeed. And while this could also have happened at a lower avalanche danger rating, the danger rating was "High" according to this report:
http://www.tuckerman.org/accident/20072008.htm

[ckofer]

I posted this as a caution-not just for hikers. I have a friend coming up from Florida who has more courage than skill and he was suggesting that he'd like to explore Tuckerman's for riding. I'm sure he's not alone in his ambitions.

[cbcbd]

I spoke to the Hermit Lake caretaker on Sunday and he and other rescuers presume that he probably left before the avy report was posted in the pack room (avy report "only" gets posted in Pinkham at around 8-9am, which is a pretty "late" start for some trips). The avy ratings for Thursday were at Low so that is the last posting he saw.

He was an experienced climber who had been in the ravines before and had done his NH 48, some in harsh winter conditions.

Very very sad, and my thoughts are with his family.

[Marc]

Experienced climber/skier/rider does not have much to do with the ability to forecast, assess and plan around avalanche hazards. It is not a skill that can be learned from experience, it a skill that must be taught and practiced. The safest thing for one that does not have the ability to assess avalanche hazard and plan accordingly is to avoid avalanche terrain, not just for your safety but the safety of your potential rescue crew.

[dmc]

I've become a little less hardlined about solo BC travel over the years..
Mainly due to a guy i know from the TFT site - who's made me see and understand the thrill and adventure of going it alone..

I think it was a tragic set of events.. And if the rangers head over to HR and see hangfire and or other scarey snow features - they aren't going to look for someone without being sure it's safe first...

[deadheadskier]

Originally Posted by dmc

I've become a little less hardlined about solo BC travel over the years..
Mainly due to a guy i know from the TFT site - who's made me see and understand the thrill and adventure of going it alone..

Whether smart or not, I've always had a certain thrill by going it alone. It's certainly not Washington, but I'd say 90% of the decents I've made from the Chin on Mansfield have been solo. I just find the thrill of being by yourself with nature heightens the focus and thrill.

This said, I would never contemplate doing something like Washington with such severe Avalanche risks alone. It's also a WAY bigger commitment considering how far you have to hike to get to the goods.

Definitely a very sad and tragic situation for this experienced BC hiker.

[cbcbd]

I don't think the "going alone" aspect of this story really matters. Alone or with someone else with equal avalanche knowledge (which could mean "no" knowledge) wouldn't necessarily have done much in this case...other than maybe saved them if they were roped up in any way - but still not a guarantee:
http://tuckerman.org/accident/20022003.htm

Honestly, the amount of hikers and climbers that think about what avalanche danger is is a lot lower than the number of skiers. Go into any AIARE course and you'll probably see a 5:1 of skiers to hikers/climbers. I'm not saying this is good, it's just that skiing 35-45 degree slopes of powder is a skiers dream... while it's better to climb boilerplate or just ice.

I don't know the victim's avalanche awareness, but I am pretty sure from seeing what happened, that he probably hadn't taken any classes on the subject or else he would've been a lot more cautious about going in there in those conditions.

Sometimes we get lucky and we get by, but sometimes we don't. It's sad to see that he didn't come out of this and learn a lesson instead of dying. I set off a small slab on Central gully last year after a small snowfall and a rating of Moderate in the ravines... I scared myself s&*#less and learned from it.

Originally Posted by dmc

And if the rangers head over to HR and see hangfire and or other scarey snow features - they aren't going to look for someone without being sure it's safe first...

I agree. The rescuers are very aware that their safety comes first in these situations. In this case they left the scene Friday night since they couldn't look at the ravine and assess the danger, so they came back Sat morning. If someone is stuck out there and there is constant snowfall and High avy danger everywhere, they'll just make that person wait. I am not saying they see no risk in rescues, it's just that they are very good at what they do and they know they won't endanger more lives in the process.

[snoseek]

very very sad-everyone be careful out there.

I've gone into BC solo quite a bit this year, it forces me into the lower angle trees because I am not cool with wind loaded scary snowpacks. It can be done if you research and never underestimate the situation. Presidentials can be frightening in winter.