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Man lost in crevasse at Tuckermans

SIKSKIER

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Bleak outlook for this guy.


MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H. -- The situation is not looking good for a Boston man who fell into a deep crevasse while hiking in New Hampshire on Sunday, officials said.
Norman Priebatsch fell 20 feet down a slope and then into the crevasse around 3:30 p.m. He was hiking with a group of three near the northern flanks of Tuckerman Ravine when the accident happened.
White Mountain National Forest spokeswoman Tiffany Benna said the conditions are too dangerous for search crews to go out there today.
She said the weather conditions are similar to May, rather than April, and ice and snow are falling and melting.
Benna said the tunnel Priebatsch is in has been narrowed to 4 feet and it's too risky to search.
She said at no point has Priebatsch ever responded to the calls of fellow hikers or rescuers.

Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/30825182/detail.html#ixzz1r0WZDtgS
http://www.wmur.com/news/30825182/detail.html
 

Nick

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Wow, what a horrible story.

Priebatsch, his son and others were hiking in the bowl about 3:30 p.m. Sunday when he fell. Witnesses told officials he slid over a rock band and continued down the slope and into the crevasse.

I can't even imagine watching a family member go through that.... absolutely horrifying.
 

thetrailboss

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Wow that is one deep crevasse....40-50 feet down and still no sign of the guy? Holy sh$%!
 

Cornhead

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Tux is a stunningly beautiful place, but it's also deadly. When I was there last May, I was booting up at Lunch Rocks, a huge block of ice tumbled past me. It had to weigh several hundred pounds. Can't imagine his Son witnessing this, horrible. Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.
 

Nick

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It sounds like he got washed down into the stream running under the snowpack.

I don't know how anyone else feels about this but I would almost hope he was dead from the fall before that happened. I can't imagine being pinned in some horrible runoff 30' underground just waiting to die.

Ugh ... sorry for the morbid thoughts. I can't even imagine.
 

fbrissette

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This is sad and terrible, but what were they doing hiking directly above the main crevasse ? It seems they had been to Tuckerman before so it's even more difficult to understand. When the main crevasse opens up (between the lip and lunchrock as stated in the newspaper article), you have no business anywhere above it, unless you are the ultimate thrill seeker or have a death wish. The headwall is wide, and unless you are the eastern reincarnation of Shane McConkey, I fail to see why anyone would pick a line where a fall almost certainly means death. This ain't a glacier crevasse, but a huge drop along the rock face carved by melting snow.

Sadly, this has happened before. Best wished to the family and friends.
 

thetrailboss

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I don't know how anyone else feels about this but I would almost hope he was dead from the fall before that happened. I can't imagine being pinned in some horrible runoff 30' underground just waiting to die.

Ugh ... sorry for the morbid thoughts. I can't even imagine.

Yeah, it is terrible.
 

andyzee

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Feel bad for the guy that this thread about, but some folks just don't use common sense, and not saying that was the case here. Last year saw this guy climbing over crevasse's, couldn't believe it.

main.php
 

Nick

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Unfortunate ... http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/bostonglobe/guestbook.aspx?n=norman-priebatsch&pid=156851966

Story from his son:

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/04/...d-on-mt-washington-recalls-terrifying-ordeal/

Priebatsch says he was about 40 feet in front of his dad when somehow, Norman loss his footing.

“My dad, an aggressive guy, but he’s really solid about safety so he had proper crampons on,” said Priebatsch. “He slipped hit his head and we believe this knocked him unconscious.”

Priebatsch’s father slid down the mountain about 20 feet past his son and then over a lip. Priebatsch immediately began sliding after his father.

“I went over the lip as well, but maybe eight feet to left of him,” says Seth.

Priebatsch’s father fell more than 70 feet into the crevasse.

“I spent the 45 seconds just freaking and screaming into a hole,” said Priebatsch. “We threw down flashlights and jackets and anything we had.”

Rescuers have still not been able to recover Priebatsch’s dad’s body. Priebatsch said that not only did he lose his dad, but a mentor and his best friend who taught him so much about life.
 
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