Deadly Avalanche in Washington

[UVSHTSTRM]

......3 dead 8 injured/missing.

adding brief article from cnn, this only happened a few hours ago so still very little news in regards to this.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/19/us/washington-avalanche-deaths/index.html

 

[snowmonster]

Updated story:

http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiin...avalanche-washington-stevens-pass-kills-three

RIP to the victims. Our ski fraternity has lost three good men. Thoughts and prayers to them and their families.

 

[jaja111]

Horrible news from a horrible season. Reports indicated there were 19 inches of fresh blower on top of a thick crust frozen from a rain event earlier. The snow pack where there is snow is a ticking time bomb and the rest of the country just has little to no snow pack. Why can't North America just have one "regular" winter? Its always extreme this or extreme that lately.

Ski in Peace for those who passed and vibes to their families and friends.

 

[deadheadskier]

indeed

Ski in Peace

 

[Nick]

Ski in peace .....

 

[SIKSKIER]

Saw an interview with one of the survivors.She deployed her avi bag and claims it worked really well and credited it with saving her.

 

[AdironRider]

Avi forcast was high, with over a foot of fresh snow on a horrible sliding layer. They were practically asking for it.

Those airbags sure are getting lots of proof they work this year.

 

[carbonXshell]

Saw an interview with one of the survivors.She deployed her avi bag and claims it worked really well and credited it with saving her.

Skier deploys airbag, rides avalanche to safety; 3 others killed in WA...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017551390_avalanche20m.html

Saugstad, who skis frequently in Europe, where inflatable emergency air bags are popular in the backcountry, opened hers. It allowed her to stay largely on the slide's surface.

 

[legalskier]

Avalanches on the Rise for Thrill-Seeking Skiers
*** ...increasingly those who put themselves in harm’s way seem not to be careless novices but rather experts pushing the limits of safety.
Among the victims in Washington was Jim Jack, the longtime head judge of the Freeskiing World Tour, who was killed with two other experienced backcountry skiers near the Stevens Pass ski area. Their party of 13, all of whom were buried in snow to some degree, included professional skiers and ski journalists.
“It’s mostly the hard-core riders, people who know better,” Bruce Tremper, the director of the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center, said recently of the trend of experts testing their skills against the backcountry, no matter the conditions. “In the past, we felt once you’re in the hard-core category, you’re more low risk for us. But now with the films and the videos, everybody is pushing it to the extreme.” ***
Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/s...e-rise-for-thrill-seeking-skiers.html?_r=1&hp

 

[riverc0il]

I am interested in hearing the stories from the survivors. The reports that I have read indicate this was a VERY experienced group of skiers that thought they had mitigated the risk and were safe. How does the rest of the skiing world respond to this? We have seen a lot of avalanches deaths over the years, but this is very prolific in the amount of experience involved.

I am sure this incident will sell a lot of avi air bags. This isn't the first instance in which the device was credited with saving a life. Though three dead without air bags and one alive with air bags seems greater than chance.

 

[legalskier]

I am interested in hearing the stories from the survivors.

Survivor: Wash. Avalanche 'Horror Story'
*** Powder Magazine senior editor John Stifter, who witnessed the slide that killed three of his skiing companions Sunday, said one person survived by bear-hugging a tree and holding on as the snow barreled over him. Another skier who was caught in the slide was saved when she deployed an air bag designed to keep her afloat. "It's an absolute horror story," Stifter said Monday. ***

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2107332,00.html#ixzz1n2VITX3V

 

[drjeff]

So the avi air bag worked in this slide, but didn't work in the slide we were discussing here about a week or 2 ago.

VERY short term 50% success and mortality rates with it

 

[mriceyman]

Ya but without the air bag we woud be talking about another death guaranteed.

 

[UVSHTSTRM]

I thought I had heard that one of the people who died was also using an avi bag, but the bag along with an avi lung both were crushed in the avalanche.

 

[riverc0il]

So the avi air bag worked in this slide, but didn't work in the slide we were discussing here about a week or 2 ago.

VERY short term 50% success and mortality rates with it

Yea, nice complete rigorous research there, what, quoting only two instances and all. :roll:

 

[drjeff]

Yea, nice complete rigorous research there, what, quoting only two instances and all. :roll:

Notice how I did preface it with VERY short term. With a n of 2, you can't draw any real conclusions either way for sure. I'm sure though that the developers would rather have a 100% success rate with the recent reports of it's use though