Skier falls and dies on Mt Washington amugst multiple rescues this weekend

[skimagic]

The official report is out. Two of the skiers fell down the lip the other down hillman's Highway.

Long sliding fall fatality; Tuckerman Ravine, Mount Washington – Mount Washington Avalanche Center

www.mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org

 

[So Inclined]

The official report is out. Two of the skiers fell down the lip the other down hillman's Highway.

Long sliding fall fatality; Tuckerman Ravine, Mount Washington – Mount Washington Avalanche Center

www.mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org

"Among the assisting bystanders for Patient 1 was a critical care physician, who assessed injuries incompatible with life, sustained during the fall."

I'm not an expert in medical/emergency services phraseology, but the way I parse this, that bystanding critical care doc (what luck for pt 2!!) could see the young woman was gone instantly - or almost instantly anyway. It's chilling to read that. It must have been an awful scene.

 

[BodeMiller1]

Its warming up. Let the games begin, you aint seen nothing yet.

 

[thetrailboss]

"Among the assisting bystanders for Patient 1 was a critical care physician, who assessed injuries incompatible with life, sustained during the fall."

I'm not an expert in medical/emergency services phraseology, but the way I parse this, that bystanding critical care doc (what luck for pt 2!!) could see the young woman was gone instantly - or almost instantly anyway. It's chilling to read that. It must have been an awful scene.

I read the report--thanks for the link. Jesus that sounds terrible. She was pretty much dead right there. The report discusses how they evacuated the other victim, and the the third one, but did not get her body out until 10pm. I guess that the only silver lining was that it was a quick death.

The conditions were downright treacherous it seems. The decision to go up Tux in these conditions is pretty absurd. The report indicates that the ice up high was likely so firm that ski edges and ice axes could not penetrate it. Unreal!

And these comments say a lot:

Prior to the accidents on Saturday March 9th, several long sliding falls were witnessed that did not result in serious injury. It’s difficult to predict conditions that are conducive to this hazard because of the dramatic and unpredictable weather off the summit of Mount Washington. These weather impacts at ravine elevations are not necessarily the same in terrain at lower elevations. Snow conditions, in particular, can be soft and edgeable at the beginning of an ascent, then rapidly transition to firm ice that is impenetrable with ski edges and ice axes. The higher into terrain visitors travel, the more consequential a fall may be.

National Forests, like the White Mountain National Forest, are resources open to anyone and everyone who wants to visit and explore these beautiful places. Tuckerman Ravine presents an extremely high risk environment for skiers, climbers, and hikers that is often perceived as an easy access location for backcountry adventures. Because of this, the ravine sees thousands of visitors throughout the winter and spring. However, the terrain is technical, unmitigated for hazards, unpredictable, and remote. Access to rescue resources are extremely limited and often transport to Advanced Life Support can be hours away. Forest Service staff and committed volunteers do their best to provide messaging and rescue services to their fellow outdoor enthusiasts, but the tragic events of this incident underline the reality of this iconic terrain.

Really sad for the family, but there were some very bad decisions made here.