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The backcountry, it's getting sketchy...

6K views 38 replies 14 participants last post by  snowjab 
#1 ·
Things are getting nasty or are about to get nasty for most of us in the West. Check your local avalanche center for conditions. The dreaded black rose is appearing for most areas above 7k in the PNW. Can you say deadly? Other elevations appear to be all red. "High" avalanche danger. No question there will be avalanches if you travel in the wrong terrain.

Utah and Colorado are just starting to get hammered. Both states snow packs are absolute crap. Large propagating avalanches are going to be the norm for the next few days. The facets are probably going to be a persistent problem for weeks if not months in either state. It won't take much to trigger these.

If you don't know your local avalanche centers website, Avalanche.org has them all linked on the map on it's homepage.

If you haven't been paying attention to the daily reports, now would be a good time to do so.

Make good decisions out there.
 
#9 ·
2 things, so I have no BC experience is this considered a slab avalanche? also when it slid it seemed to stop rather quickly, is this because the terrain was not as steep as some other avalanches i have seen?

Vibes to the skiers family RIP
 
#3 ·
Holy crap at that video! It's hard to tell from the video, but that honestly doesn't even look like what one would normally even consider avy terrain. Certainly doesn't look 30 degrees from me based on that video.

You'll find me inbounds pretty much exclusively for quite some time. I'm not experienced enough to fuck with this bullshit.
 
#5 ·
That is ugly, no doubt. Not a slope your typical Utah backcountry skier would consider dangerous too.

I'll be getting out Sunday, but terrain selection will be seriously limited. Fortunately, there are a lot of safe options at Bert even on high avy danger days. Of course there are a lot of deadly options too. I'll take the former please.
 
#7 ·
I hope the forthcoming storm jerks everything down and we start over....

That's about the best option at this point.... Still won't be seeing me doing much on my board for a while.
 
#10 · (Edited)
A skier died in Aspen in an avalanche not three hours after this thread was started. RIP Not seeing anything on CAIC about it yet but here's the Denver Post article: Pitkin County names snowboarder killed today, skier killed in separate accident to be named later - The Denver Post
Still very little info on this. John Snook from CAIC put a tweet up about it yesterday before I signed off for the day. Not 100% sure, but it sounds like a skier got carried over cliffs and buried. The CAIC should have a preliminary report up later today.

A snowboarder was also killed, though not avalanche related. Sounds like he pinballed off of some trees and was impaled through the chest by a branch. Brutal.

RIP to those souls.

I won't say don't get out, but those who do, it's really time to watch your terrain selection and angles. If you can't dial it back, don't go out. Everything is at the tipping point right now.

*Edit the CAIC Preliminary report*
 
#15 ·
Another good video from the UAC and Park City Ski patrol doing avalanche control. Bruce Tremper shows why the snow pack is so crappy this year in Utah and Colorado. If this doesn't set off warning alarms for you, nothing will.
Saw that video when they posted it up on facespace. It is an awesome video for sure. There are reports of wide spread natural occurring here since last night 15" or so fell and I am stuck at work :thumbsdown:
 
#13 ·
It's the price you pay for super light dry powder. That layer is way more pronounced than in years past. In fact I have never seen so much of it. Everyone is freaking out, which is a good thing, since that means they are thinking about it. Once it gets buried deep enough, the facets will turn to rounds and bond. That will take weeks though.
 
#16 ·
Well, it's started snowing in the mountains here. 2-4" at most places overnight, but it is still snowing. I am thinking we'll be in the two-three foot zone by Monday morning. The real story is the winds. 90mph gusts were forecasted for yesterday. 60's today. Brutal winds. Hopefully they calm down. I'll check it out on Sunday. My guess is we are going to be doing some very low angle stuff...
 
#19 ·
Diddo. No BC for me until I take a full fledged avy course including practice with the equiptment. I've said it before and I'll say it again. This forum may have saved my life. thanks guys.

(aside - Branch through the chest!?!?!? damn.... what a gruesome site to stumble upon)
thoughts with the families of those that perished.
 
#23 ·
Had to borrow this from TGR.
http://i.imgur.com/0Vxvm.jpg

That is by far the biggest slide I have ever seen in the Current Creek Cirque aka Ten Little Indians. That area is well known as the most dangerous on the pass. It slides frequently, but generally not huge. This is just ridiculous.

*Took the embed out, too freakin' huge. Didn't want to take the photo and resize as it is not my work.*
 
#24 ·
That was way big. The whole bowl went. Craziness.

For sure would've been fun to watch! That area is dangerous as hell. Conditions have to be pretty much perfect to evwn consider it. Even in perfect conditions, you're still going to be putting yourself in significant danger of getting caught by a cornice collapse. It's just bad news over there.
 
#25 ·
That area is one of just a few spots on the pass I have never put a track down. The frequent slides with the cornice collapse danger make runs down Ten Little Indians generally suicidal. Plus the vert is short and bottom of it kind of sucks to get out of.

There are plenty of places to get great views of that cirque and I have seen a few slides occur there from those spots. Pretty sweet when you actually get to see an avalanche happen from a great view point.
 
#30 ·
I would still like to make it out. Seems that there are plenty of safer lines to do around the Wasatch. Sadly enough *sigh* it seems that Ben Lomond is going to have to wait yet another season.

It's just one of "those" years.

Spring corn should be good this year, if we get a good spring. If sunny a spring hit right now, everything would melt out within two weeks. There is enough snow to have fun, in the limited terrain that is safe enough to ride.
 
#35 ·
That ECT is about the scariest kind you can get. Generally you can get away with riding it, but if you find the sweet spot it will go big. Normally that would be a yellow flag, but considering the snow pack this season I would classify that as a red flag result.

Ugh...
 
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