BC Avy Deaths over the holiday weekend - Page 2 - Snowboarding Forum

**killclimbz** · 01-03-2012, 03:36 PM

Just got through watching the video. That guy is so damn lucky he's not dead. That is a rough ride he took.

The video report pretty much tells all.

Very lucky.

david_z · 01-03-2012, 03:57 PM

Nasty start to the season, the guy in Revy actually worked as VP of something-or-other at the same company as my wife. She tells me he was on a trip with & paid for by one of their customers. Seems odd, from a corporate risk management perspective, to take vendor/client employees on such an excursion but what do I know.

linvillegorge · 01-03-2012, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david_z

Nasty start to the season, the guy in Revy actually worked as VP of something-or-other at the same company as my wife. She tells me he was on a trip with & paid for by one of their customers. Seems odd, from a corporate risk management perspective, to take vendor/client employees on such an excursion but what do I know.

When you make the rules, the rules don't apply to you.

snowvols · 01-03-2012, 04:26 PM

Wow my work would never let that fly. I think we are not able to accept gifts over 50 bones from a supplier.

The CAIC video is crazy. Looks like some super fun terrain though for sure. I am excited if I get to come out that way this year. If it ever snows enough to have a spring season.

I have been following the canadian avalanche center pretty closely for my trip this weekend. It appears they have more snow but they also have some problems in their snowpack as well on Rogers Pass. Hopefully this next storm comes in and nukes it and everything settles quickly.

lonerider · 01-06-2012, 04:34 PM

Seperate incident

Report: Mont. avalanche victim ignored warning - Nation - TheState.com

Quote:

Two Montana men killed in avalanches near Cooke City last weekend knew the avalanche danger in the area was high, and one didn't heed a warning from two other skiers who had turned back after triggering a snow slide that buried one of them up to their waist, investigators said.

"We see it time and again," said Mark Staples with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. "It's rare that things are subtle. We see the clues, but we choose to ignore them. I've been guilty of it, too."

The report on the death of Dave Gaillard, 44, of Bozeman, said he and his wife, Kerry, had followed the tracks of two other backcountry skiers out of Cooke City on the morning of Dec. 31. About 1.5 miles into their trip, the Gaillards encountered the other skiers who said they turned around at the Wyoming border after triggering a slide on a steep hill.

The Gaillards continued to the end of the other skiers' tracks at the border, where they turned on their avalanche transceivers.

Kerry Corcoran Gaillard told investigators they were nervous because the snow kept collapsing as they skied, the report said. She said they were looking for a place to eat lunch when the avalanche hit at 2:20 p.m., burying her husband.

Kerry Gaillard turned her transceiver to "receive," but the unit's batteries were weak and she was unable to locate him. She went back to Cooke City to report the avalanche at about 5 p.m.

**killclimbz** · 01-06-2012, 04:46 PM

Besides for continuing on with plenty of warnings, sometimes that just happens...

The batteries were weak? They turned on their beacons after they reached the end of the ski track? Talk about bad mistakes. Your beacon should be "on at the car, off at the bar", end of story. Included in that should be a beacon check to make sure you have enough battery power. Talk about setting yourself up for failure. Batteries are not expensive people, keep them fresh in your beacon, and turn the damn thing on as soon as you step out of the car...

walove · 01-07-2012, 11:53 AM

the hayden creek incident is the same as the one posted by lonerider, their dog was also buried and thought dead, then showed up at their hotel in cooke four days later. Things arn't looking good here in montana, 26in base at the ski area, backcounrty is super sketchy, with a week of dry weather in the forecast. Lets hope for safer decisions when the snow falls again. Two avy deaths in montana all of last year, and two in the same day this year.

**killclimbz** · 01-07-2012, 01:26 PM

Treat it like you are dealing with a continental (which you are) snow pack this year and you'll do ago. For a good portion of the west, I got a hunch the trophy lines won't go down until the spring freeze thaw sets in.

01-03-2012, 03:57 PM	#12 (permalink)
david_z Official SBF Blogger Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Detroit suburbs Posts: 3,027 Blog Entries: 5	Nasty start to the season, the guy in Revy actually worked as VP of something-or-other at the same company as my wife. She tells me he was on a trip with & paid for by one of their customers. Seems odd, from a corporate risk management perspective, to take vendor/client employees on such an excursion but what do I know. __________________ Repping the world's smallest mountains... Mt. Holly - 12 Pine Knob - 9 Alpine Valley - 2 Vail - 4 Breckenridge - 3 Crystal Mountain (MI) - 3 Hawk Island Snow Park - 5 Caberfae Peaks - 1 Boyne Mountain - 1 aGNARchy: no rules, just gnar!

01-07-2012, 11:53 AM	#17 (permalink)
walove Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Bozeman/Seattle Posts: 659	the hayden creek incident is the same as the one posted by lonerider, their dog was also buried and thought dead, then showed up at their hotel in cooke four days later. Things arn't looking good here in montana, 26in base at the ski area, backcounrty is super sketchy, with a week of dry weather in the forecast. Lets hope for safer decisions when the snow falls again. Two avy deaths in montana all of last year, and two in the same day this year. __________________ SHRED HAPPENS

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01-03-2012, 03:36 PM	#11 (permalink)
killclimbz Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Front Range Posts: 9,166	Just got through watching the video. That guy is so damn lucky he's not dead. That is a rough ride he took. The video report pretty much tells all. Very lucky.

01-03-2012, 04:26 PM	#14 (permalink)
snowvols Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 1,388	Wow my work would never let that fly. I think we are not able to accept gifts over 50 bones from a supplier. The CAIC video is crazy. Looks like some super fun terrain though for sure. I am excited if I get to come out that way this year. If it ever snows enough to have a spring season. I have been following the canadian avalanche center pretty closely for my trip this weekend. It appears they have more snow but they also have some problems in their snowpack as well on Rogers Pass. Hopefully this next storm comes in and nukes it and everything settles quickly.

01-06-2012, 04:46 PM	#16 (permalink)
killclimbz Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Front Range Posts: 9,166	Besides for continuing on with plenty of warnings, sometimes that just happens... The batteries were weak? They turned on their beacons after they reached the end of the ski track? Talk about bad mistakes. Your beacon should be "on at the car, off at the bar", end of story. Included in that should be a beacon check to make sure you have enough battery power. Talk about setting yourself up for failure. Batteries are not expensive people, keep them fresh in your beacon, and turn the damn thing on as soon as you step out of the car...

01-07-2012, 01:26 PM	#18 (permalink)
killclimbz Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Front Range Posts: 9,166	Treat it like you are dealing with a continental (which you are) snow pack this year and you'll do ago. For a good portion of the west, I got a hunch the trophy lines won't go down until the spring freeze thaw sets in.