olyclimber Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 on Feb 19th: https://nwac.us/accident-reports/ 3 fatalities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted February 22, 2023 Author Share Posted February 22, 2023 https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/local/three-killed-in-colchuck-peak-snow-slide/article_09f17b78-b21a-11ed-9ee3-837c0818dafc.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dberdinka Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Reminds me of those guys from Texas on Hood. Winter climbing in the Cascades on a fixed itinerary is just a bad idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman_Clyde Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 I thought immediately of this Have only been in this gully once, in very different conditions. Still the hazard was significant. Hard to stay out of the path of anything that cuts loose anywhere above. That experience was enough to make me steer clear of this spot in winter. I wish I knew what motivated this team to travel from NY to WA at this time of year and choose this specific objective over the many others they might have chosen. So many options are available, even in winter, that offer significant challenge and satisfaction with far less chance of dire consequences. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dberdinka Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 It’s the Enchantments!!! 🤩🤩🤩 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 It is easy to judge from our keyboards.... However, having avalanched my partners out of a couloir in Canada a few years ago (both OK with bruises and broken gear), I definitely am more prone to giving folks the benefit of the doubt when accidents like this occur. The danger was "moderate" at the time of the slide..... It is not a safe hobby we practice, and we make decisions with incomplete information, on the fly. If we think, as the living, that we are the safe and smart ones, we are probably deluding ourselves. The full write up that NWAC produces on this accident will be good for all of us to read and learn from. Condolences to the many friends and family affected by this. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlpineK Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 It's a popular route. The outdoor program from my university organized an early fall trip on that route (1980s). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choada_Boy Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 On 2/21/2023 at 10:27 PM, dberdinka said: Reminds me of those guys from Texas on Hood. Winter climbing in the Cascades on a fixed itinerary is just a bad idea. Same same... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) When I first heard about this accident, I only knew it was on Colchuck and not which route. It did strike me as an odd objective choice for this time of year - even if it was just the Colchuck Glacier route. Now, knowing the actual route, I'm still a bit perplexed. Maybe I haven't studied it enough, but I would expect this route more in the spring time. I'm not making a judgment - am just perplexed. In my experience N Buttress Couloir seems more popular (also has serious objective risk, especially in winter), and of course there's TC on D-Tail (great after some thaw and melt to fill in the runnels). Anyways, it's always said to hear about an accident like this. Life is short and fragile. Edited March 2, 2023 by KaskadskyjKozak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted March 2, 2023 Author Share Posted March 2, 2023 Full detailed article about this: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/wa-volunteer-details-colchuck-peak-avalanche-search-and-rescue-effort/ You'll need a paywall blocker if you've visited that site too much. Features a ton on @gyselinck who is now a member of Chelan County Mountain Rescue. He was a first responder. Also has a great photo by @John_Scurlock of Colchuck. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Chelan is a top-notch rescue unit, and now a member of the MRA! @gyselinck and others did a great job this past fall getting Chelan Mountain Rescue through the WMRA rock accreditation. Bottom line, when things go bad over in Chelan County, you can be confident that these folks have your back. But please, this isn't Europe. We're all volunteer and it really is better if we're never called. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) Much appreciate all volunteers that are willing to help others this way. It's good to know you are there when needed (but promise not rely on that as a given...) Edited March 2, 2023 by KaskadskyjKozak 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff M Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Interesting article... Followed some links and found out I met these guys on Denali last season. Small world. Respectfully, they should have known better than to be in that terrain and that remote given the avy and weather forecast that weekend. Very unfortunate regardless. 😢 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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