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Posted

The news anchor indicated that it was irresponsible for experienced skiers to be out skiing when the avalanche hazard was rated "considerable." Yes, Freshies can kill, but isn't the hazard rated "considerable" just about any time there is enough new show for powder skiing? Is it wrong to go out and enjoy that new snow? I've had some good runs in deep powder on big open slopes when the hazard was "considerable" or even "high" and backed off some of those same slopes shen it was rated only "moderate."

Posted

the dumb ass news anchor mad.gif" border="0 has probably never been outdoors in their life and was reading some BS from a prepared statement by "Blame the Victims". The local news noted all 3 were experienced skiers who had dug pits and made every attempt to evaluate and minimize the hazard to themselves.

Posted

quote:

Originally posted by Dru:
made every attempt to ... minimize the hazard to themselves.

hindsight=20/20, I-wasn't-there-how-could-I-possibly-know, speak-ill-of-the-dead, etc etc etc, but I find it very hard to reconcile this statement with the fact that 3 people were caught by the same skier triggered slide. I feel the same way about the 3 park wardens caught a couple of weeks ago. One of the most basic tenets is to minimize the number of people exposed, and if >50% of your party is caught how can you claim to have done that?

Posted

Fern, you may be right but do you have any factual infomration as to whether or not they took any precaution in that regard? The Seattle PI article reported something to the effect that it was a massive slide, taking out trees as if they were toothpicks, so it is possible the lower skiers were in an area that appeared safe. I can imagine other scenarios where what most of us would accept as a safe practice is not sufficient to prevent a disaster like this one. Obviously they were wrong about something, and yours is a good point, but to say 3 of 5 killed means they obviously weren't applying the basic tenet seems to me a bit of an assumption.

Posted

quote:

Originally posted by mattp:
The news anchor indicated that it was irresponsible for experienced skiers to be out skiing when the avalanche hazard was rated "considerable." Yes, Freshies can kill, but isn't the hazard rated "considerable" just about any time there is enough new show for powder skiing? Is it wrong to go out and enjoy that new snow? I've had some good runs in deep powder on big open slopes when the hazard was "considerable" or even "high" and backed off some of those same slopes shen it was rated only "moderate."

The avalanche forecast does not apply to every slope in the mountains (unless it's just dumped multiple feet and is raining up to 8,000 feet). There are a whole host of localized contributing factors. Wind being a major one. If your wide open slope has features around it to protect it from wind and prevent it from becoming loaded it'll likely be safe to ski, while other wind loaded slopes are too dangerous to look at. As for the folks who got caught, from what I've heard through mutual friends they we're fairly savvy, but even the most experienced people make fatal mistakes which are especially easy to point out in the easy illumination of hindsight. I say raise a couple of beers to them and their's and as always….be careful out there

Posted

Norm - that's pretty much my point. It is possible they did something stupid (haven't we all, at some point), but based on what I know from the newscast and the paper it is equally possible that they took what most of us would believe to be the right precautions, relied on their own judgment and were wrong. We can still take some lessons from their tragedy, however, and I believe one of them is exactly what you hinted at: look at the conditions on the slope in front of you rather than depending on an overall hazard rating for the range.

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