The statistics are in for the '98/'99 season
and they are pretty grim. Thirty-two avalanche fatalities were
reported, the most in the modern era, going back to the turn
of the century when avalanches would sweep down and bury entire
mining camps. This information, for the year running from September
1, 1998 to August 31, 1999, shows that there is a lot of work
to do educating the ever growing number of winter backcountry
users. Newbies need to be trained, be vigilant and properly equipped,
and veterans need to refresh themselves and be reminded of the
danger in hubris.
The Snow
With the arrival of La Nina at the beginning
of the season, following the big El Nino of the year before,
it was said that for most of us, the season would be very different
than the previous one, and this was generally true. The storm
track stayed to the north as a succession of huge pacific storms
buried the mountains of the northwest coast, from Alaska all
the way down to Oregon. Everyone has heard about Mt. Baker breaking
the U.S. record for most snow in a single season with the 1,140"
recorded there. Numbers were up all over the northwest, Alyeska
in Alaska: 764", more than one and a half times normal,
Crystal Mountain, WA: 602" almost one and three quarters
over normal and Mount Hood also received a pounding, with more
than 500 inches, they were well over normal too.
In much of the rest of the U.S. skiers were
hurting for snow, though there were some exceptions. The Sierras
in California got blasted, often with both high winds and snow.
Rain turned to ice in a parking lot at a lodge in Mammoth, and
when the winds gusted to well over 125 mph, parked cars were
literally moved around the lot like kid's toys. At one point,
a single storm series in the Lake Tahoe area dumped 11 feet.
Just a few driving hours to the south of Mammoth, Southern California
remained virtually snow-less.
The Wasatch and the Rockies had a low snow
year then rallied late, getting a good dump or two in late March/early
April. In the east it was a fairly normal winter, with Mt. Washington
reporting just a little more than their average snowfall. Overall,
it was a relatively mild winter for much of the U.S. yet avalanche
fatalities set a modern record. How did this happen?
Who, What ,Where and How
Skiers and mountain climbers are no longer
the prime victims of the avy dragon. Snowmobilers accounted for
close to half of the 32 fatalities reported for the period with
13. More snowboarders were killed than skiers and almost all
of these incidents occurred in the backcountry or out of bounds
from a ski area. There was one fatality reported in-bounds.
There were 11 fatalities reported in Alaska,
5 in Utah, 4 in Oregon, 3 in Colorado, 3 at Mt. Baker in Washington,
2 in Wyoming, and 2 in Montana. A sledder at Donner Pass was
California's only avalanche fatality.
The use of snowmobiles in the backcountry
has been increasing and with all the avalanche prone terrain
they can cover in a single day, they put themselves at greater
risk than other winter backcountry users. This may account, in
large part, for the jump in avy fatalities.
Backcountry skiing and snowboarding is on
the rise as well, and the need has never been greater for these
users to receive avalanche safety education. Learning the basics
of safe travel in avalanche country is a vital skill needed to
reduce the risk associated with these winter sports.
An incident from the '98/'99 season illustrates
the need to remain vigilant and to follow avy protocols carefully.
A group of four college students had been working a slope near
Gunnison, CO, using a snowmobile to access the goods. At first
they were cautious, they were aware of forecasted deep-slab instability,
but after skiing the slope a few times, they let their guard
down. While using the machine to tow themselves up, it got stuck
in a drift. Three stayed to dig out the 'bile while one, a skier,
continued on up. The skier then skied down to his companions,
still working to free the sled, before he got there, he triggered
a slab just above them that buried the three totally. The skier
was able to make it to the side and was only partially buried
but was unable to extricate himself. Fortunately a pair of skiers
happened to come along, one went for help while the other dug
out the partially buried skier. These two then proceeded to dig
out the other three victims. With three people close to each
other around the snowmobile and the fourth above them triggering
the slide in which he too was caught, there was no one left to
aid the victims.
Statistics have repeatedly warned of the danger
to experienced backcountry skiers of hubris, a kind of excessive
self confidence that can lead to carelessness. Our human nature
often leads us to believe that the more times we have gotten
away with taking a chance, the less likely it is that something
will go wrong. "I have done this lots of times, we will
be fine" is how the thinking typically goes. Actually the
opposite is true. This was a factor in the incident above and
in the following story as well.
It had been snowing hard after a slow start
in the Rockies. Two very experienced and knowledgeable ski partners
talked on the phone in the evening. They were considering going
backcountry the next morning, but informed that there was an
avalanche warning in effect, the two decided to play it safe
and hit the ski area instead.
The next day they found the lure of all that
fresh just too tempting. Even though they did not have their
beacons and shovels with them, they decided to roll the dice.
One of the guys had already been out of bounds twice that morning
on the route they were going to ski. He had noticed cracks in
the snow and the tell-tale "whoomphs" made by collapsing
slabs underneath his skis. Ignoring these signs he talked his
partner into going with him for "one more run". On
the way out from the area the two observed several cracks shooting
out from their tracks, extending as far as 100 feet in each direction.
They pushed on and the skier, who had spun the wheel of chance
three times that day, triggered a very small slide and was buried.
Without a shovel or beacons, it took the partner more than an
hour to locate and dig our his dead friend.
What Can We Learn?
These kinds of stories (and unfortunately
the statistics) go on and on. We can learn that avalanche safety
knowledge is extremely important but just knowing this stuff
is not enough. We must guard against the danger of hubris. Knowledge
must, at all times, be accompanied by a solid base of caution.
We all must strive to further develop our "avy eyes",
to take off those "powder goggles" and to realistically
assess the danger.
Modern gear and skills are making it easier
for us to travel farther into the backcountry, and like the snowmobilers,
the farther we go, the more exposure to avalanche danger we encounter.
Through training and self-discipline, backcountry
skiing can be a much safer sport.
Where To Get Instruction
The Cyberspace
Snow and Avalanche Center has an excellent list of U.S. seminars,
clinics and courses.
In Canada check out the Canadian
Avalanche Association. There are courses available for novices
on up through avalanche control professionals. The courses are
actually fun to attend. A few years ago I took my son with me
to a multi-day advanced clinic and not only was it a terrific
learning experience, it was also a memorable father/son event.
If you have not taken an avalanche course,
make this the year that you do. If you have and you are experienced,
consider getting some higher level instruction. In the avy game,
what you don't know CAN hurt!
Left: Neil with avy course instructor Mike Nolan,
Right: In the blast pit after explosives instruction
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