At 2240 meters the temperature was -5, winds were 10-15 KPH from the S. At 1650 meters the temperature was -5, 1 cm of new snow was recorded there. In the valley it was 0. Observations taken at 06:00 this am.
For the forecast expect high clouds with the occasional flurry this am, clouds should dissipate this afternoon giving sunny breaks. The weak dirty ridge will dominate through the week except for Tuesday when an upper level trough should bring some very light snowfall. Freezing level today 1300 meters, 1500 meters for Tuesday. Snow showers are forecasted for Thursday. Very unsettled!!!
Does anyone have photos of the Na avalanches that occurred 2 days ago from Marriott Basin, Decker Glacier or the East Summit of Decker?
For the local updated avalanche advisory: Whistler Mountain Snow Safety
Thanks to John Lavine for relating the story from last Tuesday's avalanche out behind Spearhead Peak:
The story is posted at the bottom of the page.
Hi Wayne,
Sorry for the delay, attached is a bit of the story and things I've learned.
Thanks again for your help on Tuesday. I'm not sure how you do your job day in and day out but I'm thankful there are people like you who do.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
JD Levine
JD Levine
Seasoned Backcountry Snowmobiler killed in Powerful Kimberly Avalanche: Hellroaring Creek
Avalanche Advisory from: Tyrol, Austria
Czech & Slovak Hikers killed in an Avalanche in the Tatras Range: Slovakia
Man is dead in an Avalanche in Tromso in Norway: Still Searching for survivors
Three injured in Cairn Gorm Avalanche: Scottish Highlands
Avalanche Danger very high in Colorado: CBS News
More cornice blasting means more debris in the bowls, if it gets to be poor visibility be aware!!
Spearhead
Avalanche
Tuesday,
March 19th 2013
Having been
caught in the avalanche that occurred this past Tuesday in the Blackcomb
backcountry I feel obliged to retell the events that transpired that day in the
hopes that others can learn from the mistakes I made and learn from the
experience I had that has taught me so much about exploring the backcountry.
I will only
recap the main parts of the avalanche and then try to highlight and expose the
mistakes that were made, and the things I would have done differently. I want
to say that I am a extremely experienced skier, but a beginner backcountry
skier, and am not trying to say I know what is best. I just hope whoever reads
this can take something from it and pass it along to fellow backcountry skiers
and riders.
It was
myself, my brother, and a friend in our group. I’m a skier, both of them
borders. We were at the bottom of our next hike up the back side of Corona
Bowl, our destination run for the morning. I told my brother Mike and friend
Dave to go ahead of me as they were boot packing with snowboards while I would
transition into touring mode with my skis. I figured this was best as I would
no doubt catch up to them on my skins. They began the relatively short hike
following a skin track up which had already been set by at least a few skiers
we had seen still ascending near the top.
While I was
still transitioning, a few other skiers and riders had done the previous
descent we had, and stopped next to me, a bit lower down. They too began
transitioning into uphill mode, and we even exchanged a few words. They were
heading past Corona Bowl but had skied it yesterday and said it was really good
yesterday. It’s funny how it was such a nice day, cold but the sun was shining
and the sky was clear.
Next thing
I know, I hear screaming and shouting. I don’t even remember hearing the word
avalanche or slide but I look up and all I see is a wall of snow, like a title
wave, coming directly at me almost as wide as my field of view. I couldn’t even
comprehend at that moment that an avalanche was heading directly at me, all I
could process was to turn around and run. I took two or three steps and then
boom. The wave took me and I swam like mad. I don’t know how deep I was
submerged but I remember seeing snow up to my eye level. It all seemed to have
happened within seconds, because next thing I knew I was pulling myself out of
the snow from about my waist down.
I looked
around and people were yelling asking if everyone was alright. Then the yells
turned to “is everybody here? Do we have everyone?” Realising my brother Mike
was missing after yelling for him, the yelling turned to “Beacons on! Everybody
in search mode!” Easily the most frightening sentence to hear at that time
because it was then that it truly sunk in that we were searching for a buried
person, my brother.
After two
others picked up a signal, one asked “who’s board is this?!” I had seen the
board just before he said that and was already putting my probe and shovel
together because I knew it was Mike’s. One probe strike from one of the others
who was closer immediately hit and so the digging began.
I’ll skip
ahead and as most have probably heard my brother is doing ok. We think he was
buried for at least 4 minutes. He eventually suffocated and went unconscious
while buried. He is currently at home being treated for a head injury and it
sounds like a concussion is the diagnoses.
Being
caught in an avalanche, and having to rescue my brother was easily the scariest
moment of my life. Seeing his face, completely blue and purple, lifeless, is
something I wish nobody has to see.
Nevertheless,
we got a cheap lesson. I dangerously underestimated the severity of the
backcountry. Many things clouded my judgement in deciding to go out that day
with the people I did. I am a believer in touring with people who have at the
bare minimum completed their AST level 1 course. Neither my brother, nor my
friend had. I had done the exact same hike with my other brother and another
friend less than a week before the avalanche. I didn’t want to take either of
them in the backcountry either as neither of them had at least their AST 1
either. However, they had both already
been in the blackcomb slackcountry a few years ago when they lived here for the
season, and so I was actually following their lead on the hike.
This was
another factor that clouded my judgement. I assumed that because I had already
done the same exact route less than a week earlier, that I had a false sense of
security, like I somehow knew the route better now having done it once. The
next major mistake I made was assuming that Corona Bowl is basically as safe as
in bounds since avalanche control is done on it to prevent slides from running
into in bounds. As I’ve since found out, avalanche control is done on Corona
Bowl since it funnels into in-bounds runs, but to nowhere near the same level
as in-bounds runs are and so it should be treated truly as out of bounds slopes
would.
The last
major mistake I made was my avalanche advisory check. I only checked Whistler
Blackcomb’s report which put the avalanche risk at moderate. I later found out
avalanche.ca put the avalanche risk at considerable in the alpine.
All these
factors (having been there before, not thinking I was really out of bounds, and
relying solely on one avy report) contributed to giving my mind a false sense
of security that even though I’m with inexperienced people, we’ll be okay. I
was hesitant the whole time leading up to the beginning of the hike, and all I
thought was that we just needed to get to the top of Corona Bowl and we’ll be
safe, because that’s technically still out of bounds but is avy controlled so
is safe. I was so wrong.
One of the
last lesson’s I’ve learned is to be so aware of your surroundings. The slide
was triggered by a skier traversing towards Corona Bowl on the back side just
passed the Husume ascent. We were to the right of the skier and below him but
as we found out, still in his slide path. I should have picked a safer
transition zone out of harm’s way, and we should have chosen a safer ascent
route that was out the way of any slide path.
A final but
crucial point to mention is that while digging, I uncovered my brother’s boot
first and immediately continued digging out his legs, while another shouted
“his airway! His airway!” In the heat of the moment, I focused on the first
thing I uncovered instead of changing to find his airway once his boot
appeared. Once his head was finally uncovered one of the other guys there
instinctively pried open Mike’s clenched jaw, stuck his hand in his mouth and
removed a bunch of snow that had filled Mike’s mouth. Mike immediately let out
a breath. It wasn’t until digging him out further and shaking him that he
finally began breathing again, but thankfully his airway was cleared as fast as
we could. It’s easy to lose sight of first aid priorities in the moment.
Hopefully
others can take something from my story and never take anything for granted in
the backcountry. It is so easy to get into a routine and to make dangerous
assumptions. Every step should be calculated and the safest route should be
chosen and adapted along the way if needed. I will try my hardest to never
again assume because I’ve been there it is safe, or because someone else has
already been there it’s safe. I’m so thankful we all had avalanche gear
(beacon, shovel, probe), and am forever grateful to the others who just
happened to be there at the time who were all experienced in the backcountry
and all helped with the rescue. You do the training, read and talk about it,
but you never think it’s going to happen to you. It caught me completely by
surprise, without any warning. I didn’t even hear it coming, without the shouts
from the others I would have had no idea.
Thanks for reading.
Safe touring,
JD
johndavidlevine@gmail.com
