Monday, December 15, 2008

From Lou Dawson: Black Sunday

No matter your experience, early season snowpack is UNSTABLE. Please educate yourself and be careful out there!

From Lou Dawson's blog:
Yesterday. An inbounds avalanche at Snowbird resort killed a woman, and a slackcountry avalanche on Aspen Mountain killed a man. Vail even had an inbounds avalanche that resulted in a close call.

The Snowbird avalanche occurred on hike-to terrain on the side of the resort, known as High Baldy. Heather Gross from Salt Lake City was found by avalanche probe at 1:18 p.m. and was air transported to the hospital in critical condition. Though she was amazingly found alive after an hour long burial, she subsequently died. The avalanche was reported just after noon by a witness using a cell phone. More here.

In Aspen, will known local skier and former Aspen Mountain ski patrolman Cory Brettman was found in a slackcountry area known as “Power Line.” Authorities received a call of an overdue skier at about 8:30 p.m. and the Aspen Skiing Co. mobilized 22 people to search for Brettman. He was found dead at around 9 p.m.

READ MORE ON THIS HERE.

To learn more about Avalanches in general and make better decisions in the back country, if you are in the Northern Rocky Mountains, start here.

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