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Avalanche

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1440ski
Posts: 2049 - Karma: 1,110
I just read this on snowbirds page.
An avalanche occurred Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008 at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort on
High Baldy, hike-to terrain on the east side of the resort.
A witness reported the avalanched at 12:24 p.m. using a cell phone. The terrain opened at
9:30 a.m.
Snowbird has received 9” of new snow in the last 24 hours, 13 inches in the last 48 hours
and 93 inches so far this season.
Today was the first opening of the year of High Baldy.
Searching debris field using dogs, avalanche beacons, probes, Recco (recco transmitters
inserted in ski boots, jackets).
Air Med helicopter on scene.
Assist from: SL County Search and Rescue, Alta, Solitude, The Canyons, Snowbird dog
teams: Two dogs

Does anyone have pictures? and did anyone get hurt? And how big was it?
Dec 14 2008 3:45PM
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marc_sncl
Posts: 612 - Karma: 16
i was just about to make this thread. hope nobody died

i wanted to buy a bacon for such a long time, i just don't have the money.
Dec 14 2008 3:52PM
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marc_sncl
Posts: 612 - Karma: 16
does anybody have more info than just what they have on their site?
Dec 14 2008 4:06PM
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LOVEPOW
Posts: 646 - Karma: 15
there not sure yet, one person has been found. My friends are up their right now, I think they said they were participating in the probe line. Also, there was another avalanche somewhere in bcc backcountry today, someone was buried and injured...vibes to everyone involved. ++++++
Dec 14 2008 5:46PM
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R.Fahey
Posts: 8602 - Karma: 539
Be careful out there.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5079104
Dec 14 2008 9:42PM
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eheath
Posts: 61650 - Karma: 123,498
So sketch, makes me want to wear my beacon in bounds.
Dec 14 2008 11:27PM
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BrodyLeven
Posts: 7016 - Karma: 187
the sole victim, Heather Gross, passed away in the hospital this evening.  From what I heard, she absolutely loved skiing.  RIP.
Be careful out there, girls and guys.  If you're on something over 35 degrees and you don't know what you're doing, even if you're inbounds...watch it.  Just remember, she didn't do anything "wrong."  She was inbounds.  The same stuff all of you ski every day.
A whole crew of people started a probe/ski probing line.  Not only patrollers, but customers, too.  Good for all of them.
Dec 14 2008 11:28PM
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YoursAndMind
Posts: 335 - Karma: 31
me and some of my buddies were in the probe line the girl was buried for over an hour and a half and i heard patrollers say she was unconscious and they had failed CPR. so scary when this happens, it was out of the back country gate but it was open. nice job to any of the 150ish people trying to find this girl
Dec 14 2008 11:49PM
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aznpcskier
Posts: 1250 - Karma: 113
sad day in utah
Dec 15 2008 12:04AM
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eljefe
Posts: 915 - Karma: 468
Sad to hear about stuff like this. Such an important reminder that our time here is finite.
Dec 15 2008 12:24AM
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ko.
Posts: 453 - Karma: 17

unfortunatly it can happen to anyone and that area has always been sketchy for slides.  sadly she was just in her early 20s..

there was another avalanche just out of canyons today as well (somewhere near red pine lake??) and a man was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

be safe, take an avy course (or two or three), and ask for a beacon for christmas

Dec 15 2008 1:55AM
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marc_sncl
Posts: 612 - Karma: 16
shit, time to buy a bacon
Dec 15 2008 3:52AM
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rodeo1620
Posts: 67 - Karma: 10
I'm not sure if bacon would do you any good. A beacon would be a good thing though. Even if she had one though, there has to be someone else there that has one and knows you have one. Snowbird is equiped with the recco system, but that is dependent on the clothing you have (if it has a recco reflector or not) NOT if you have a traditional beacon. Its a totally bummer this situation happened like this. Maybe I'll start carrying my beacon in bounds.  
Dec 15 2008 10:31AM
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titsLOL
Posts: 7485 - Karma: 396
if you knew anything you would know that avy dogs are trained to sniff out bacon in victims' pockets. I always carry at least 3 pieces at alta, plus a few extra to snack on through out the day.

Jokes aside though, this is really sad and scary considering how safe we all feel shredding in bounds.
Dec 15 2008 12:22PM
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BrodyLeven
Posts: 7016 - Karma: 187
A man outside of Aspen died yesterday in a slide, as well.  He was 52 and he must have been alone, because it took until 8:30pm for the Aspen Skiing Co. to get a call that he was missing.  He was not far outside of the resort. 22 people searched for him.

If you have a short attention span, a quick read is here: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/15/avalanche-kills-out--bounds-skier-52/

So the deal is that 27 year-old Heather Gross was buried for around 50 minutes. The slide went all the way to Chip's Run and the debris stopped on the run.  They kept probing into the night for more victims.  Miss Gross had internal bleeding and had been wearing a helmet but it was torn off.  She was beat up, but it looks like trauma is not what killed her.

Additionally, a man in the backcountry, with avy gear, was completely buried in a slide outside of the Canyons.  Alta backcountry had another slide.  So did Silver Fork.

Read the forecast and be smart and be careful.  The year is here, guys, let's keep it safe.


Dec 15 2008 2:29PM
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tronspecial
Posts: 12 - Karma: 10
All "bird and Alta patrollers wear a beacon. All the time.
Dec 18 2008 9:51PM
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little_boo
Posts: 1303 - Karma: 231
the snowpack in the wasatch is so sketchy right now, wearing a beacon in bounds is not a bad idea. shit's gonna be sliding...
Dec 22 2008 8:49PM
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sconniestyle
Posts: 3945 - Karma: 26

apparently there was a slide just under fantasy ridge at soli on wed.

my buddy was gettting off the lift right as it happened.

it was closed though, and no one was back there.

it's pretty intense to see all these slides inbounds at places i ride all the time.

Dec 26 2008 2:50PM
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