9 deaths in one incident in Tahoe and 2 deaths in two days in Utah.
There is a horrible base layer, now with 3-4 feet of wind-loaded snow and lot’s of people who are anxious to “get out there.” But the only real snow is way up high on steep hazardous slopes. Think of it like skiing through a minefield.
For anyone who loves backcountry or “side-country” riding, your friends and family, please stay on terrain less than 30 degree slopes for at least the next 48 hours and follow all warnings with appropriate gear, team members and mindsets.
I’m not trying to be a martinet, but I’m posting this thread for the first time and on a Friday to help folks to really think about any weekend plans in the mountains.
This is an anonymous comment on KSL
“This is wrong time go into the back-county right now. I live up in the canyons, and I have been for many years since I was a kid, and I know the canyons like back of my hand, and hiked them since I was a kid with my family and my dad. If you want to go out to the back-county you might want to change those plans, trust me…it might save your life.”
I was at Alta Thursday and they were blasting away most of the morning. My sister and BIL were up there again yesterday and they said they were working it hard again. It’s obviously pretty dangerous. I hope people respect that. Few win against an avalanche.
I have a friend who is as experienced in the backcountry and outdoors as probably anyone in the nation. It is all he does. Super safe and cautious, even teaches people about avalanche danger and backcountry safety. Last year he luckily survived an avalanche, got partially buried. I only share that to say sometimes, even when you know what you are doing you can get caught in a bad situation. Best to stay out of the backcountry right now.
This is a sober and highly valuable perspective from an experienced avalanche expert.
This is an old, nostalgic short video from the Wolverine Cirque, on the backside of Alta. This skier survived, but it gives a vivid impression of how even a small avalanche can occur so quickly, and then, all bets are off.
