Tragic avalanche news

Bad news from Snoqualmie backcountry: Three hikers were caught, possibly Saturday, in an avalanche in the Alpental backcountry, somewhere in or on the Snow Lake divide. Early King 5 TV news reports this evening are sketchy, however two people were reported killed; the third managed to recover his pack, erect his tent, and crawl into it with a broken leg. Sunday afternoon, a friend or relative who knew they were overdue, drove to the Alpental, found their car in the parking lot and rose the alarm. Searchers were unable to enter the area until this morning, when they discovered the survivor and found the deceased. A third group of 3 or 4 hikers were overdue in the Denny Creek area, but were able to make their way out unharmed.
And further grim news from the Crystal backcountry: King 5 also reported a search underway in the Crystal backcountry for three missing snowboarders, possibly missing since Friday! That was the extent of information reported.
It seems hard to believe people were venturing out in the face of the incoming weather, let alone into potential avalanche areas with an existing and forecast high hazard. Is it possible we can ever make enough people aware of the danger to prevent such senseless losses?

Thanks for the update Gerry, I heard the story and was searching for additional news.

I heard about these earlier today. Tragic news. I pray that the Crystal folks are ok.

More here:

seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342233_avalanche05.html

I'm amazed that rescuers were willing to get into the Denny Creek valley to search on Monday morning (and even more amazed that everyone was ok in there).

My condolences to all those touched by the tragedy.

Edit: They've updated the story linked above - search at Crystal's unsurprisingly delayed by darkness.

Edit: King5 here: www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_1204...ers_KS.69838dd5.html

KOMO:
Crystal: www.komotv.com/news/12136531.html
Snoqualmie: www.komotv.com/news/12126556.html

News Tribune (extra Crystal coverage not covered above - apparently they were carrying multi-day gear , some Snoqualmie):
www.thenewstribune.com/news/updates/story/220929.html

Three hikers were caught, possibly  Saturday, in an avalanche in the Alpental backcountry, somewhere in or on the Snow Lake divide.

It seems hard to believe people were venturing out in the face of the incoming weather, let alone into potential avalanche areas with an existing and forecast high hazard.  Is it possible we can ever make enough people aware of the danger to prevent such senseless losses?

If the avalanche happened on Saturday it doesn't seem as senseless as I first thought. Seems there was a reasonable weather window into Sat afternoon. Terrain in that area, along with a considerable avalanche hazard was probably a bigger issue than weather.

Paul Baugher and a partner were also caught in an avalanche in Crystal's bc Sunday.
www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/221165.html

Goes to show you that even the pros still slip! Glad he and his partner are okay.

Yes, this is very sad. I had met one of the snowboarders about a year ago, through a friend of mine who was a bicycle messenger.

seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews...17_webhikers05m.html

A couple links on the Denny Creek rescue:
www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7963667 (first post is a survivor/"leader?" narrative)
backpackers.meetup.com/114/calendar/6803238/

Still hoping for good news from Crystal!

I wonder how hard it would be to make emergency snowshoes, and how effective they would be?

It's not something you can legally routinely practice- hacking down limbs and all...

Although I'm not a fan of the show, while I was in the dentist's office, "Man vs Wild" on Discovery channel showed how to make snowshoes from vines or long grass and plyable branches, using two sturdy branches as crossbars for your feet, set back on the snowshoe. The grass obviously is used to bind everything. They actually appeared to work very well...although his camera team probably hooked him up with a pair of 3' Redfeathers while he wasn't being filmed...

Has a specific location been pinned down yet? Bullion? Cement? Silver? Basins...

The latest news indicates that search efforts are centered on the Union Ck drainage, east and below Bullion Peak - with  focus on finding a possible shelter constructed somewhere in that basin.  This Thursday morning the search enters day 4.  Certainly not good news, but if the three are in a shelter, there is still hope for survival.
I've been deeply troubled by both the Crystal and Snoqualmie accidents, as to why intelligent people get into trouble like this.  The Snoqualmie accident seems likely attributable to incomplete avalanche knowledge, of having little understanding of the avalanche triangle, of the interaction of terrain, snowpack and weather.  As well as the failure to understand the impact of a major storm bearing down on the area, and the prodigious amounts of snow able to accumulate in a relatively short time.  Remember that the Snoqualmie area in a convergence zone situation can accumulate double the forecasted accumulations in a relatively short time, certainly under 24 hrs.  So the avalanche hazard skyrocketed before the party could get out.  Probably their only hope was to have stayed put, stayed on the Snow Lake divide ridgetop, or deep in the trees, until the storm abated, hazard dropped and snow stabilized.
As for the Crystal situation, assuming the three had avalanche education, I surmise that their actual experience with avalanches was probably limited.  I'm not saying this in a critical manner, but instead saying that their ability to perceive the scope of the potential avalanche hazard was limited.  Most of us unfortunate enough to be involved in an avalanche only survive them if they are Class 1 (sloughs) or if lucky, Class 2 (usally big enough to bury and kill us).  Few of us, unless avalanche pro's at an avalanche prone ski area (like Alpental, Crystal, Stevens or Baker), ever experience firsthand the devastation and complete power of Class 3 or 4 (let alone Class 5) avalanches - which are capable of wiping out swaths of forest and taking out buildings.  This is particularly critical when deciding where a safe spot might be, whether it be a spot to hold up midslope while taking a run, or a spot to erect a tent or snow shelter for the evening.  With the amount of snow falling on the crests, combined with the hellish winds, I can easily imagine 3-5' crown slabs forming on the eastern, lee slopes.  Such avalanches, particularly when comprised of heavy, rain-sodden new snow, can be almost unimaginably destructive.  And most of our experiences, and therefore ability to conceptualize and perceive, don't prepare us or allow us to comprehend that devastating potential.  Your thoughts?  I think it is extremely important to understand these kind of events and accidents, as they are critical to our future safe travel, and fun, in the backcountry.  Meanwhile, I'm still holding out hope for the three.  Gerry Haugen

The current situation at Crystal makes me think I should have gotten into Search and Rescue at some point in my life. I sent a note to the poster who asked for information in the recent Bullion Basin threads offering help, but I have no specific information about this incident. If anyone involved in the SAR effort can think of ways that we in the TAY community can help, please let us know. I suspect that, in general, organized SAR teams do not want help from volunteers who haven't been screened and trained, but what do I know?

Hello Lowell,
An earlier posting by the Tacoma News Tribune explained that Tacoma and Everett SAR, a Sheriff helicopter and Crystal propatrol were actively engaged in the search, and then specifically stated that volunteers are not being used or requested.  This seems to be a typical response, probably as much as anything to limit the danger and not get into a wild management problem.  The same thing happened Dec 13, 2003 when the Mushroom Couloir avalanche swept the snowshoer into the creekbed and buried her.  Although there were close to 18 search-trained and avalanche educated Mountaineer ski leaders, and a professional guide, in the proximity, their offer of help to the Sheriff directed, Alpental partrol staffed rescue squad was declined.  In that incident it would seem like additional probers would have been welcome.  All available had beacons, probes & shovels!  Go figure.
Gerry

this reminded me of the TAY thread from a few months ago about joining the Cascade Backcountry Ski Patrol

www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboardi...dex.php?topic=7794.0

I don't know if this group is involved in the current Crystal Mtn SAR efforts, but it could be worth contacting them to see about joining up in order to be available for future SAR needs? 

Here is a link to the latest update as of Thursday afternoon
www.thenewstribune.com/news/updates/story/222722.html

The avalanche on the Snow Lake mission occurred on Sunday afternoon, not Saturday. The party was trying to descend from the ridge, following what they thought was the safest route since they were indeed concerned about avalanches. I didn’t get all the way to the avalanche path, so I can’t describe the characteristics of the path and the snow pack had changed dramatically due to the rain and high temperatures in the two days following the slide. Trees played a major part in the trauma sustained by the victims.

I can’t speak to the avalanche training of any of the individuals and to speculate would be fruitless, although I will point out that some research has shown that there is a positive correlation between avalanche education and avalanche accidents, oddly enough. It would be best to wait until the survivor chooses to share his story with the public. I have been on enough missions to know, that information from the news media (and blogs) is insufficient to base any meaningful conclusions about what happened, and is often erroneous to boot. The best sources are the accident reports and statements by witnesses/survivors and those are not always available. I hope there will be one done and posted on the NWAC site.

Lowell – the answer to your question about what TAY can do for the ongoing search is not much at the moment. By state law Search and Rescue (SAR) operations fall to the county sheriffs along with a set of minimum and ongoing training requirements for SAR volunteers. SAR volunteers have to meet federal (thank you homeland security!  ), state and county requirements. See the link below for the details. For the current mission at Crystal, they are further restricting participation to those SAR members who are avalanche trained and are current in their helicopter certification and are willing to be hot loaded and inserted into the backcountry in not only difficult terrain, but dicey weather.

The sheriffs have to know that everyone they deploy will have a standard amount of training, additional qualifications according to their units, plus the necessary equipment, including radios. It is not possible for them to manage volunteers who aren’t part of the system, because there is no organizational system to support them, nor do they meet the state qualifications to be used in the field. Nobody likes to turn away skilled outdoors people from helping in a rescue, but that is what they have to do in order to manage the scene and to comply with the law. The sheriff’s first duty is to the safety of the rescuers.

If people are questioning the reasoning about not using volunteers, silly rules and regulations aside, look at it this way. Just because someone is a highly skilled skier, climber, hiker, etc., doesn’t mean that they posses good avalanche decision making, right? It is not so different with SAR missions. SAR involves another set of skills and experience, and while they can relate, they don’t necessarily correlate with your outdoor ability or experience.

Having said that, it is possible to become a qualified SAR member by joining one of the nine volunteer SAR units in King County. Check out the umbrella organization King County Search and Rescue Association for more information. kcsara.org . There was an earlier post with great information about joining the Cascade Backcountry Patrol, from which you then can join the Ski Patrol Rescue Team. It is a serious time commitment, I won’t deny that; but does provide a way to combine your love of skiing with public service.

Short of signing away your life to ski patrolling and/or SAR, the next thing I would recommend is supporting the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center through the Friends, particularly their educational efforts. I also think mentoring less experienced snow travelers, on avalanche decision-making while you are out with them, is an invaluable way of spreading knowledge through the community. Nothing beats the example of a respected skier/boarder/rider of saying “you know, I think we should pass on this slope and save it for another day” or “what does everyone think about this slope and what is influencing our judgment?” I know it is frustrating to be stuck here in town, wanting to help find these guys and appreciate wanting to know what you can do.

The avalanche on the Snow Lake mission occurred on Sunday afternoon, not Saturday.  The party was trying to descend from the ridge, following what they thought was the safest route since they were indeed concerned about avalanches.  I didn’t get all the way to the avalanche path, so I can’t describe the characteristics of the path and the snow pack had changed dramatically due to the rain and high temperatures in the two days following the slide.  Trees played a major part in the trauma sustained by the victims. 

I can’t speak to the avalanche training of any of the individuals and to speculate would be fruitless, although I will point out that some research has shown that there is a positive correlation between avalanche education and avalanche accidents, oddly enough.  It would be best to wait until the survivor chooses to share his story with the public.  I have been on enough missions to know, that information from the news media (and blogs) is insufficient to base any meaningful conclusions about what happened, and is often erroneous to boot.  The best sources are the accident reports and statements by witnesses/survivors and those are not always available.   I hope there will be one done and posted on the NWAC site. 

Lowell – the answer to your question about what TAY can do for the ongoing search is not much at the moment.  By state law Search and Rescue (SAR) operations fall to the county sheriffs along with a set of minimum and ongoing training requirements for SAR volunteers.  SAR volunteers have to meet federal (thank you homeland security!  ), state and county requirements.  See the link below for the details.  For the current mission at Crystal, they are further restricting participation to those SAR members who are avalanche trained and are current in their helicopter certification and are willing to be hot loaded and inserted into the backcountry in not only difficult terrain, but dicey weather.   

The sheriffs have to know that everyone they deploy will have a standard amount of training, additional qualifications according to their units, plus the necessary equipment, including radios.  It is not possible for them to manage volunteers who aren’t part of the system, because there is no organizational system to support them, nor do they meet the state qualifications to be used in the field.  Nobody likes to turn away skilled outdoors people from helping in a rescue, but that is what they have to do in order to manage the scene and to comply with the law.  The sheriff’s first duty is to the safety of the rescuers.   

If people are questioning the reasoning about not using volunteers, silly rules and regulations aside, look at it this way.  Just because someone is a highly skilled skier, climber, hiker, etc., doesn’t mean that they posses good avalanche decision making, right?  It is not so different with SAR missions.  SAR involves another set of skills and experience, and while they can relate, they don’t necessarily correlate with your outdoor ability or experience.

Having said that, it is possible to become a qualified SAR member by joining one of the nine volunteer SAR units in King County.  Check out the umbrella organization King County Search and Rescue Association for more information.  kcsara.org .  There was an earlier post with great information about joining the Cascade Backcountry Patrol, from which you then can join the Ski Patrol Rescue Team.  It is a serious time commitment, I won’t deny that; but does provide a way to combine your love of skiing with public service.

Short of signing away your life to ski patrolling and/or SAR, the next thing I would recommend is supporting the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center through the Friends, particularly their educational efforts.  I also think mentoring less experienced snow travelers, on avalanche decision-making while you are out with them, is an invaluable way of spreading knowledge through the community.  Nothing beats the example of a respected skier/boarder/rider of saying “you know, I think we should pass on this slope and save it for another day” or “what does everyone think about this slope and what is influencing our judgment?”   I know it is frustrating to be stuck here in town, wanting to help find these guys and appreciate wanting to know what you can do. 

It is sad when we have to learn mountain lessons through the misfortunes of others.

Mark M said that it occurred around 3pm on Sunday. Though other details are sketchy or incomplete, at that time it was very stormy. The telemetry had temperatures jumping above freezing after 10:00am after earlier teens and the winds by Crystal's telemetry were already blowing strongly.

I heard (from another source) that on Saturday another party had suggested to the group that it might consider exiting the valley.

This accident, as Jerry stated, is very similar to the one a couple of years ago in the same valley. It points out how important the planning phase of the trip really is.

I look at routefinding as having three phases; trip planning or macro routefinding, field observations (often before leaving the car) that lead to a reconsideration of the original route (alternative routes), and finally micro-rotefinding adjustments based on the feel of the snow underfoot and visual observations of terrain and snow conditions. These latter adjustments can be on the scale of a hundred yards or more, or very small, on the scale of a few feet left or right.

Thanks for the post Cynfisher -- good information.

It was one of my great privileges and experiences to have served on my college's maritime SAR team in St. Petersburg, FL for the four years I was there.  It was program that had started as a means to get college canoes and sailboats back safely to the docks, but had grown by the time I arrived to a full time, year round group of dedicated students with a few paid staff.  We worked closely with the Coast Guard and were involved, over the years, in many of the most significant marine accidents and disasters in the Tampa Bay area.  It was a huge part of my education and I've wanted to apply it to my more current passions for a while.

My thoughts go out to those boarders -- I think we may have passed by them at the head of Bullion Basin on Saturday, though it's hard to be sure. 

this reminded me of the TAY thread from a few months ago about joining the Cascade Backcountry Ski Patrol

www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboardi...dex.php?topic=7794.0

I don't know if this group is involved in the current Crystal Mtn SAR efforts, but it could be worth contacting them to see about joining up in order to be available for future SAR needs? 

A friend of mine is part of the Cascade Backcountry Ski Patrol and is out searching today. He has been trying to get me to join their group for a couple of years. I know they need more members. It seems like something worth doing.

Robert

An interesting tidbit off King5.com. Sounds like they might have built an illicit backcountry cabin of some sort. Definitely would seem to up the chance of a positive outcome.

"Lt. Eric Honeycutt told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer they are looking for a shelter that friends say the three built over the summer. "

And more troublesome news:
www.thenewstribune.com/news/updates/story/222722.html

Per the discussion of volunteers assisting with the Crystal bc SAR effort, the following thread on cascadeclimbers.com suggests that volunteers may be of assistance starting on Friday. 

cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php...er/750414#Post750414

I suspect that if this is accurate, it will be verified officially in the very near future.  Anyone have better information?

I am sorry to start winter with such a tragic weekend. I agree with everyone's sentiment. I am at a loss on how such a forecast was ignored by such wide range of people and training?

From the hikers on snowshoes to the seasoned patroller, it seems as if the concept of high to extreme hazard was ignored. I guess this leaves a troubling question for avalanche educators, how do you explain the decision making of the four separate groups to go out in the face of such a forecast?

I hope the boarders are on their way to Yakima, it has happened before.

Thanks Mattski, for the question.  As an avalanche educator and backcountry skier, I struggle with that one.  I believe, as does every other instructor I'm sure, that we do our best to teach and educate our students on the whys and wherefores of the avalanche phenomena, including everything from snow mechanics, hazard recognition, stability analysis, safe travel, consequences and self rescue.  Even so, I must unfortunately say that people I've taught or lectured to, who were friends, have subsequently gone out and died in avalanches.  That really hurts.  And when the analysis is done, they all ignored multiple obvious signs and signals of current or predicted instability. That damned human factor gets us every time.  Nevertheless, most of us continue to teach, continue to refine, revise and update our presentations.  Short of taking each student out on a SAR and digging up a twisted, broken, frozen body, I'm sometimes unsure of how to further communicate the seriousnous of the game.  I'd welcome any or all of your opinions on how we can collectively do a better job of communicating - both to our students, friends and unknowing public, no matter how "experienced" they are.  With respect,
Gerry Haugen

Alpental partrol staffed rescue squad was declined. 
Gerry

Not sure where you got that from, Alpental patrol both paid and volunteer were active in that incident from the start.

Not sure where you got that from, Alpental patrol both paid and volunteer were active in that incident from the start.

My statement was gained from first hand quotes from leaders and members of the Mountaineer group who were in close proximity to the accident, at the time they met up with the first group(s) responding to the accident.  This statement didn't suggest, and was certainly not meant to, cast aspersions on the Alpental patrol or any others in the rescue chain, who were responding in dangerous conditions with unknown threats in a most timely manner.    Without getting into an in depth treatise on rescue procedures, I do know that the first responsiblity of the rescue coordinator - the Sheriff - and site leaders, is to prevent further injury or death to the rescuer and searchers.  Secondly, to manage the rescue in as  timely and resource efficient manner as possible.  That being said, my comments reflected the unfortunate decision made by someone,  which effectively lost the opportunity for the rescue effort to gain a significant number of available, trained  human resources in the most timely manner. Obviously any rescue coordinator is forced to weigh both the potential benefits and negatives of throwing unknown (as to skills, training, mentality, etc.) volunteers into the dangerous dynamics of mountain rescue. Since we're all human, subject to our various bias and incomplete knowledge, it is critical that we gain knowledge from these tragic avalanche accidents - maybe we can do better before there's a next time.

Thanks, Larry_R for the avalanche bulletin. Note the time that the avalanche bulletin was issued. 8:30 am Saturday morning. No doubt, the people involved in the avalanche incidents had already left for the mountains. Part of educating the public includes issuing warnings in a relevant time frame. The avalanche forecasts are issued too late in the morning. It is unlikely that most backcountry users check the avalanche forecast on the day of their trip. That said, it was quite clear several days in advance that a major snow/rain event was likely Saturday-Monday implying that backcountry travel was going to be quite hazardous.

Backcountry users do have a responsibility to at least check the weather forecast and understand the implications. If the relationships between past, current and future weather to snow stability are not clearly understood, then the backcountry user should educate himself by taking an avalanche awareness course.

Thanks, Larry_R for the avalanche bulletin. Note the time that the avalanche bulletin was issued. 8:30 am Saturday morning. No doubt, the people involved in the avalanche incidents had already left for the mountains. Part of educating the public includes issuing warnings in a relevant time frame. The avalanche forecasts are issued too late in the morning. It is unlikely that most backcountry users check the avalanche forecast on the day of their trip.

for what its worth, I've always felt that the nwac forecasts that are issued the day before I plan to do a trip are good enough to figure out what to expect that next day.   

If there is a significant change overnight and you need the latest forecast,  you don't need to check online, you can call 206-526-6677 for a recording of the current NWAC forecast which could always been done enroute to wherever you're skiing that day or at one of the many ski areas that have cell phone coverage.