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Topic: Crystal BC bombing query (Read 1677 times)
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wingy
5Member
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Posts: 8
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3 of us were in the Crystal BC on 14 Feb. Skied past the top of the lift at ~9a and proceeded up and into the basin; arrived in a safe zone mid-bowl at ~10a. Patrollers approached from above ridge and started bombing extensively between 10a and 12 noon -- many (~15) hand-thrown charges, kicking cornices off of the upper lip, big cuts, etc. We were dressed colorfully, talking loudly enough for them to hear us, were clearly visible below, and while we were out of the main run-out zones and likely safe we would easily have been buried if a big slab cut. After ~40 mins, yelled up: 'patrollers, skiers below, do you see us?" they responded, 'yes'; we responded, 'thank you' ... and then they kept bombing. All in: lots of movement, but no significant slabs.
I have skied many bombed resorts, side-country areas and backcountry areas adjacent resorts (~300 days), and this is an extraordinary event in my experience. Is this normal for Crystal and/or the PNW patrolling community? And if so, does anyone know what objective patroller analysis precedes making a decision to bomb this or similar basins? (Eg: 'they dig a pit, find X, and decide bombing is OK.')
Any related thoughts? I welcome the learning opportunity. Thank you.
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Robie
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Posts: 794
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I welcome the learning opportunity. Thank you. Ok here's my take always ,repeat always check in With Crystal patrol.before heading out whether Bullion basin or southback or anywhere near. Patrol headquarters are behind the main lodge Check in is easy and you will be given a detailed up to date report on avy situation and any control that is going on that might affect your ski plans. Bonus is that you often be given tips on where to find good skiing. Also check in / register your entire party in case of unanticipated trouble. Get patrols phone number and call out and log off on safe return. Too easy and it might just enhance and make your tour safer and funner.
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"I bought my rope at Walmart ,my gloves at costco but paid dearly for my dynafits"
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Bandit
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Posts: 283
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Rule of thumb. Always, always , check with Ski Patrol in the early A.M. to see what kind of activity is going on, before venturing out into the B.C.
If you hear bombs going off. Don't go into the B.C. until the Ski Patrol have cleared specific areas.
There is a Ski Patrol station at the top of the lift you passed. You should have checked in with them before venturing out.
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« Last Edit: 02/16/10, 06:30 PM by Bandit »
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The world is a dangerous place to live - not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
- Albert Einstein
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Dustin_B
5Member
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Posts: 21
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Not trying trying to be rude here wingy, but here is a recap of what I read the situation to be. You skinned up into an inbounds (yes, inbounds, not backcountry, not side country, but inbounds controllled terrain) area without checking in with ski patrol, saw patrol doing avalanche control work above you, and you didn't turn around and/or get out of the way? What did you expect to happen by wearing brightly colored cloths, talking loudly, and yelling up to patrol? Were they suppose to stop doing avy control work and delay the opening of southback to the paying public so you could continue on your path?
Southback is always the last part of the mountain to be controlled so its very common for control work to be going on well into the afternoon. Southback is a huge area that takes lots of time, bombs, and effort to control and make 'safe' ('safe' is a whole other topic). Whether or not to control certain slopes or areas on any given day is based on a number of factors that I won't go into here. generally speaking snow pits are not dug while avy control is going on whether it be powder bowl, northback, or in southback. the decision to control a route is made ahead of time.
All this being said, there are plenty of places to skin in silver basin without being any where near the avy paths that are controlled on a regular basis by patrol. My suggestion is that if you insist on skiing out in Silver basin while patrol is doing avy control work stay away from the slopes below the area from the King to 3-way peak. that means south and east of 3-way. there is heaps of great terrain there to entertain yourselves on until patrol is done with their work.
how was the snow out there?
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bc_skier
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Posts: 68
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Wingy,
Also, out west during weather patterns like we are having now, generally speaking, we do not have much trouble with deep snow instability. I am sure they saw you and took note, however were probably - as you said - knocking off some cornices and other small pockets of snow.
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wingy
5Member
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Posts: 8
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Thanks for taking the time to respond. I don't believe anything I say in reply would add value to the discussion.
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pin!head
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Posts: 201
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Thanks for taking the time to respond. I don't believe anything I say in reply would add value to the discussion.
..Well played.
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PNWBrit
Member
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Posts: 271
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Perhaps program patrol's phone number into your cell phone?
Then you could just call and let them know when your done touring up under/into their control routes and they could stay in the shack drinking coffee and eating bacon sandwiches.
People like you get uphill travel banned at/near ski areas.
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Corey
5Member
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Posts: 6
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I pimped this thread and added some additional head's up, at blogcrystal.com .
Thanks, a couple of you, for mentioning that Patrol "emergencies only" number, which is (360) 663-3064.
As much as we hate 'em in the bc, Crystal's great cell coverage (for AT&T, T-Mobile, and especially Verizon) allowed a quick resolution to 2 recent 'missing person's' events that took skiers/boarders from Crystal--accidently--down into Mt. Rainier National Park at the end of the day.
A cell phone also allowed last Sunday's avalanche rescue (in the Speed Control/Joe's Badass Shoulder--shoutout to JoeDaBaker!--area to conclude almost entirely in the daylight and probably saved the skier's life! I like to tell people to keep your phone with you, charged-up, and programmed with each other's numbers (and that patrol number) even if you want to keep it turned off until there's trouble.
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Marcus
Administrator
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Posts: 1218
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Great info Corey, thanks for the update.
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Joedabaker
Member
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Posts: 1005
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Thanks Corey for the props and info.
And for whatever it's worth, this season has been particularly dangerous in Joe's Bad Ass Shoulder vicinity. Just North of 3-way.
It seems that the high winds from East and SE are loading those slopes especially big and making them prone to slide relatively easy this year. Saturday I was real leary, since there was new snow, wind loading and a considerable warming in the day with pinwheel powder everywhere (snow that pinwheels down the slopes). We dug a westfacing hasty pit that ended up being 3ft deep and the slopes I skied did not have an underlain weakness that I thought would slide, but it is obvious that there is something inherent in that area this year (buried surface hoar on crust?) or what ever that is making it a crazy place to go after storms.
As a result I have only been out to the namesake slope only once this season, but now this is the third report of monster slides ripping down on skiers there.
Watch it the Shoulder can be Badass!
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Who postholed my skintrack?
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