Alpine Meadows Employee Accident

Jill and I have passes at Alpine Meadows and follow what occurs there.  Annalise Kjolhede is an employee and the accident is at Caring Bridge:

www.caringbridge.org/visit/annalisekjolhede/journal/2

Heart goes out to the friends and family.

Underscores the hazards of early season skiing.
This time of year there is soooo much stoke and it is way to easy to momentarily forget the dangers.
I used to go to Whistler every opening weekend and by Sunday there were always a couple of Aussie lifties with arms in slings, usually the result of "going big in the paaak,mate"
Stay safe out there, the season is long around here...

Sweet mountain gods, that's sobering to come home to after a morning out in the mountains with good friends of my own.

So much love and prayers for the people she's left behind today.  We'll put something on the wind for her tomorrow.

I think we all know skiing is dangerous, be it in November, January, April, June or October and that the only thing to 'learn' from this accident is how to love the people we don't want to be without.

Blessings Annalise.

it is always unfortunate when seemingly insignificant things can turn for the worse.
In regards to the conditions down here/ we had the first storm the fourth wk of Oct which left a good base on the north facing aspects. About 2 ft of snow was on the west slopes w/ 15" on the east slopes. The first wk of Nov. snowed and inch or two. Then, last wk it snowed some 20: 1 ratio snow, even up to 30: 1 NWS said. Snow totals were about 1 - 1,1/2 ft.
The Fifth Season shop in Mt Shasta typically reports to do 'cautious' turns in the early season. At Mammoth, this wk., Patrol opened both Dave's and Climax. They used a gate system informing you to ski in the gullies and that it is a thin snowpack. (they do this to skier-pack the snow so it forms a safe base)
I was in the local shop today, and I was saddened to hear of this, in our area. * *