Lost a ski yesterday...

[SkiCheapOrDie]

First time in the bowl. Managed to cartwheel down the chute. A bit rattled but uninjured. :D

The tragedy is that one of my Metrons decided to hang out way up the hill and I saw no safe way of going after it. I gave them my name and info at the parking lot lodge.

Soooo, what's the chance of this ski making it home?

-Chris K (ckofer at Alpinezone, new here)

[TDawg]

First of all, sorry for your misfortune. Not sure about getting your skis back.

I was part of your cheering/cringing section then! Chute was claiming people left and right yesterday. At days end I counted at least six skis high up the bowl. Glad I snowboard and my gear stays on!

If you were in the bowl after 1, I was the guy who set off and rode down the 2nd avy of the day. Quite the experience for sure. Hope you get your ski back.

[SkiCheapOrDie]

You were a hero to many yesterday. I was at the top right at 1 pm. Not sure if this pic will render but I think the aftermath of your work can be seen on the left:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1570504&id=819618953

or try this link

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1570504&id=819618953

[shotstar34]

First of all, sorry for your misfortune. Not sure about getting your skis back.

I was part of your cheering/cringing section then! Chute was claiming people left and right yesterday. At days end I counted at least six skis high up the bowl. Glad I snowboard and my gear stays on!

If you were in the bowl after 1, I was the guy who set off and rode down the 2nd avy of the day. Quite the experience for sure. Hope you get your ski back.

I was climbing up the chute when I saw the avalanche. It was pretty intense! My dad, who was filming from the bottom, actually got u on video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW_ekQSiPTA

[TDawg]

I KNEW SOMEBODY HAD TO HAVE SOME FOOTY!! THANK YOU!!! F-IN CRAZY!!

Any chance I can download that or have it sent my way? It would be much appreciated.

[icelanticskier]

FUGGIN IDIOT......

rog

[SkiCheapOrDie]

So, let's say my ski hangs out there for a few days. Is there a practical way to recover it? I would think it would be a task better suited for someone (I can recruit a friend) with ice climbing skills than skiing to get it. Once in hand, what then? It seems that tossing the ski(s) down the hill sideways might work-depending on the surfaces. Taping the brake from operating and saiiing it down the hill would impale people or just lose the ski somewhere else.

Looking for an experienced perspective.

[bucksaw]

the 2nd avy of the day.

Holly krap. 2 in a day? what are people thinking?

[brakeformoose]

Holly krap. 2 in a day? what are people thinking?

Seriously, what were people thinking? First of all, the avalanche advisory for Saturday said Moderate in some sections which says human triggered avalanches are possible. You add that in with the fact that it was a beautiful saturday, and there was no doubt in my mind that there would be at least one avalanche that day. However the fact that people witnessed one, yet continued to stay and ski the bowl boggles my mind. I know for many of them its a once a year opportunity to ski tux and they didn't want the drive and the hike up there to go to waste but seriously, life is more important than that.

[NtrentT]

Wow !
I'm glad no one was seriously injured, that was a sizable release.

[ptex1.1]

Here is the deal my skis are part of my family, I would never leave a family member behind for someone else to rescue. Maybe someone will donate your ski to a adaptive ski program where it will be loved, and treated with respect.

[twintipper]

your ski is being made into a chair or fence as we speak, start looking for a new set of sticks.

[DMC]

Probably going to eventually fall and slip into a crevasse.
I'd say head over in June/july... after the snow melts..

[clg898]

Bring a heavy fly rod with 30 lb test and start fishing for it in the Cutler River when the Atomic Metron fishing season opens. I think that's June 15th this year... Unfortunately, it's all cath and release, but you'll at least be able to kiss it goodbye. ;)

[skibumm100]

Bring a heavy fly rod with 30 lb test and start fishing for it in the Cutler River when the Atomic Metron fishing season opens. I think that's June 15th this year... Unfortunately, it's all cath and release, but you'll at least be able to kiss it goodbye. ;)

Tee hee.......

According to the avy report I read yesterday, there were three avy's Saturday. Not a great idea to ski the bowl.....IMO. Yesterday the bowl was socked in pretty bad. A cooler sized boulder came cartwheeling down Left Gully and just missed a dude. He said he heard someone above yell "ROCK!" but he couldn't see it til it almost took him out. He got out of the way in the nick of time. My group skied Hillman's based on the caretaker's recs and because the visibility was much better. The top was excellent and the bottom was still good older snow.

Sherby's turning into a mudfest.

[mtd2007]

Bring a heavy fly rod with 30 lb test and start fishing for it in the Cutler River when the Atomic Metron fishing season opens. I think that's June 15th this year... Unfortunately, it's all cath and release, but you'll at least be able to kiss it goodbye. ;)

trout on open water rivers / streams is ok year round in nh, not sure on the atomic season, check your knot on the tippet tho.... :)

[coreyb]

It seems that tossing the ski(s) down the hill sideways might work-depending on the surfaces.
jesus H... this line sent me over the edge... i think i might be done with tuckerman's... too many folks just not having a clue... it's a real mountain with real consequences... maybe i'm just shaken up from sunday's experience where someone at the top of left gully kicked down a 600 pound boulder that sent everyone in the boot pack scrambling to save their life... but i dunno... i think there are just too many hacks in the bowl in april... end rant.

[andyzee]

At first I was getting some laughs out of the reports from this weekend. Took a little time to sink in, that it was truly a dangerous day. Glad I made it early this year.

[Fanatic1]

... maybe i'm just shaken up from sunday's experience where someone at the top of left gully kicked down a 600 pound boulder that sent everyone in the boot pack scrambling to save their life... but i dunno...

That idiot ought to be prosecuted!

[DMC]

That idiot ought to be prosecuted!

And if was an accident?

[coreyb]

And if was an accident?

i can almost 100% guarantee that accident wasn't caused by someone who was being careful in an extremely exposed and steep section of the mountain... there are accidents and then there is stupidity... not sure why you're having fun defending those who are putting your life and other's at risk...

[Fanatic1]

I should say if it truly was an accident, there is no prosecution available. However, from the sounds of it, it was no accident. How does one 'accidently' send a 600 lb boulder down a crowded ski run?

Surely there is someone out there that knows more about this and I think it should to be investigated. Someone could have been killed...In fact it is a miracle that no one was!

[bumknee]

First time in the bowl. Managed to cartwheel down the chute. A bit rattled but uninjured. :D

The tragedy is that one of my Metrons decided to hang out way up the hill and I saw no safe way of going after it. I gave them my name and info at the parking lot lodge.

Soooo, what's the chance of this ski making it home?

-Chris K (ckofer at Alpinezone, new here)


You have got to be kidding me !

I'm glad your safe ,and perhaps not going after it was the smartest decision you made all day...but
I wish they charged you a fine for trashing the mountain!!! The fact that they did not is the tragedy.

Not to mention you left a hazard for others to avoid ,.. I am truly amazed at the caliber of people who show up at Tuckerman these days,... I guess I'm getting old.

[SkiCheapOrDie]

jesus H... this line sent me over the edge... i think i might be done with tuckerman's... too many folks just not having a clue... it's a real mountain with real consequences... maybe i'm just shaken up from sunday's experience where someone at the top of left gully kicked down a 600 pound boulder that sent everyone in the boot pack scrambling to save their life... but i dunno... i think there are just too many hacks in the bowl in april... end rant.

I think you may have misunderstood what I meant. I was watching others carefully toss skis to help clean up yard sales. The whole point of tossing them in sideways is to avoid making missiles of the skis (assuming ski brakes). It just seems too unlikely to be able to climb down a steep section with ski easily. Tethering skis to a rope would probably be a safer alternative. I assuming the person rescuing the ski does not have the matching ski and boots.

FWIW that boulder missed a friend of mine by only 8 feet. The last thing I'd like to see is someone get hurt by an avoidable projectile.

As far as outreach to keep people out of unnecessary danger, I'm pretty sure a big sign that just says NO IDIOTS TODAY at the trailhead would not get the job done either.

[coreyb]

You have got to be kidding me !

I'm glad your safe ,and perhaps not going after it was the smartest decision you made all day...but
I wish they charged you a fine for trashing the mountain!!! The fact that they did not is the tragedy.

Not to mention you left a hazard for others to avoid ,.. I am truly amazed at the caliber of people who show up at Tuckerman these days,... I guess I'm getting old.

i'm only 28 and i share your thoughts 100%

if you were up in the bowl on saturday and skied anywhere in the headwall, right gully, or sluice you should be embarrassed... the avi report was up and accurate and it sounds like half the crowd ignored it...

[yuckster]

It just seems too unlikely to be able to climb down a steep section with ski easily.

This is not that hard to do, with the proper equipment, knowledge, minimal physical fitness, and skill.

I would suggest bringing ice axe (which you have learned how to use) for self belay, and a pack that will carry your skis properly and keep them out of your way. Downclimb facing in, until the angle eases off.

[coreyb]

I think you may have misunderstood what I meant. I was watching others carefully toss skis to help clean up yard sales. The whole point of tossing them in sideways is to avoid making missiles of the skis (assuming ski brakes).
didn't misunderstand. doesn't matter which way you toss a ski even if it has a brake on it, it is gonna go where it wants to go especially on a steep aspect like the headwall... the safest thing for you to do would be to have a few people in the bowl spaced out evenly watching the entire recovery mission able to communicate if the ski comes barreling down, you hike up with another pair of skis, click in to other skis, retrieve abandoned ski, attach it to yourself somehow, and ski down... do this preferably midweek so there are very little people in the bowl... that would be a more reasonable recovery mission...

that boulder missed a friend of mine by only 8 feet. The last thing I'd like to see is someone get hurt by an avoidable projectile.
hurt? that had death written all over it... it was easily 500lbs and moving at about 10-15mph... i was about 5ft from it... good thing i had my ice axe cause i don't know if i could have shuffled left and then right so quickly on the steep terrain...

[RR]

back in the day, we simply drove our ski tails into the snow to belay ourselves. Imagine doing that three times in a day with long, Look mounted, Head DH skis :eek:

[yuckster]

hurt? that had death written all over it... it was easily 500lbs and moving at about 10-15mph... i was about 5ft from it... good thing i had my ice axe cause i don't know if i could have shuffled left and then right so quickly on the steep terrain...

I don't understand the indignance here. It was probably a natural rockfall, caused by frost wedging. Remember when the Old Man of the Mountain fell down? Frost wedging.

There's significant rockfall every year on Cannon cliff. All natural and caused by solar heating or frost wedging.

There was a big rockfall, again from natural causes, at the Gunks last fall that resulted in several popular routes being closed to climbing for the foreseeable future. :(

Spring and fall are primetime for natural rockfall.

[coreyb]

I don't understand the indignance here. It was probably a natural rockfall, caused by frost wedging.
it could have definitely been natural... i'm not ruling that out... but judging from the behavior i saw around the bowl, bootpack, and rockpile at the top of the left gully i'm gonna put down a serious bet that it was human-triggered... but again, i could be wrong and wish someone who was at the top of the gully could offer an explanation... however it launched, i'm just glad it didn't kill anyone... i'm still in shock no one died this weekend up there to be honest... maybe that's being too dramatic, i dunno

[DMC]

i can almost 100% guarantee that accident wasn't caused by someone who was being careful in an extremely exposed and steep section of the mountain... there are accidents and then there is stupidity... not sure why you're having fun defending those who are putting your life and other's at risk...

Because I don't make assumptions about things... I didn't defend..
You got to take a step back and look at things before you respond..

As shown by your lambasting the mods here..

[DMC]

it could have definitely been natural... i'm not ruling that out... but judging from the behavior i saw around the bowl, bootpack, and rockpile at the top of the left gully i'm gonna put down a serious bet that it was human-triggered... but again, i could be wrong and wish someone who was at the top of the gully could offer an explanation... however it launched, i'm just glad it didn't kill anyone... i'm still in shock no one died this weekend up there to be honest... maybe that's being too dramatic, i dunno

Making assumptions is what gets people into trouble in the bc... Try to make your own decisions based upon what you know..

heuristic traps can kill...

[coreyb]

yup yup yup... i think i've spent too much time on the forum today :)

for the record i wasn't lambasting the mods... i was trying to talk it out with the one who was making it seem as though he deleted the thread... and i've already apologized in that thread to RR... done and done.

[DMC]

just chill... take a step back..
thats what RR taught me... :)