Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

[BaronVonBergschrund]

Brian Kimball...







You complete me.

[RoanMtnMan]

The full report is available on CAIC.

http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub/accide ... t=20090215

[rickinco123]

Are you (original poster) kidding me!? Asking for help?

Anyone who puts them self in a position for that to occur...You need to re-assess your judgment and skill level...decision making skill level. CT15 Q2? That means moderately weak snow strength and a clean shear. At the top of a big line...wow? Brilliant!

"Sorry about all the wankers on this site, but consider the ribbing a rite of passage"...Rite of Passage? To what? The only rite to passage is to the ski shop to purchase new equipment. You are lucky to be in the position to purchase new equipment instead of your friends or family purchasing a casket.

I was up there the day before. Between the new snow, available snow, wind speeds and loading patterns, what were you thinking even considering skiing a 3000'+ line in February, in a continental snowpack with the previous weather history? Let alone solo? Are you the type who steps on the gas with a bus load of children when the light turns yellow?

What really blows my mind are all the folks willing to go back up there because the OP will carry "all the gear"? Seriously, consider thinking again before you commit to the task. The OP needs to take some classes in decision making before he ventures into the bc and potentially harming him self again or endangering SAR again. Did you realize that Alpine Rescue members are volunteers? And that many of them have families, kids, etc.? And they were paged because of multiple poor choices? Wow. I'm sorry, but I am just blown away.

Once the snow melts and there is little avalanche danger, please go back up there and pick up your trash. As of now it's litter.

Believe me, I am glad you made out okay, I really am, but Good luck.

When I first read this I thought it was pretty harsh and not the way to approach this. The more I find out about what really happened, and what the OP wanted to do to retrieve his stuff, I realize, this is the most spot on post here.

I know there are some trolls here but if you are seriously defending Mrwaffles at this point, you need to seriously reexamine your judgment faculties. This CAIC report is a direct message to MrWaffles and you. At this point I'm just grateful he did not knock a slide down on an innocent party.

[Turd Fergason]

The avalanche was a SS-AS-R2D2-I

r2d2-translation.jpg (34.83 KiB) Viewed 4969 times

I don't ski. Is R2D2 good or bad. I thought he was good?

[CO Native]

I think my resource is outdated but here are the basics of avalanche classification
Type of Avalanche:
HS Hard Slab
SS Soft Slab
WS Wet Slab
L Loose
WL Wet Loose

Trigger:
N Natural
AS Artificial, Ski
AE Artificial, Hand Charge
AA Artificial, Artillery
AL Artificial, Avalauncher
AO Artificial, Other
(list not complete)

Size (In relation to Path):
R1 Sluff
R2 Small
R3 Medium
R4 Large
R5 Major/Maximum

Size (In terms of snow released):
D1 Relatively Harmless Less than 10 tons 10 meters 1 kPa
D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person 100 tons 100 meters 10 kPa
D3 Could bury a car, destroy a small building, or break trees 1000 tons 1000 meters 100 kPa
D4 Could destroy a rail car 10,000 tons 2000 meters 500 kPa
D5 Largest known 100,000 tons 3000 meters 1000 kPa


Running Surface:
G Ran to Ground in Starting Zone
O Ran on old snow surface in starting zone
I Ran on Interface in starting zone

[CO Native]

Ahh, here is a better explaination:
http://www.avalanche.org/~nac/NAC/techP ... _codes.pdf

[George James]

I thought this one was good too...

http://www.fsavalanche.org/NAC/techPages/swag/Ch3.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I also found Mr. Waffles!



Thanks for sharing those pictures Phil!

[skiwall]

Ahh, here is a better explaination:
http://www.avalanche.org/~nac/NAC/techP ... _codes.pdf

Impressive that they have a code for natural-earthquake. Has that happened? Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time....

[jfox]

Impressive that they have a code for natural-earthquake. Has that happened? Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time....

Yes, but a bit more than just snow came down off the slope!

DCP_0640.jpg (95.98 KiB) Viewed 4265 times

This huge landslide from an unnamed 7,000-foot-high peak in the Alaska Range, less than 10 miles west of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline, was triggered by the 2002 Denali Fault earthquake. The fault rupture offset the ice of the mile-wide Black Rapids Glacier, in the foreground, which the landslide subsequently covered.

Source pdf file. That wasn't even the largest. The largest slide/avalanche was reported to be 40 million cubic meters of rock, ice, snow!

[susanjoypaul]

"Sorry about all the wankers on this site, but consider the ribbing a rite of passage"...Rite of Passage? To what? The only rite to passage is to the ski shop to purchase new equipment. You are lucky to be in the position to purchase new equipment instead of your friends or family purchasing a casket.

No one was defending him – just showing a little compassion, and relief for the fact that he survived. I think we all agree that he screwed up.

I stand by my statement.

And suggest that you try to relax. Take a deep breath.
Save your anger for the bedroom.

[FCSquid]

And suggest that you try to relax. Take a deep breath.
Save your anger for the bedroom.

Now that's the funniest thing I've read all day. Good job!

[rickinco123]

No one was defending him – just showing a little compassion, and relief for the fact that he survived. I think we all agree that he screwed up.

I stand by my statement.

And suggest that you try to relax. Take a deep breath.
Save your anger for the bedroom.

We don't need to agree that he screwed up, an avalanche was triggered, he screwed up.

Compassion went out the window for this guy when the CAIC report came out. I try to learn from the incidences as much as I can but he has been defensive and evasive. He encouraged others to go back into a danger zone, one that CAIC investigators have now declared is unsafe, he got SAR, the Sheriff and who knows who else into the danger zone, he abandoned his friend on the ridge, he triggered a slide which could have endangered others in the area, and, if you read his trip reports, he has a history of endangering himself and others.

The CAIC report contains these nuggets:
"CAIC staff examined the avalanche the following day, but the crown was unsafe to approach for a detailed profile."
and
"The witnesses heard a faint "HELP!" They changed plans and headed toward the summit of Torreys. The skier stood at the crown for 20 to 30 minutes before climbing back to the summit and the saddle between Torreys and Grays. Once the witnesses were within shouting distance, they determined that the skier was uninjured and alone. The skier proceeded to hike down, cutting across snowfields that the witnesses had "assessed [as] way too dangerous to touch."

These comments are addressing THIS thread and the OPs request for help going back up to retrieve his stuff and is slap at him and his poor judgment. Obviously there are people outside of 14ers.com who are not happy with this guy.

When you endanger others safety, and have a history of it, show no contriteness or willingness to learn, you get scorn. Do you feel safer with this guy out there?