Journal
The New Year is upon us! This is day 1 of my year long outdoor blog project.
The storms in the last week of December have (finally!) produced good to excellent backcountry ski conditions for the beginning of this year. Keep the snow coming!
On a sad note, the end of last year saw the seasons first avalanche fatality. Patsy Hileman, a highly experienced professional ski patroller in Snowmass was caught in a snow slide and swept over a cliff. She died of “blunt force trauma” as opposed to suffocation. This accident emphasizes two important characteristics of avalanche fatalities: Professionals such as ski patrollers are statistically more likely to be caught in an avalanche, and that many times injuries and fatalities suffered by avalanche victims are caused by trauma. All the training and emphasis on the use of avi beacons, such as quick searches and digging out the victim, tend to give people the impression that burial and suffocation are the biggest danger with avalanches. Not necessarily true. An avalanche beacon doesn’t offer much help against hitting boulders and trees, or going over a cliff. If you think a slope may avalanche, it’s wise to avoid it.
If we’re lucky, 2013 could be the year of the comets.
Posted in Journal by Mark with 1 comment.
The picture was taken just below the summit of Mt. Lincoln.