Avalanche in Mcbride

[catmando]

We were in the very backside of Blackwater today where the big drop down through the chute.There were seven of us and Brad (karbz700)climbed a medium sized hill that was very steep and Deryl(xsyourride) climbed up after him and turned out creating a avalanche about 50 yards wide and about a foot to eighteen inches deep.He was close to the edge and was buried under his sled with one arm and his head sticking out.He was pinned although he was dug out immediatly and basically uninjured other than a couple bruises.Very shakin up but the outcome could have been a lot worse.I have some video that will be posted soon after the digging was done
Take care out there people.
catmando!

 

[Summiteer]

Make sure and repoprt it . Reporting page link below
www.avalanche.ca

 

[Slamnek]

Glad to hear no one was hurt or worse.

 

[Sledderglen]

Glad you all made it out OK. Just goes to show how a good day can turn around to the loss of a friend. Thanks for all coming out with just a remindor of what can happen. Now go home and hug your wife and kids.

 

[Caper11]

Glad to hear everyone is ok!!! Please report it as summiteer mentioned earlier so this area will now have a report, I monitor the conditions alot for this region and no one has reported any yet!
Thanks

 

[snochuk]

Lots of fresh during the week and prime avy temps for the weekend......be careful where and how you ride.

 

[catmando]

It was reported on the 14th
catmando!

 

[Zar]

Wow - Just read your adventure you had last weekend. Glad to hear that no serious injuries or worse happen at McBride. It's a bit un-nerving to hear or see accidents in the mountains. I have seen a few accidents ( people taking the famous helicopter ride, sleds on fire, avalanche debris fields, blown motors, broken chain cases in the back country) and lucky enough to have me and my sled make it to the truck in one piece. When I was new to the sport I was un-educated of the perils and I enjoyed it more. Now I am always thinking of the " What if". Sorry for the rant.

Zar

 

[CdnWrangler]

Hi Catmando...

I'm happy to hear that everyone is okay!!

I am curious based on observations from this last weekend; 1) did the second sled immediately follow the first? 2) Did the riders discuss the slope & snow conditions after each run? 3) Where warning signs missed (did part of the snow pack split or shift before the final sled run & avalanche)? 4) Did any of the riders make a cut across the slope to check for stability prior to the vertical run? 5) Have the riders taken the avalanche courses? 6) Have they practiced using the beacons?

The reasons for the questions are: a) encountered riders this past weekend that were missing some or all of the safety equipment (shovels, beacons, probes, radios). b) Even those having experience in the mountains did not recognise the avalanche dangers. c) Did not realize how wide or far an avalanche will move. d) One member of the group and I had walked through the process of conducting a search, but as a whole we did not. e) We did stop at one point and discuss the cornice overhang in the lower bowl in the anthills and the avalanche run-out. Not all was believed by group members until conformation later that night by “bbtoys”. f) There is always a concern when a member breaks off to do their own thing and communications are lost. g) Both consciously and sub-consciously, we made an effort of play in less extreme areas because of the snow load and warming temperatures.

So, I’m wondering if there is a trend by the general riding public to forgo safety (theirs and their companions) and the thought process (situational awareness) by thinking it can’t happen to me or me and my machine can out run it????

I’m picking your brain pertaining to the snow conditions and rider actions for the purpose of learning more and understanding (route cause analysis). Are we taking too much for granted as a sport?

In hindsight, we as a group could have done a much better job of reducing the risks and being prepared. You article has made me re-think how we/I start-off the next sled run to the mountains.

Regards,

Michael

 

[Marry Poppins Express]

Good to here you guys made out "OK". Last trip up we saw two slides one caused by yours truly, a tight turn out caused a small slide but a slide just the same. The second was a high sidehill done by an unknown rider which cut loose about 30 yards of snow, he out ran that one. It would have been more than enought to burry him, sled and all. Ride safe out there guys it's not as if we don't have someone waiting for us at home.

 

[CdnWrangler]

Hello Mary Poppins Express:

The mistake I made..... with this new group (within in the group was a person on their first trip to the mountains) (riding with the new group was not the issue), thinking through the potential issues which needed to be checked, discussed and double checked..... then only covering them in a partial, informal fashion is an issue. I made some fundamental errors.... not to be made agin!!! Despite what I think I know and what I think they know, regardless of experience, someone has to take lead and make sure the group is not heading into harms way....

I'm extremely glad both parties made it through unscathed. I hope you and your group talked about the avy and its triggers..... to become a better group the next time... and have a much more enjoyable next trip Your final comment hits the nail on the head, there are people waiting/depending on us at home.... for their safety and future...

Good to here you guys made out "OK". Last trip up we saw two slides one caused by yours truly, a tight turn out caused a small slide but a slide just the same. The second was a high sidehill done by an unknown rider which cut loose about 30 yards of snow, he out ran that one. It would have been more than enought to burry him, sled and all. Ride safe out there guys it's not as if we don't have someone waiting for us at home.

 

[bbtoys]

Renshaw today. There were a number of slab slides in many areas in the back country, but all the large cornices have not come down so please look up before you attempt the highmark of the day. Slides have been the top 8-12 inches of snow coming down now and seem to be running a fair distance.

 

[4extreme]

I may as well put in my 2 cents...Rob and I were in the Butterfly on the weekend and there were more shoots with slides than there was without slides. We also seen a hole where someone was dug out the day before. the hole was about three feet deep, we never heard anything about it so I`m hoping everything was OK.

 

[Caper11]

Lots of slides in mcbride last weekend I heard, I seen four in Dore And one was HUGE the whole face fell off the mountain and it must of been about 600 yards wide, and it had to of been 20ft deep, It makes a fellow stop and think for a few.

 

[snochuk]

Which Dore were you in, North or South? The group that didn't go last weekend is going this weekend. Would be nice to know.

 

[Caper11]

Which Dore were you in, North or South? The group that didn't go last weekend is going this weekend. Would be nice to know.

North dore had 4 slides, Last weekend We broke both trails into the north and south and didn't see any avy's in the south on sunday, but there but had lots of sluffing had to shovel the sidehill going into the south, the creeks going into the south were covered but with all this warm weather I would say there open now.

 

[snochuk]

Thanks, my group only has one day, the rest are staying till Monday(11 in total). Was South Dore tracked up bad when you left and were the crevaces filled in on the glacier. We shoveled the last cutblock twice last year until there was enough snow to go straight up the start of the cutlock. Have seen the last climb up the creek filled from slides the last 2 years. Good to hear nobody in the avys, area can be trecherous..gonna dig a snow pit when we get there.

 

[Caper11]

Thanks, my group only has one day, the rest are staying till Monday(11 in total). Was South Dore tracked up bad when you left and were the crevaces filled in on the glacier. We shoveled the last cutblock twice last year until there was enough snow to go straight up the start of the cutlock. Have seen the last climb up the creek filled from slides the last 2 years. Good to hear nobody in the avys, area can be trecherous..gonna dig a snow pit when we get there.

On monday two of us didn't go back to south dore we went back to the north we wanted to get home at a half decend hour, on sunday we didn't track it up too bad took most of the day to get in there, I can't answer you correctly but I have a feeling it may be hammered out, unless you have secret riding spots in there.
North dore is hammered out for sure But there were untouched hills around the glacier as of monday we didn't hang out there too long because it was very warm and nothing slid yet.
I recommend staying away from the glaciers North and south, and when we were in the south there were old avys at the creeks. The avys in the north were very fresh within 1 to 8hours of sliding, the biggest on was by the waterfall where you have to go up along the rocks through the trees, the scarrest part for us was we shovled that rock cut for 2 hours making a trail, we got in to the north and turned around and passed by the rockcut again at 6pm, 9am the next morning we went back to the north and there was the slide. 7 hours to get in and 3 hours to get out it snowed hard last friday and we had at least a foot of fresh on the trail an the way back out, deepest snow I've been in yet 4.5 ft of untouched but well worth the effort braking the trail into both the north and south.
Hope this helps.