Tahoe area avalanche takes 8 lives

[wilma]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/tahoe-avalanche-skiers-dead-21360546.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2NhbGlmb3JuaWEvYXJ0aWNsZS90YWhvZS1hdmFsYW5jaGUtc2tpZXJzLWRlYWQtMjEzNjA1NDYucGhw&time=MTc3MTQ0MjgwMDkwOA%3D%3D&rid=ZDFhNjBlYjEtZjJlMi00MzNkLWJiZWUtNjUzYTBjMDM0YTA0&sharecount=MA%3D%3D

 

[emeryjre]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/tahoe-avalanche-skiers-dead-21360546.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2NhbGlmb3JuaWEvYXJ0aWNsZS90YWhvZS1hdmFsYW5jaGUtc2tpZXJzLWRlYWQtMjEzNjA1NDYucGhw&time=MTc3MTQ0MjgwMDkwOA%3D%3D&rid=ZDFhNjBlYjEtZjJlMi00MzNkLWJiZWUtNjUzYTBjMDM0YTA0&sharecount=MA%3D%3D

The downside of severe storms

May they Rest In Peace

Terrible Tragedy

 

[klpca]

Our son in law is an avid backcountry skier and I was worried sick when I saw the news. That is exactly where he skis. He passed on going out in this storm.

What an absolute tragedy on so very many levels. My heart truly goes out to the victims and their families.

 

[DeniseM]

These deaths due to this avalanche are tragic, but there was a lot of bad decision making involved:
- This major storm was expected, and there have been lots of warnings for days, including avalanche warnings.
- This area is known for avalanches.
- Last month, a snowmobiler died from an avalanche in the same area.
- This trip was guided by 4 professional guides - who should have known better.

 

[Tuggernaut]

Very, very sad. It appears that avalanches in the US with a death toll this high (8, possibly 9) are uncommon. In 1910 a deadly avalanche occurred in Wellington, Washington. It knocked 2 trains off their tracks down into the Tye River valley. 96 people were killed. Just three days later, 63 railroad workers were killed in the Rogers Pass avalanche nearby in British Columbia.

 

[Passepartout]

I am deeply saddened by the deaths of eight skiers caught in an avalanche. I skied and snowmobiled for well over half my life, and was accepted to ski patrol in Germany. I know how deadly avalanches can be. May they rest in peace and their families find a way to understand that they died doing what they loved.

Jim

 

[jeffox]

We get about a dozen back country skiers that die here in Colorado each year, some bodies aren't found until Spring, but probably not this Winter. It looks like some of the Western Slope is picking up moisture from this storm. Nothing but wind on the Eastern side of the Rockies.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I saw a social media post from the guide company on TV news, excited about the big storm coming in. Just tragic.

I got almost 3 inches of rain from this storm in San Jose.

 

[PigsDad]

I am deeply saddened by the deaths of eight skiers caught in an avalanche. I skied and snowmobiled for well over half my life, and was accepted to ski patrol in Germany. May they rest in peace and their families find a way to understand that they died doing what they loved.

They may have died doing what they loved, but what is even more sad is that the tragedy was completely avoidable.

Kurt

 

[DeniseM]

More avalanche details: rescue shifts to body recovery

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Search and rescue teams are now shifting their focus to recovering the eight, potentially nine bodies, after rescuing six survivors Tuesday night from the avalanche site near Castle Peak. “It’s a difficult...

www.tahoedailytribune.com

 

[davidvel]

They may have died doing what they loved, but what is even more sad is that the tragedy was completely avoidable.

Kurt

So was doing what they loved.

 

[davidvel]

These deaths due to this avalanche are tragic, but there was a lot of bad decision making involved:
- This major storm was expected, and there have been lots of warnings for days, including avalanche warnings.
- This area is known for avalanches.
- Last month, a snowmobiler died from an avalanche in the same area.
- This trip was guided by 4 professional guides - who should have known better.

People also ski in this area all of the time. They choose to, knowing the risks. They had set out before the avalanche warnings, on a multi-day trip. All of the details of their tragedy are not known (were they returning, trying to get back the safest way they knew, etc, etc.)

You must have all the intimate details to reach the conclusion that the guides are at fault, made poor decisions, and caused death. What a position for you to be in, to immediately judge them (possibly the dead) with few facts.

 

[DeniseM]

Before the avalanche, they were in a safe and well-equipped compound for skiers, where they could have easily waited out the storm. Now, the question is being asked: Why did they leave safe shelter at the peak of the storm?

 

[easyrider]

They may have died doing what they loved, but what is even more sad is that the tragedy was completely avoidable.

Kurt

That's what I think. Light weight avalanche protective gear is a must have when playing in areas prone to avalanche. We started wearing this type of gear after the fact. A friend caused an avalanche and was buried with his snowmobile. Luckily he was found in time but he was under 3 ft of snow for a good 10 minutes.

Bill

 

[PigsDad]

So was doing what they loved.

They could have still done what they loved and the tragedy could still have been avoided.

 

[davidvel]

They may have died doing what they loved, but what is even more sad is that the tragedy was completely avoidable.

Kurt

So was doing what they loved.

And still avoidable.

That's what I said. They could have avoided doing what they loved, but chose not to.

 

[PigsDad]

That's what I said. They could have avoided doing what they loved, but chose not to.

You replied while I was still editing. Please read my edited post. They didn't have to avoid doing what they loved to avoid this tragedy -- it's not an either/or situation. They could have still done what they loved at a different time, a different place, a different way, etc.

 

[davidvel]

You replied while I was still editing. Please read my edited post. They didn't have to avoid doing what they loved to avoid this tragedy -- it's not an either/or situation. They could have still done what they loved at a different time, a different place, a different way, etc.

Maybe, maybe not. Lots of these adventure seekers love living on the edge, love going out during or after the biggest dump despite the risks, etc. Or maybe heading back after the huge snowfall was part and parcel of their adventure, that they evaluated and decided was unavoidable to do what they loved. It is not known how the group (or individuals) perceived the risks, how they evaluated it, and what their choices were, other than to leave camp and head home. We simply don't know yet, and may never know as to some of them.

For some (this group and people at large), maybe they sought more than going up a chairlift and down a groomed run in a ski area. Maybe doing it a different way, or place, or time was not for them. Like people that climb Yosemite's walls without ropes. We can sit in our armchairs and say they could avoided death by using ropes, but we don't get to define their passion for things that they love to do.

 

[PigsDad]

Maybe, maybe not. Lots of these adventure seekers love living on the edge, love going out during or after the biggest dump despite the risks, etc. Or maybe heading back after the huge snowfall was part and parcel of their adventure, that they evaluated and decided was unavoidable to do what they loved. It is not known how the group (or individuals) perceived the risks, how they evaluated it, and what their choices were, other than to leave camp and head home. We simply don't know yet, and may never know as to some of them.

For some (this group and people at large), maybe they sought more than going up a chairlift and down a groomed run in a ski area. Maybe doing it a different way, or place, or time was not for them. Like people that climb Yosemite's walls without ropes. We can sit in our armchairs and say they could avoided death by using ropes, but we don't get to define their passion for things that they love to do.

There certainly are different ways of going backcountry skiing that are far less risky than what they did; I wasn't implying that they needed to backtrack all the way to taking lifts and skiing groomed runs. But I guess if their passion was to backcountry ski in situations that were likely to trigger avalanches, then you are absolutely correct -- they died doing what they loved.

And to quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that.” May they rest in peace, and may their families and loved ones find peace as well.

 

[easyrider]

I've heard "doing what they loved" too many times. No one loves to die while participating in an activity they enjoy. It's never helped a person that lost a love one, imo. It's such a cliche saying usually used to marginalize death, imo. The skiers that died in the avalanche had a slow death and were probably fully aware of their situation, which is a terrible way to go.

Sorry if this came off a bit morbid. It isn't meant to be.

Bill

 

[davidvel]

I've heard "doing what they loved" too many times. No one loves to die while participating in an activity they enjoy. It's never helped a person that lost a love one, imo. It's such a cliche saying usually used to marginalize death, imo. The skiers that died in the avalanche had a slow death and were probably fully aware of their situation, which is a terrible way to go.

Sorry if this came off a bit morbid. It isn't meant to be.

Bill

You have completely altered reality as you often do. What people say is "they died doing what they loved," which most likely is true here. No one who is not suicidal or for medical reasons wants to die doing anything. But many people accept that they could die doing lots of things they love to do. That is what the phrase means. It does not mean they didn't experience pain, nor does it take away from the fact that they died at all.

No one says "They loved to die..." That is absurd, false, and disparaging. Everything else you say is irrelevant and speculation as well. Bill, serious question: Did you not do well in school?

 

[easyrider]

You have completely altered reality as you often do. What people say is "they died doing what they loved," which most likely is true here. No one who is not suicidal or for medical reasons wants to die doing anything. But many people accept that they could die doing lots of things they love to do. That is what the phrase means. It does not mean they didn't experience pain, nor does it take away from the fact that they died at all.

No one says "They loved to die..." That is absurd, false, and disparaging. Everything else you say is irrelevant and speculation as well. Bill, serious question: Did you not do well in school?

To say you know anyone well enough to actually know what they love to do before they died is clique because to know this means there would be a level of intimacy and connection. The ski-ers for instance, you don't know any of them, as far as I know, yet somehow you think you know they loved to ski only because they were skiing. With the same logic you could say the same thing for some one in a fatal auto accident.

You are right in that not many want to be remembered for how they died. I certainly don't. I would rather be remembered for how I lived. I kind of get what you are saying but how they lived before they died brings attention to how they died more than how they lived when this is said for them at death.

I'm not sure why you are saying that anyone says they loved to die. Another crazy Dave spin out, lol.

Bill