Square Top Avalanche Accident 1-30-21
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- On Saturday, January 30, Kurt Damschroder, a 57-year old male from Park City, Utah, was killed in an avalanche on Square Top Peak along the Park City ridgeline in the backcountry adjacent to Canyons Village of the Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR).
Kurt and his partner read the avalanche forecast for that day and were very familiar with the area, having skied there for many years. They took 2 previous runs in the backcountry using the 9990 chairlift at PCMR for access. Their first and second runs were just south of Cone Head in the Owen's Line area. Both runs are about 0.6 miles to the south of the 9990 chairlift. They did not see any avalanches, cracking, collapsing, or other signs of unstable snow. They both carried avalanche rescue gear (transceiver/probe/shovel), and they did not dig a snowpit at any point during the day.
Read the full report:
utahavalanchec...
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I know this area well and have been riding this terrain since the mid 90s. It's a classic martini glass, wide rim entrance that all feeds into a stem. I never take that center line or any line that feeds into that stem until mid March or later. This exact shot has taken about a dozen lives since 1993. Center line of Dutch Draw also a life-taker.
Ugh. Thoughts out to the partner as well. Can't imagine how tough that must have been ... Thanks to the rescuers. Good call on the hang-fire mitigation (wow!)
Condolences to the victim and family.
I’ve skied that pitch.
same scary
I think of the rescue folks every time I step out. its on me.
SO, SO TRUE and WELL SAID, Greg. It's those moments of reckoning and calculation of EVERYTHING you're about to eternally set in motion, with your decision to drop - EVERY SINGLE TIME - that separate two extremely different REALITIES going forward, from that moment on, in SO MANY PEOPLE'S LIVES AND HEARTS... FOREVER. 👍
Thank you for providing these videos.
Serves a great purpose: warning and memorial.
RIP my dude.
The track disappearing into the slide path made me “gulp” . My thoughts, prayers and blessings go out to his friend and his family.
MAN - MY REACTION, EXACTLY.
My eyes got unexpectedly wet on that one, when I saw that track end... Almost like I needed it to be blurred out, like graphic violence is... It REALLY hurt to stare at that image, after I paused it.
So, SO sad for that kid. Bless his family and friends, and future riders of that line...
Condolences to the victims family and friends. Kudos to all UAC personnel. RIP Kurt.
I pour out a bit of whiskey every time I am near these zones. A number of our community have fallen here. Think of them when you see ravens flying in the area!
I want to give my condolences to the family and friends of the victim. This year especially has become so dangerous with regards to avy conditions it is terrible. That face is a common sight to anyone who skis at Park City, and even though it looks super good when it is untracked, it is incredibly dangerous.
I realize it's kinda randomly asking but does anyone know of a good site to watch new movies online ?
@Korbyn Carson I watch on Flixzone. You can find it on google =)
@Damien Arlo yea, I've been watching on FlixZone for years myself :D
@Damien Arlo thanks, signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :) Appreciate it!
@Korbyn Carson glad I could help =)
Consider a donation to your local SAR team.
Avy training needs to include forced air devices if it doesn't already. An hour of air would go a long way in these burials. I feel bad posting it here but hopefully it catches on and saves lives
what is "forced air device"? couldn't find info by googling
I think i found it. It's a tube that extracts air from snow: powder.com/gear-locker/should-you-use-an-avalung/
The only way these devices work is if you ski with the device already in your mouth. Once you are in a moving slide, or buried, it's too late.
The Avalung has been around for years and never gained widespread adoption. If these devices were that effective they would have become mainstream. Look at how quickly airbags have gained popularity due to their relative effectiveness. The real problem is lack of experience. Backcountry skiing/boarding used to be the domain of people who had built up experience in-bounds for years before venturing into the slack country; usually under the wing of a more experienced person. These days weekend warriors hit the backcountry without having put in the time that is nessecary to understand the complexity of a snowpack and it's relationship to the terrain. Even respected industry professionals die here in the Coast Mountains of BC on a too frequent basis. My condolences to the family and friends of the victim but it is important to note that this individual should not have been there at that time. Given the releases triggered the following day indicates widespread enough instability that a snow pit would have identified unless the instability was created in the 24 hour period after the initial incident; highly unlikely. With more and more 'amateurs' hitting the backcountry we will see many more fatalities. Airbags, breathing devices, or the next bit of fancy technology to try and mitigate the risk will not solve anything. It will just give more inexperienced people a false sense of security probably leading to even worse decision making...If you are caught in a slide try to get your goggles over your mouth to create an air pocket.
@@philhey8847
I really like and APPRECIATE that "goggles" tip, I somehow haven't heard that before, and really commend you for publicizing it.
Also, I'd like to differ with you on the point about the "effectiveness," as you put it, of the Avalung... It's not about its EFFECTIVENESS, it's about people actually USING it, as you later pointed out, but didn't CLARIFY, vis-a-vis the first statement you made, when you said it was INEFFECTIVE. People HAVE to put the mouthpiece IN their mouth BEFORE the avalanche takes them, which means in most ALL cases, BEFORE they start their run, in all likelihood!
And FUCK yes an AIRBAG should be part of one's equipment nowadays!! Indeed, thank you.
Hey Greg. Nice footage. For future reference it’s not a rescue if they’re deceased, it’s a recovery.
My condolences go out to his family. May you rest easy knowing he left doing what he loved.
Honestly if you think you can do it better how about you go work for UAC
That was my dream for many years. One of their requirements is that you are enrolled in university studies at the time of application. Unfortunately I’ve never been able to source the funds to pursue that future. I accept this and have moved on. My previous comment was intended to be helpful. May you be at peace ✌️
Nicely made video👍
One look at this terrain and it is obviously a prime avalanche zone. People who do down terrain like this are either stupid or believe they are immune to getting buried alive. I finally hung up my skis after 50 years of fun and excitement without a single serious injury and I attribute that to having the good sense not to ski dangerous terrain and to never ski alone.
I would never ski high risk areas like that without an avalanche airbag. I remember an avalanche happened in my area with 5 people in the team, only one that survived had an airbag.
They are costly, but compared to life? Great advice
@@joeKisonue Ya they not cheap but with great risk, comes great cost to try and stay safe.
Looks like such a large slide that the airbag might not have helped. The video did not mention if asphyxiation or blunt trauma was cause of death. That sucker avalanches all the time.
@@Osnosis Well the person died because they got buried under the snow, but thats true, when you get taken by a slide who knows what you might hit and die that way.
@@f0rumrr
Holy shit. That's a frightening - and very clarifying/edifying - account (re: airbag vs none, in a larger sample of people, in the VERY same slide).
I won't forget that; thank you for the important comment. (And, only if you were there WITH that team, that day - I hope you don't suffer PTSD from this - I personally can't imagine not having recurring nightmares and irrational guilt trips, and moments of loathing in my soul, afterwards. Hope you're okay, moving forward in life. Truly. ❤️👍)
I'VE ALREADY SAID IT IN A COMMET BUT I'LL SAY IT AGAIN AND ADD SOME NEW IMFO. 1ST, YOU GO ONLINE AND CHECK OUT THE AVALANCHE FORCAST, 2ND, YOU MAKE/BUILD A SNOWPIT,3 ARE BEST, I'VE ALWAYS GONE 5' DEEP,5' WIDE MIN.DOING THESE TWO DETERMINS IF"ANYONE" WILL GO TO THE BACKCOUNTRY,IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW GOOD YOU ARE.AND CARRING A AIRBAG IS A EXCELLENT IDEA AS WELL AS A AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVER,PROBE AND SHOVEL AND KNOW HOW TO USE THEM, WITH LOT'S OF PRACTICE. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PRACTICE USING YOUR SAFETY EQUIPMENT IT'S NOT GOING TO DO YOU ANY GOOD AND JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN AIRBAG AND TRANSCEIVER DOES NOT MEAN HAVING THOSE IS A PASSPORT TO THE BACKCOUNTRY, "OH,I CAN GO BACK THERE ANYTIME I WANT TOO"!! WRONG!!!--MY BLESSINGS GO OUT TO THE FAMILIES AND FRIEND'S, AND TO THE RESCUE GROUP AND UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER,GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
RIP
Friggin tragedy.
Buried alive in snow is not a good way to go, no matter how much you love the sport.
I was once buried near the surface and got my head up and out just before I was about to pass out.
Don't try to tell yourself at least you will die doing what you love.
For those that think so, you are wrong.
An avalanche lifevest would've been a good investment.
I've heard/seen "hang fire" mentioned in avalanche videos, what exactly is that relating to in an avalanche?
It's any remaining slab that can potentially still release above the crown of an avalanche - here the purpose of the mitigation work was to get rid of that threat so they could go in for recovery operations
It is the remaining snow above the crown that has yet to avalanche, but is still hanging precariously on the slope, and is a potential hazard to anyone downslope.
The term itself comes from shooting. A hang fire is when the hammer of your firearm strikes the rear of the ammunition cartridge, which *should* trigger an explosion inside the cartridge (sending the bullet forwards at a very high speed), but for whatever reason, the gunpowder inside the ammunition is not triggered and the cartridge and bullet never leave the gun. Several things could happen in that situation, one of which is the hang fire- when the ammunition is triggered late. It is called a hang fire because the trigger is pulled and should be fired but it doesn’t work right away. You are left waiting for it to fire and that could be at any point: 5 seconds late or 3 minutes late, which were where avalanches come into play: hang fires in avalanche terminology refer to snow that could cause an avalanche and is hanging off towards a steep slope- much like with a shooting hang fire, you are left waiting for it to go off. You don’t know when, but you know it will
@@nateroberts877 Now THIS is an explanation! 👏
Rip
Yeah I’ll stick to inbounds skiing
Ah nah man there’s no need for that just have to be smart and cautious about it!
Sometimes things just go bad regardless
How long was he buried for? Or did he die because of trauma?
All of those details can be found in the full accident report. It’s hard to say exactly but maybe 20 minutes.
Check out the report. The guy's partner took a while before starting a transceiver search because he couldn't decide about the direction to begin looking and also took time calling ski patrol before starting it. I know it's easy to be an anonymous critic online and that nerves get frayed in emergency situations, but there's something important to be learned from this (or reminded of).
It seems the slopes around 9990 always have a bad slide or multiple slides in a season. PCMR should do more avalanche control up there, or make them off limits when the avalanche danger is too high.
Technically that area is always "off limits". That is why it's "out of bounds". A ski hill can only commit money to blasting property they own or control. You can't stop people from choosing to go there. Not a wall, not a border patrol, nothing will stop people from going there. It's up to the people to train themselves in avalanche safety and assess their own risk.
Off limits? Why; cause you can't ski it, nobody should? Yeezus.
Off limits because literally no one should be going over there to ski it on days when the avalanche terrain is extremely high. There are certain days that no one should be going out of those gates. It would be easy to implement and I have no doubt it would save lives.
@@j.thomas7128 Off limits could also simply mean the PCMR land lease/ownership ends on that boundary. The more land you lease or own, the more lease payments or taxes PCMR has to pay. Plus, more money to maintain. Maybe that will be a future expansion area. Many ski hills do that when they have the money and politicians allow more developmenr. In the mean time slack country skiers and snowboarders will always be ducking under the ropes.
Individuals need to take responsibility for their own actions. We don't need more rules, restrictions, and babysitting. There are way too many inexperienced skiers, boarders, and snowmobilers in the slack and backcountry. There is enough education and cautionary information out there that the risks associated with these activities are well known. If you don't have the experience required then the onus is on the individual. Hopefully an increasing number of accidents will turn the tide and people will think twice before venturing out if they don't have the experience and skills to be there in the first place.
What does someone expect when locating themselves in an avalanche path before the snow gets bolted down?.......which is late in the season. Anyways my condolence to the family. I hope everyone drives in a reasonable manner and conducts their sports in the same way
I'm surprised that fatal avalanche accidents are so common. I guess a few have happened near this resort this season. Shouldn't these steeper back country areas be restricted?
That's why it's backcountry, you need the proper knowledge and gear before you go out or else you will pay the consequences. The reality is he died and as sad as it is it's the reality of skiing the BC. You can minimize the risk but never fully eliminate it.
It's public land. The resort legally can't prevent people from accessing it. Even if the gate were closed, there are other ways of accessing this area without using the lift.
Not as common considering the amount of people who recreate in avalanche terrain. 7 deaths in US this season, and 3 in Canada (all related to snowmobiling). Some of the fatalities didn't have any avy gear (transceiver), some the entire party (or solo person) got buried so no one was there to rescue.
We all need to access the risk. I dont like the idea of the government controlling my life. For the record I tend to error on the side of caution.
No, they should not be restricted. Thanks for asking
Caught, carried, and buried.
anyone see the slide to the right?
Yes - it was triggered from explosive work prior to going to the site.
2:03 "This was a massive rescue mission."
I think you mean recovery mission. The victim died well before any rescue attempt was made.
Who else Thought it was berm peak.
Beacon ,probe and shovel but no ABS ☹️ I can’t pretend to know anything for sure but maybe an ABS pack like the super light Highmark Ridge 3.0 or many others could have been the difference here !?!
Sad news my condolences to the victim’s loved ones 🙏
I think reading the avalanche report is the way to go . ive skied square top with and without gear. I was amazed that the guy cought in the slide had gear. I would have not gone into the back country that day. Sad rip brother
You trying to sell something or do you actually care? Pretty heartless statement over all. I wonder more about whether or not they made an informed decision rather than whether or not they had the privilege of being able to drop the money on a ABS. Know before you go. A tragedy none the less.
The sad reality is that in this avalanche and in the avalanche that happened in early January only on the other side of the resort is that both victims were carried through trees and shrubs. An ABS pack would have helped to keep the victims above the snow, but they don't do much to help when the avalanche path is through trees.
@@willrusconi2986 Or worse, through rocks and boulders, or over a cliff. ABS wont help you then. Friend of mine literally got his face rearranged by face planting a rock while trundling in a slide. Blind in one eye as a result.
@@salzbalz8008 not heartless at all and not selling anything either . I just bought an ABS pack that I can use for skiing or sledding and my words are speculations trying to inform myself and others 🤷🏻♂️ I believe that the victim was found just two feet under the snow which is often the case in deadly avalanches . His friend found him within 20 minutes and started cpr . Knowing that is why I made the comment about the ABS because it seems like they almost made it and possibly an air bag pack would have been the factor in survival . I’m truly sad to hear about this tragedy !