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Any time there's a fatality here my heart skips a beat and I search for names because I'm always terrified it's someone I know. Not the case this time, but my Facebook has blown up anyway because of who they were. A lot of sad friends posting tonight about the loss of their idols. Banff National Park has closed the area, they can't proceed with search and recovery because the avalanche conditions are so severe and they're concerned about more accidents or loss of life if anyone ventures into the area.
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Apr 19, 2019 04:36
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 05:28 |
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Local article about the Howse incident. They made the summit but were caught in a size 3 avalanche on descent. Their bodies have since been recovered. https://www.rmoutlook.com/article/avalanche-kills-three-of-the-worlds-best-mountaineers-20190422
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Apr 22, 2019 23:31
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I always forget this particular rating system is Canadian, so here's the details. Size 3s are not uncommon, especially this time of year. There's been a number of ski, snowmobile, and snowshoe size 3 fatalities over the past few years. This is the first alpinist incident here in several years that I can think of off the top of my head. Pretty sure there hasn't been any survivors in that kind of avalanche. Size 3 will definitely gently caress you up. SulfurMonoxideCute fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Apr 23, 2019 |
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Apr 23, 2019 02:38
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Most Canadians don't have to think about it either, but those of us who do need this kind of system, and the accompanying warning system, because we have some seriously dangerous mountains accessible by day trip, and highways can sometimes get buried. I've personally only witnessed size 1s, because I'm not super active in winter. But I've seen the aftermath of what I would say was maybe a size 5 in person, here's some pics. This one was so powerful it downed the trees uphill on the other side of the valley.   A shot of the valley, all the brown across it is felled trees.  Here's another pic from a couple years earlier, you can see the trees weren't as mature as the rest, so this wasn't a fresh cut path, but it had been a while since such a massive one hit.  My friend navigating the debris pile, it used to be a really nice well worn trail, and when we decided to come here we didn't know about any of this mess. We crossed it anyway because it's one of my favourite hikes.  I took this on a different day, but you get the point.  BUt imagine getting caught up in something that did that level of damage. RIP you.
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Apr 23, 2019 20:25
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Oh man, Commonwealth Creek (the local's secret trail my photos are from) barely even scratched the surface of what our hiking has to offer. And make sure to drive the Icefields Parkway, you'll even get to see where the climbers died because it's literally right on the side of the road just across a tiny lake.
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Apr 24, 2019 07:55
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Conditions are worsening here. We're getting increased frequency and duration of Chinooks which is warm moist air from the west, and in winter this will make the temperature go from below to above freezing, and either create hot sunny days or dump 4 feet of snow in a day or two. With the sunny days comes intense solar heating of snow surfaces, which makes those dense crust layers, that then get tons more powder layered on top, which will just slough off with pressure or disturbance. Stack multiple slabs with multiple powder layers and you've got brutal avi conditions all season long. Then in spring it just gets so much worse because it all heats up and starts to melt. Water melts through powder and lubricates the slab surface which makes it super unstable and even more prone to sliding. Alberta is also notorious for having a lot of people with the attitude of "government can't tell me what to do" so any official warnings about literally anything here gets ignored all the time. "Avalanche conditions are extreme, avoid backcountry or alpine travel." "gently caress you I took an avi level 2 course I do what I want." "Trail closed due to bear activity" "gently caress you I'm bear aware I do what I want" "Dogs must be leashed in all provincial and national parks" "gently caress you my dog deserves to run free I do what I want" The three foreigners who died likely had more of the attitude of "Those warnings are for amateurs and idiots, not for me. I KNOW what I'm doing. Sounds more like a challenge than a warning let's send it boys"
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Apr 26, 2019 14:53
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Morbus posted:Lol those "three foreigners" were some of the best alpinists in the world. They knew more about avalanches than you do, and as much as any avalanche forecaster. I'm very well aware of all of this, and I also know professional sponsored outdoors people who 100% have the attitude of "I know what I'm doing so I don't have to worry about these warnings."
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Apr 27, 2019 23:06
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Really rapid changes in altitude can gently caress you up, if it's faster than your body can adjust. I went from 3000 feet to just shy of 10,000 feet in a couple hours, mostly driving then doing a fairly easy climb, ascending as fast as I could manage. I got sick and disoriented just short of the summit and needed help figuring out how to keep moving. Could have been a disaster if I was solo.
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May 29, 2019 17:24
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 05:28 |
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Cojawfee posted:
This is essentially what I do for fun here, just tale a week off work and go march through the mountains with my life on my back, but there's a 10,000' altitude difference. I'm used to doing this at 7000-8000'. I'd love to do the trek someday, but I'd definitely take it easy due to the altitude and make sure I acclimatize well leading up to it. I would never do Everest even though I've taken a mountaineering course and enjoy acheiving summits. I may hate myself, but not that much.
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Jun 3, 2019 07:18
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