Another avalanche at Clemina Creek

Came across these photos last night from yet another avalanche in the Clemina Creek area (last week posted this vid). Sadly this time didn’t have a happy ending, with one ‘biler being caught. His buddies were able to dig him out but unable to revive him (full report from the Canadian Avalanche Centre can be found here).

Ass puckering pics below. Click to see full-size versions and notice the highmarking – the slope didn’t fail on the first try.  Would you have been lulled into a false sense of security if a few of your buddies had already ridden down a slope?  This season has been crazy.

Clemina Creek avalanche

Clemina Creek avalanche

Snowmobiles in lower left give size perspective

Snowmobiles in lower left give size perspective

One helluva terrain trap at the bottom

One helluva terrain trap at the bottom

April 15th, 2009 | Tags: , , | Category: Off-topic | One comment

High marking = fail

OK, I know this is off-topic unless we’re talking Stephen Koch but DAMN that’s a huge slab!  This year the ‘bilers have proven to be rather susceptible to avalanches (23 dead in the BC area alone!), and this year has probably been a massive eye opener for the sled scene to up their avy knowledge.  I know in my avy 1 class of eight one of the guys was a sledder who was in the Fernie to sled with his son during December when seven snowmobilers were caught in fatal avalanches. Was interesting to hear his perspective and how on that weekend he was awaken to the relationship between ignorance and mortality.

Anyways, the vid. Clemina Creek, Canuckistan.

April 6th, 2009 | Tags: , , | Category: News | 3 comments