Avalanche - an inside view... Long post

A snowHead

I spent some time reading the discussions about avalanches on Snowheads and Pistehors prior to my trip to St Anton, and did not think that I would ever become involved in an avalanche. Well on Monday 23rd I was proved wrong.
I’m recounting the events of Monday afternoon in the hope that it will help inform those of us that like to ski off-piste of the danger associated with it.

I was on a specialised off-piste course for the week and had spent the morning with 7 others and a guide skiing the off-piste on Rendl. In the afternoon we swapped for instruction, our tutor was John and we headed off for the powder to the right of the Riffel 1 chair lift. We traversed for a while and found a snow field of no pitch really to practice in. The weather was warm, the sun was out with clear blue skies.

We stopped at the top of a small gulley, the entrance was about 30 meters across, the exit about 100 meters down was about 15 meters wide, leading to a fairly flattish area and a ridge of rocks, bushes and trees. This was approx 3 meters above a snow field which widened out and ran for approx 500 meters, followed by another ridge, covered with trees, bushes and rocks. The drop on this one to the next field was about 10 meters.

John skied the gulley first and took quite a lot of snow with him. The pitch was about 30-35 degrees. Two more followed and then me. Each of us took more snow. The bottom was now crowded so I stood to the left, John in the middle and the other two to the right.

I was looking back up the gulley, one person was on his way down as another started his first turn. Immediately a crack appeared right across the entrance and I shouted “It’s Gone”. With horror I knew immediately that the whole slope had slipped but thought I had enough time to move the meter or so to the relative safety of the rocks in front of me. I heard John shout “Back! Back! Back!” and now know that the other two managed to throw themselves onto rocks on their side.
John and I never made it, within a second my feet were pulled from under me, like someone pulling a rug from underneath me and I was off with the snow.

I’m fairly certain I remained calm, my thought processes were to try and kick my skis off and to thrash around as much as I could and keep my head up for as long as I could. I told myself that as long as I could see blue sky then I would be ok.! I had no concept of where I was going or even how fast, I kept losing sight of the sky but it kept reappearing so I kept thrashing about. Then all of a sudden everything stopped. I had only managed to get one ski off and that then hit me in the side, so I grabbed it before it disappeared. I was facing down hill, approx 300 meters from my original position and about two meters from its edge. I saw the snow continue on its way over the second ridge and disappear out of sight. I was later to see that it had continued on for another 300 meters before depositing all of the snow in the field below.

When I looked up I saw John and he was partially buried about 50 meters below me. I was then joined by one of the group who had made it to the rocks , whilst the other went to assist john. At this point we could only account for 5 of us, so John phoned for assistance with the call that we were three down.

I immediately had a sense of relief that I was OK then this turned to horror that we had three unaccounted for. Within the next 90 seconds we found the others, they were still above the ridge, one had come down with the snow and the other two were above the slide. John called the emergency services that we were all accounted for.

John was pretty bashed up. Both his quads had taken a smack and he had hurt his right ankle. Both his skis were gone as were one of the others further up the slope. We hunted around but did not find them.

Surveying the scene. The slide ran for approx 700 meters and once it entered the first snow field was about 100 meters across. It completely stripped the slope so only rocks and grass were in view. It did deposit some snow at the bottom of the field where John and I lay as this was a flatter area.

We probably took about 30 mins to decide what to do next. We were trying to take our lead from John but he was hurt and some were not convinced on his strategy for exit. I was beginning to shake and knew that shock was setting in. I was also nervous that we had to traverse across a massive snow field that was potentially unstable. I don’t know why but I offered John one of my skis. He led the way and we picked our way across the slopes. I’m so thankful that I had done lots of leg work before my week, as skiing on one ski for so long was hard work, but took my mind off what we were doing.

I would say that it took us about 40 mins to get back to a piste and had to clamber across a stream and through the trees to do so. One of our other groups were waiting for us, and had actually seen the slide from the pisted area where they were doing exercises.

We made it back to the top station at Rendl for a much needed drink and then eventually skied down and back to St Anton.

John was out of action for a couple of days and everyone else were completely unhurt including me! We lost 3 skis and broke one pole.

The next few days were interesting from a physiological point of view and I very nearly chucked it all in. I didn’t and even went heli-sking on Wednesday. The rest of the group were all affected in one way or another and this experience will live me for a long time.

I want to make it clear that we did not knowingly do anything stupid. We were equipped with Transceivers, shovels and probes, had been trained in their use and were skiing safely. Obviously something went wrong and I have learnt hugely from this. Simple things like being aware of your surroundings, looking for “Outs”, making sure your exit is never blocked, not standing in the middle of a slope and being aware of others not in your group.

In hindsight there were probably a couple of signs that could have prompted questions from me. I will now not be scared to ask questions however stupid they may seem.

I’m just grateful that we all survived what was a bloody scary experience.
Shocked

A snowHead

Thanks for that, BOD, glad you didn't end up as a bod.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Sobering words...

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Frightening....glad you're all ok

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

BOD, glad you're safe. Thanks for writing that up for all of us.

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Bod, how scary!!! Thanks for that.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks for telling us, I have emailed this to my kids so that they can learn from it too. Glad everyone came out in one peice.

After all it is free

Thanks for that horrifying story. I think your conclusions about how best to avoid getting caught (general awareness, planning safe spots, exits, etc) are certainly worth taking to heart.

Scary story Skullie

Just one point of clarification:

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Alastair Pink,

It was definately my mental attitude. It virtually consumed my every thought for the next 24 hours. I tried to reason it all out and the one underlying constant through it all was one of complete helplessness once it hit.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

BOD glad you are ok - just shows how easy these things can happen.

I am usually first to say " Why, what, how, stupid, silly " etc. But I wont in future...........

snow reports

Phew. Really brings it home. Thanks for that. Hope it will help guide others towards taking every precaution possible, and equiping themselves to the max.

I'm getting a bit nervous about our booked off-piste day next week now!

Glad that everyone is ok.

You know it makes sense.

Kramer, read the 4x4 thread, I saw four 'avalanches' in quick succession this afternoon wink

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Great report thanks - Glad you all were ok - sounds like you coped admirably. I got a bit confused - basically the gully above you went as one of the other guys behiond was skiing it? If so it proves that just because a slope has been skied it doesn't mean its safe.

It would be nice to make this sort of thing sticky as a learning lesson for everyone. Mods?

A snowHead

A snowHead

BOD,

Just for your info.

Every season there are Big Avalanches on Rendl & just where you desribe (right of the Riffel 1 chair lift).

Last seaon 3 North Americans lost there lives here. One of the bodies not recovered until the Spring. There is quite a Toll of people who have perrished over the last few seasons on Rendl Skullie

Good Post.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

BOD. Many thanks for recounting that experience ... and very pleased you escaped.

I'm especially interested to know the prevailing avalanche risk (on the 1-5 scale) on the day you skied Rendl. You say you were in an instructed group. What are the qualifications of the instructor concerned, and which ski school was it?

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snowball, Heli Sking was in Lech, we paid a 100 euros for one drop, and it took us an hour to ski down. We got some long pitches of untracked which was excellent. It was my 1st experience and I enjoyed it, but others were dissapointed in the value for money it gave.

David Goldsmith, I'm not sure of the risk level. Unlike where I have skied in France, it was not that easy to find out and I didn't ask afterwards. Our guide in the morning was from the Alberg ski School. I'll PM you the other details.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Bod,

Glad you all got out alive.

Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between a Ski Instructor and a fully qualified Mountain Guide.
I always look for a UIAGM / IFMGA qualified guide.

The guides in this link (who are also based in St Anton) all have this qualification. (click on "GUIDES")
http://www.skimountaineering.com/index2.htm

"UIAGM / IFMGA - International Federation Of Mountain Guides Association Members of this association are recognised as professionals and only this body allows guiding throughout all mountain ranges in the world."

To maximize your own safety I'd recommend checking the qualifications and experience of your guide.

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Great and sobering report - thanks for sharing. I think this may go into my favourites list so I can refer others to it.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

On a recent trip with my friend - who is a local to the area we skied and a Swiss ski instructor - she was at great pains to point out the contours and terrain and which slope was known to avalanche in what sort of conditions, where the trap points were, what side is safest if in doubt etc. I thought I was relatively aware etc etc but this girl was a revelation with her knowledge.
But even the most experienced get caught out as her brother broke his leg in an avalanche, guiding...!! The crazy thing is he didn't want to go that day...!!!!!

After all it is free

BOD

I am pleased you are OK and its a chilling story.

Before people jump on a bandwagon, it is important to realise that even fully qualified quides get caught out, so "just" looking at their qualifiaction isn't enough. And even the best, most knowledgable people do silly things. At least this story has a good outcome.

I need to keep these stories in my mind so that I'm always looking around for the dangers and for the escape spots...thanks for sharing your experience...

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SimonN,

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

BOD, glad you're OK. I impressed at your one-legged skiing ability. It's one thing to have a bit of a go for a short distance on a gentle slope- another to recover on one ski from where you were. Looks like a useful skill to develop.

snow reports

As well as making wrong decisions, guides are sometimes simply unlucky.

We all know the risks that we take when we go off piste, if something were to happen to me, I would hate for the book to be thrown at the guide who led me there unless he had displayed a dangerous level of incompetence.

Kramer, I agree.

You know it makes sense.

Thanks for the write-up, and I'm very glad that the ending was a happy one.

I have a couple of questions that I hope someone with a bit more knowledge than I can answer:

Is a long snow filled gully with a slope of 30-35 degrees that narrows appreciably from start to finish an obvious area to avoid?

It doesn't say it anywhere, but I assume John was an instructor and not a guide? If so, do people think instructors should be taking large groups (in this case 8 people) a long way off piste?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

aseeto,

On the face of your question about the gully you describe in simple black and white terms. I would say this is a place to be very very careful. I always try and look for the route the snow will take, where it will come from and what obstacles to the path of the snow there may be...because if there is enough of it, it will have to go somewhere further down the hill...

But I wouldn't second guess some elses actions from such a distance. The whole hill can be trecherous at times and a doodle at others. And then there is luck...

I'm pleased all got out of this ok and hopefully we can all learn a bit from the tale..

A snowHead

I take other peoples point that any guide can get caught out and nothing makes him invincible but there have been instances of ski instructors taking groups off-piste without safety gear (glad to hear this wasn't so in this case). Perhaps stanton can confirm if the Canadian group last year had full safety equipment.
I take no pleasure nor have any interest in attacking an injured Ski Instructor but how do we learn from this if everybody merely says "it could happen to anyone"?

Bod,
Did the guide test the snow? I've always been advised to avoid south facing slopes on sunny afternoons but maybe something indicated that the slope would be stable.

Did you ski down one by one before the avalanche or was more than one person skiing the slope at one time?

aseeto,
In my experience it's normal for the guide to stop out of the way of any possible avalanche path and his customers to stop uphill of him in the same "safe zone". As JT says sometimes this is not always possible.

A snowHead

Glad your ok, and you got back on the horse(so to speak)

I have only been involved one with an avalanche in Tignes. A slab avalanche. Although i did not go down on it, the chap in front did, he was fine but lost a ski.

The thing you do not understand if you have not been in the situation is waht do you do next. I my case this left 3 of us to the side and above the slide. Questions like how do i get down, will this slop go entre your mind. We skied down the avalanche path as we thought one the slope had gone it was less likly to go again. But then what do you do at teh bottom of that? for us single file back t the piste.

The other thing is how quick it happens, little or no time to react.

once again glad your ok

David

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Does anyone know if there is a database of avalanches in various areas of off piste terrain? I've been reading as much as I can prior to thinking about trying to progress to this type of skiing and it seems that one major factor needed when skiing off piste is a massive amount of experience. It seems a guide/instructor would almost have to have been conceived and thereafter lived every second of his/her life to accrew the necessary knowledge.
Looking at this problem logically I would value somethig like " in snow conditions with avalanche risk x then this ski area has had y number of avalanches in the past 10 or so years"
I see in some of the postings(stanton) that this info is available. I'd find it reassuring to know this before setting off. If one approached a high risk area according to the above "calculation" then perhaps digging to assess the snow conditions and generally being very cautious or not skiing the area would all be discussed.

Its a catch 22 situation when you hire an expert as it seems the only time you find out when he hasn't the skills is when you're buried.

What I'm looking for is an idea of the "trends" of avalanches so that a basic understanding of risk is a bit clearer before setting off. I know avalanches can occur where snow accumulates but some areas must be riskier than others.
Maybe this data already exists.

Positive comments would be appreciated

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Having read Bods terrifying account it makes you wonder weather the search for the holy grail of ski-ing is worth the effort.

This year we have heard from a number of snowheads who have thought they were safe for various reasons but yet have been caught out through the unpredictability of off piste skiing.

Glad to hear all your part was safe.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

yea - good point about the relative risk.

we had an instructor who took my kids off piste when I specifically told him not to. This was their last run of the day, the weather was closing in and it was getting dark. I only found out afterwards when he'd left and the kids told of their nightmare. I was furious and it was just as well he'd gone.

Its all about trust and its difficult to do that when you've just met up and have little time to assess competence. I'd like to be able to ask a guide questions that were based a little on some data about the area.

After all it is free

DB, I didn't see him test the snow. He advised us to ski down one by one, there wasn't really the space for more than one on the slope and he did say to move to the side when we were at the bottom. As I said in the report there were probably signs but I wasn't experienced enough to spot them or question them. It may sound strange but unless I had a compass I wouldn't know what direction a slope was and therefore would have difficulty in making any sort of assesment. I / We placed our trust in the experience of our instructor. Rightly or wrongly I was wrapped up in the experience and fun i was having in the powder and this is probably true of most people. I realise now that I am just as responsible for my well being and hope that others will learn from my experience and the discussion this has provoked.

david 1664, I agree totally. After, we knew we were safe on the slope as there was nothing left to slip, however either side was potential danger and that was terryfying, knowing that we had to cross the slopes to get back to safety.

I was in Anton that week too. Monday I stayed on the ski routes as there was a good bit of fresh snow after falling. I though 30 degree slope off piste on Monday a bit dangerous but I am a bit cautious anyways. The ski routes were great. Tons of powder and didnt get skied out all day. Monday I got a guide and got to do steeper stuff. I felt pretty comforatble with him so was willing to trust his judgement. (Mountain guide + seven years guiding + no avalanches)

Anyways all's well that ends well.

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JT, While second guessing may come across as being a bit harsh, it was exactly what I was hoping some knowledgeable people would do. Without this I find it hard to learn what dangers were apparent when BOD and his group were standing at the top of the gully.

BOD, As it was a sunny day, you can get a general idea of where south is by trying to remember where the sun was at middday.

Help!!

Avalanche - an inside view... Long post

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