Avalanche kills Swiss Olympic snowboarder

A snowHead

So sad.

Switzerland's Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger has died in an avalanche aged 26, the Swiss-Ski federation said on Tuesday.
The member of the Swiss national snowboard cross team was caught up in the incident at the mountain resort of Arosa on Monday.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/crmnlx3jp7jo

https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/tragischer-todesfall-swiss-ski-trauert-um-sophie-hediger-148612779113

A snowHead

Tragic news Sad

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

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Tragic

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Interesting reporting of this. From the BBC article:

"... caught up in the incident...

The federation, meanwhile, said it would keep further details about her death private, as agreed with her family and partner."

This report, if accurate, appears to have more information:

"A snowboarder lost her life in a tragic avalanche on a closed slope in Arosa, Switzerland, on Monday, December 23, according to the cantonal police of Graubünden...

The incident unfolded around 1:15 p.m. when the pair left the marked and closed Black Diamond slope...

This marks another sobering reminder of the inherent dangers of venturing into closed or unmarked areas in alpine regions. As the investigation continues, officials are urging all snow sports enthusiasts to respect closures and heed avalanche warnings, which are issued to protect lives."

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Very sad news, and apt words about being a sobering reminder.

There were a lot of people ducking ropes in L2A yesterday and it made me wonder. Much of the terrain looked okay and was getting well tracked without any problems, but with an avi risk of 4 it did make me wonder.

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Its a tragedy.
Sad to see, people still venturing into the offpiste without the beacon Sad

After all it is free

Went into a piste that was closed for avalanche danger without a beacon, so it seems. Tragic, yes, but also hard to believe of someone who was obviously experienced...

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It was level 4 avalanche danger there since Sunday - we were also in the region and my watch and phone were beeping regularly to remind me.

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Human Factor. Just reading very good book from Bruce Tremper - Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain.

"I spent many agonizing, sleepless nights not only grieving for my lost friend, but wondering how something like this could have happened. I didn’t have to look too far for the answer. All I had to do was to rewind the tape of my own life and recall all the similarly arrogant, boneheaded decisions I’d made, and the close calls I’d experienced. I’d always chalked my success up to skill, training, and talent. But the more I reeled through the instant replays, the more I had to admit that it was all just a grand delusion. Often the only difference between me and all the dead and injured was that I got lucky and they didn’t. Was I next to go, I wondered? It all scared the hell out of me. Plus, it meant that my strategy in teaching avalanche classes—simply giving people information—just didn’t work. Thus began my long quest to find out why smart people make dumb decisions and to uncover how I could not only become a more effective avalanche educator but save my own life in the process.

We are astoundingly social and emotional creatures and, as a vast body of research clearly shows, we make most of our decisions based on emotion, feeling, and beliefs that, more often than not, have no basis in fact. Just look at Congress or the stock market or the plots for made-for-television movies and you can see this is true. Don’t forget that we share 99.3 percent of our genetic code with pygmy chimpanzees, our closest relative. Logic clearly does not come naturally to our species.

Anyone who knows me will tell you than I’m all too human. I make mistakes all the time. As a fourth generation Montanan on both sides of the family, I come by pride and stubbornness honestly enough, not to mention overconfidence and many other things I would rather not admit. I’m terrified because I know that if I ever get killed in an avalanche it will probably be because I was not practicing proper humbleness and have allowed my human foibles to control my perceptions and decisions. Like most people, I need to be forced to make good decisions by relying on a set of established procedures and checklists. After a 30-year career of documenting a very long, sad list of smart people doing stupid things in avalanche terrain, I’ve come to the inescapable conclusion that Moses was right. Human beings are a damned mess. We need rules. Facts alone don’t do the trick; it’s analysis of the facts. We need a system to stay alive in avalanche terrain.

Tremper, Bruce. Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain . Mountaineers Books. Kindle Edition. "

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Thanks for that @ed48, one of the most honest pieces ever written on this subject.
I am also a true believer of all things "Tremper".

Sorry bit of a rant after too much Xmas drinks, but sometimes on here it does frustrate me reading the many SH's observations from the comfort of their couch, maybe skiing a couple of weeks of the year, when it comes to avy incidents, in fact I very rarely comment on them!

I can look back on the stuff I did well before I became aware of potential risks, no gear etc and no knowledge; a case of no gear and no idea, said 2-3 week skier/boarder Laughing

And out on the hill most days of the season I still see and will continue to see people doing stuff (as in yesterday) without any equipment, it happens all the time, and unfortunately will continue to happen in much the same way as 17-18yr old males having serious RTA's.

These dudes are not reading Bruce Temper and they have no motivation to.

I'd probably been skiing/snowboarding for 15 years before my first LG trip (1997), and being made aware of the risks, and then a good number of years doing serious off-piste, and even doing the week long Euro Avalanche diploma course, but that didn't stop me a couple of years later getting wiped out and hanging upside down in a tree whilst the slide carried on another 100m below along with my ski, never to be found, a very lucky escape, and spending so much time in the back-country I see stuff going on all around.

I have various friends, all experienced, and each one can tell an unfortunate episode, some lucky, others less so resulting in fatalities.

So unfortunately accidents will and do happen, as per the number of UIAGM names on the memorial in La Grave, and no doubt more names will be added along with other far more experienced mountain people than SH's just ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time / chancing their luck.

Now I'm far more cautious, belonging to the sub 25% club and very rarely ski steeps/terrain that sluffs etc

Rant over, though hope this post will not come back to bite me and or friends I ski with.

You know it makes sense.

Whatever.

Whistler Heli had a full group of 5 down on Monday this week. An error obviously, but it took 10 minutes to get the last two found. All trained & with gear of course.

I know which group I'd rather be in.

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

@Weathercam, the best prepared, the most experienced, the most skillful can of course fall victim to dumb luck, outlier conditions, and/or miss things on a bad day — and the more they ski the likelier it is something like that happens around them at some point.

I’m sure people ski off piste in resort on closed runs with (I’m assuming from the rescue description) no off piste gear all the time with no ill effects, but as someone in the 1-2-weeks-in-a-good-year club I know I wouldn’t do it even with all the kit if the local professionals closed the slope, but I can imagine a local expert being much better able to read the conditions and weigh the risks and make an informed decision based on their risk tolerance in similar circumstances.

Sadly it’s not risk free and these tragedies happen. RIP.

A snowHead

Mtsuit

‘…ski (non pisted) closed runs with no equipment…’

And therefore no insurance either.

Specifically excluded.

A snowHead

All sorts of ‘rules’ which don’t actually work.

Eg In the trees you are safe.

Only you aren’t.

I know of an avalanche in the woods which ran for about 15m in a bowl. Buried and killed two.

I skied some pillows in Vercorin in the trees. Avi 3. One went beneath me. I could easily have been buried. Just luck saved me. No beacon on that day.

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

Second high-profile death of a rope-ducker in the past two European seasons.

Avoriaz last season (bumps on a black).

Arosa this season (avvy on a black).

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I’m a ski patroller , I’ve been in an avi incident that killed two people and I’ve been working in human factors. Nothing makes it better, nothing excuses decisions. I get immensely frustrated when people ignore our signs and ropes. I’ve done, I don’t now after seeing and doing what I do but sometimes that’s the decisions we make whether we know it or not. Sad news, take it as a warning and education.

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Some great posts today reflecting on sad news, stupidity and human nature. Thank you all for sharing. May we all Make the best decisions we can to protect ourselves and our friends & family. Sometimes poo-poo happens and we have to live &/or doe with it, but the combination of good and experienced guides and application of common sense and calmness can turn the odds in our favour. Somber thoughts this evening. Merry Christmas all.

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@Weathercam, I don't disagree that sometimes those lacking experience like to over-analyse with hindsight. However, you don't need to be experienced to know skiing a run closed for avalanche danger without any equipment is not a great choice. For your RTA example it's like driving at night over the speed limit and without wearing a seatbelt, then being surprised something bad happens.

I try to read the reports from avalanche deaths to further my learning. I can't remember any in recent years where they were "just in the wrong place at the wrong time". Nearly always huge mistakes made - I'm not talking about something that's only really seen in hindsight.

Imo guides dying is a bit misleading. There are plenty of guides that have very high risk tolerance and are pushing things really hard. I'm sure the vast majority of guide deaths are in situations where they are not working and would never put clients in. I actually have less issue with this, if someone knows and understands the risks at least they can make an educated decision.

I do think there's less excuses these days. There are a ton of great resources out, a lot of science, and forecasting is generally very good. Avalanches are not some random event, but actually very predictable. Also equipment is much better - how many previous deaths might have been avoided with an airbag?

I think we have probably came to a similar conclusion though. I'll be doing about 70 days off backcountry this winter and I'll probably only go onto slopes >30 a handful of times. I can get plenty of enjoyment without the risk. Having seen an absolutely harrowing GoPro video of a guy who got buried and clearly thought they were going to die (friends rescued him), it's something I want to avoid at all costs!

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@boarder2020

[img]https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/9241/pN6GGb.jpg [/img]

After all it is free

Also, just yesterday

avalanche Madlochjoch "Gafell"
Press release from the Vorarlberg police
On December 25, 2024 at around 2:20 p.m., a trained 40-year-old ski guide and his partner drove from the Madlochjoch towards "Gafell". They intended to ski down in deep snow and then back to the ski area via the Stierlochjoch. The woman waited at the entrance and watched her friend drive into the slope. After a loud settling noise, the entire area around the ski guide started moving. At first he was able to stay on his skis, but then he fell and was swept away about 500 meters. When the avalanche came to a stop, he was completely buried. Only his left hand was still sticking out of the avalanche and he was able to dig his head/face free on his own. The woman observed the incident from a safe position, immediately started looking for a signal and made an emergency call. In the meantime, the man was able to free himself completely from the snow masses. The two skiers were equipped with all the emergency equipment (LVS, shovel, probe, airbag), but the avalanche airbag was not deployed. The man was taken to the LKH Bludenz for examination by the C8 emergency helicopter. He was released from there unharmed. The Lech mountain rescue service, the NAH C8, the Libelle Vorarlberg police, and two other police and alpine patrols were on duty.

@Weathercam, I don't really get your point, these things will always happen so let's shut up? If it weren't for the handwringing on SH then I might not have the same appreciation for the power of avalanches.

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@SnoodyMcFlude, I find it very irritating (nigh on disrespectful) when after some tragic accident many become almost instantaneous judge and jury on here, and often come across as thinking they know better than the poor unfortunates involved, and like I say, the vast % are far more experienced than your average SH.

And maybe, a few guides that I have known for many years, have also instilled in me not to comment when not all the details are known, it's almost accepted practice. Of course an accident will be analysed once all the details are known, but in the past I have naively asked a question "should they have been there etc" to then be given quite a stern rebuke, as they know there for the grace of God almost.

The story above by @ed48, is also a classic example of a guide getting caught out, which does happen a lot, and many near misses don't make the media.

I should also add when I was taken out, it happened so quickly I too was unable to deploy my bag!

Also skiing closed runs is a somewhat contentious issue, as if you know a resort well you will know why some runs are roped off, but are in fact safe to ski* if you are a good skier and accept the risks, in that your resort insurance might be invalid.

*not pisted

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@Weathercam, people who post on social media are often instant judge and jury on any topic you care to name, not just avalanches!

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@Weathercam, yes, I am a 3 to 4 weeks an year skier who skies mostly on pistes.
And I have all the appreciation for freeriders/backcountry/off piste skiers etc, for folks with ice picks and cords who enter the same gondola with ne at the bottom only to disappear at the top.
But I have zero appreciation for anyone choosing to enter a closed piste/area in Lev4 risk.
They can do whatever they want with their life.
Coming from a rich family with vacation house in Arosa, life can truly be a playground.
But she put the pisteurs life in danger when they came for her. Not to mention k9 units if they were deployed.
A few years ago I was in L2A when 2 choppers with 2 dogs and search teams landed.
Strong and tough folks who risked their lives to retrieve the bodies of a local guide who took his clients into an avalanche Some of those skiers died along him.
We all pay for our mistakes and it's OK.
But sometimes others also have to pay for us

You know it makes sense.

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

@SnoodyMcFlude, yes we only do it, including my OH who is very risk aware, believe me, as we know the pistes extremely well, ironically we ski the forest between the pistes which have far more hidden dangers.

Have a look at the photos I posted in the Serre thread today, and one could say that the potential risk is being minimised to such an extent that we may never get to ski those lines again?

That really is a whole discussion topic for another thread.

A snowHead

A snowHead

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

@Weathercam,

Insightful stuff.

I'm nowhere near experienced enough to stray more than a yard or two off piste but I'm fascinated by people pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

As someone who does go off piste a lot though, you must have some sort of red flags.

You mention slope angle but things like 4/5 Avi risk, massive recent snow with very high winds, closed slopes etc have to be in the very highest things you'd be taking into consideration.

We've no real idea what happened here but all of these things (as a complete newbie) would have me questioning my life choices....

Even with loads more experience in that environment, I doubt I'd see all of those factors then think it was a sensible place to be (especially if it's true they had no Avi kit).

Appreciate risk appetite changes with experience and ability (e.g. I always where a helmet as not worth the risk but for some people the risk of falling is on a par with the risk of getting hit by a bus).

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@paulhinch, not who you addressed it to, but I'll give you my opinion.

I think it's wrong to assume that people going off-piste are necessarily pushing boundaries. It can be, but there are plenty of tourers just skiing relatively mellow terrain with as good as zero risk of avalanche. I personally believe I'm much safer on a mellow powder field in the backcountry than a groomed piste in a busy resort.

Slope angle is key, as without sufficient angle a slope won't avalanche. Of course you do have to be aware of overhead hazard (i.e. a 25 degree slope won't avalanche, but if there's a 38 degree slope above it, the potential avalanche run off could hit you. Stick to mellow slopes with no overhead danger and you basically lower your risk of avalanche to zero. If you go down this route you don't have to even consider anything else.

Obvious red flags: fresh snow, seeing avalanche activity, collapsing/whomping underneath.

To be honest the forecasting/report is so good you could probably make a decision using just that and be safe 99.9% of the time. Occasionally there will be very localised conditions that may not fit with the report.

Level 4 is very high risk! I think a lot of people would see level 4 and not consider going off piste at all that day simply on that alone. We used to never even bother considering going into the backcountry unless it was level 2 or below. Perhaps a bit overcautious, but we were fortunate to be skiing in n America where we could get avalanche controlled off piste inside the resort so was easy to wait.

I'm not sure there's much correlation with risk appetite and experience or ability. There are plenty of relatively inexperienced average skiers who are willing to take lots of risk and vice versa. The fact the pro skiers we tend to see videos off are the ones pushing boundaries the most is probably a bit misleading and not so representative of skiers as a whole. I suspect being male and younger is a much better predictor of likeliness to take risk!

Experience is an interesting one as it can actually work both ways. On one hand it can provide valuable local knowledge (e.g. that area always slides after a big storm so let's avoid it). On the other hand it can create a false sense of security (e.g. I've skied this area all the time and there's never been a problem before). Also it can be detrimental to group dynamics (aka "expert halo"), where group blindly follow someone because of there perceived expertise/experience.

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[pb]@Weathercam[/b], I get your rant. We all take avoidable risks all the time, mostly without giving it a moment's thought. . Any Olympic level snow sports athletes take huge risks, and are much more aware of them than most of us. Is it more "tragic" dying in an avalanche than breaking your neck in a racing crash?

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@Origen,

After all it is free

@boarder2020, I'd add.... The ski racer is also unlikely to be putting rescuers at risk if they have an accident.

That's the bit that gets me with the avalanche casualties. It's less the risk that's they're taking for themselves. If you want to ski somewhere stupid without the gear and kill yourself then more fool you.

It's the fact that someone's having to walk into an avalanche field, find you and dig you out. That's the bit that bothers me.

Of course, you can just be unlucky but like you said higher up, there's a big difference between someone who gets really unlucky on a well planned run that just goes wrong Vs being on a super high risk slope with no gear.

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I always feel for lifeboat crew and mountain rescue teams too. And for police and ambulance staff who deal with horrendous RTAs. Or scoop up drug addicts off the street. They do a brilliant job but it must take its toll.

Help!!

Avalanche kills Swiss Olympic snowboarder

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