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ale glad to see your post. my first thought was about you and bs.

I tend not to post on these sensitive topics but It's been a tragic season even here in Vermont. Ride for the fallen. May they rip in peace.

Terrible tragedy. Condolences to the family and friends.

Archie, I'm sure you mean well, and I think we all know what you're trying to say. Perhaps you also realize that lecturing people makes you sound like a well meaning idiot.

I was just wondering if anyone else ever thought the oft used cliche "hey everybody be smart out there" is, in a way, a cunning exercise in self deception? Reinforcing the lie you tell yourself that you are actually smart enough to know how to stay safe when you travel in the mountains, or at least to a "reasonable margin". Somehow it seems to me that being smart often has little to do with it. Sometimes being smart becomes the problem. Everybody wants to sip that sweet nectar that the mountains have to offer, hopefully just enough, but not too much.

Safe travels. Peace.

it was pretty shocking to return to my (buried) van after 3 days in the wilderness, turn on my phone, and immediately get bombarded with messages asking if i was still alive.

we had a pretty fun few days, though we did more relaxing in camp than riding owing to the avy danger. but i'm finding it hard to go through my pictures and get stoked about our cool weekend, knowing that the same storm that had us huddled in a snow cave eating 6 hot meals a day took so many lives so close by.

another avalanche death reported in UT.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19341407&title=man-dies-in-avalanche-near-canyons-resort&s_cid=featured-3

Very tragic news here in Park City and it hits close to home again. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

Timothy Baker, was fatally injured in an avalanche in Dutch Draw, near Canyons Resort, Thursday afternoon. Timothy spent four years working at Park City Mountain Resort and lived in SLC.

Reports indicate he left the gate above 9990 and was not wearing any avy gear, beacon, shovel, probe, etc.

Here's the preliminary report. http://utahavalanchecenter.org/accident ... aw_2232012

Very sad, this is a different slide a couple years back but I believe it's the same cliff band they traversed under and triggered the slide.

I absolutely hate 9990 and the Canyons. I don't usually make what other people are doing my business but one day I was up there when Avy conditions were Considerable due to a deep slab instability and some middle school aged kids (which is the age I teach) were about to drop in and I pleaded with them not to do it. That the tracks they saw did not mean the slope was safe to ride, they seemed to listen but still dropped in anyways.

After reading the preliminary report from the Utah avy center this guy seems to be a newbie, or someone who was resort skiing and got into the wrong area. I do know the gate, and that thing should be closed.
If people at the Canyons want to ride BC then make them skin to do it.

It would help in this type of situation.

I agree 100% Tex, but with our local ski industries perpetuating the follwing douchebaggery its hard not to give newbs a bit of a pass on the allure
http://www.skiutah.com/winter/blog/authors/matt/backcountry-touring-in-the-wasatch

The problem with that area is the park city side of the wasatch sucks, it holds the weakest snow and has the most tourist/inexperienced skiers and riders. All of the terrain is low elevation and mellow in contrast to big or little cottonwood let alone resorts with real terrain like jackson or big sky. it is really easy for someone with a few years of riding experience to duck a rope or head out a gate to grab a quick 35 degree 800 foot powder shot. It is a shame that most of these people don't realize that this is one of the most deadly situations for an avalanche (not to speculate on the experience of the person who died, but commenting on a general trend from accidents in that area).

That is why programs like "the know before you go" program from the UAC are so important on educating the standard resort user on the dangers inside and outside of the boundaries. With all of the support behind the interconnect it will be interesting to see how the ski industry handles having blood on their hands once lifts give access to extreme avalanche terrain like days/cardiac/silver etc.

Sorry for any thread hijack, sad year for a lot of families out there.

is this spot avy controlled by the resort?

i rode that last year for a day and couldnt beleive all the "recreational" people i saw skiing down in there

I don't think my pic is the same spot, I think where the avalanche was triggered was one drainage closer to the resort. Supposedly they don't do avalanche control work but I've seen them throwing charges into the drainage adjacent to West Monitor. That may have been to protect some of the McMansions that reside at the bottom (yes there are Mcmansions at the bottom of some of these avy prone bowls/drainages, Park City has become a super weird place over the last 10 years). Anyways, take care everyone.

First off condolences to the friends and family of Tim Baker

UTAH, thats (picture) from the cinder cone area (at least thats what I think its called) its the next drainage to the South like u thought. They don't do contol work except in the area's above the houses south of the incident. Dutches is FS land and it dosn't pose danger to the inbounds terrian at the canyons or homesites.

On the PC side public free access of the range is very limited due private land (ski areas and homes). The gate at 9900 is used as stated by a lot of unpreparred and uneducated people. I've seen people hiking Dutches with snowblades then walk down it (the open bowl) as snowblades only work on groomers.

The resort (when I had a pass) posted the daily UAC report at the gate or in the window of the patrol shack (50ft maybe from where the bootpack starts). There are numerous signs warning people of the danger, including a "are you beeping sign with audio".