Five killed in Loveland Pass Avalanche

[mikefromcraig]

test test test

[shaunster_co]

I had to read my text messages a few times this morning to make sure I wasn't in a nightmare.. We speculated last night whom this might have been when a few of them didn't check in. I rode with Rick several times at RMNP, an AIARE instructor at CMS, also an AMGA guide. Joe was the Jones Snowboard / Karakorum rep for the area. Just had goodtimes with these guys in Silverton last week for splitfest. I also knew Ryan & Ian and had the opportunity to ride with these guys this past season. I don't want to speculate what happened out there. These were standup, experienced guys. Really sorry for everyone else that knew them and the close friends and family.

[summit21]

It is less than 24 hours post accident. At this point CAIC has only released preliminary report on the avalanche. At this point Mike you are simply speculating without knowledge of all the facts. Certainly not a scenario that is conducive to learning, wouldn't you agree?

[BillMiddlebrook]

The CAIC website has been getting hammered and may be in and out, so I'm re-posting the preliminary report text/photos here:

PRELIMINARY REPORT

A backcountry touring party of six, on splitboards and skis, were caught in an avalanche in the Sheep Creek area near Loveland Pass. Five of the riders were killed. The group may have triggered the avalanche from below the start zone, low in the avalanche path. The avalanche released into old snow layers and the ground. Approximate dimensions of the crown face of the avalanche are 4 feet deep and 500 feet wide.

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[MountainHiker]

These are not anonymous people out there in internet land. People on this site are friends and acquaintances with these boarders. Many more of us have had the experience of losing friends and acquaintances in the mountains. Some of us have had the experience of being there when people have been lost.

So compassion is part of it. We all want to know what happened before and after the incident so we can learn from it. Whether or not something different could have been done cannot be accurately assessed without knowing the details. And even when or if those details are released, compassion is still part of how it is to be discussed.

[screeman57]

Simply horrifying. It's very sobering to know that this could happen to such knowledgeable, experienced people who were taking appropriate precautions. I mean, we all "know" it happens, but something of this magnitude really brings it home. A cautionary tale, to say the least.

Condolences to all of you who knew and worked with them. RIP.

[Fisching]

These are not anonymous people out there in internet land. People on this site are friends and acquaintances with these boarders. Many more of us have had the experience of losing friends and acquaintances in the mountains. Some of us have had the experience of being there when people have been lost. So compassion is part of it.

Thank you - very well said. And Jenny, I'm sorry to hear that someone who had such a profound impact on you is one of the victims.
Condolences to all: family, friends, and acquaintances.

[Stephen Butler]

That looks like a nasty slide. RIP to those lost.

[Hungry Jack]

Wow. I would have speculated they parked at the 6 Loveland summit and hiked up and along the ridge toward Grizzly Pk and then dropped into the basin above A-basin.

I took my dad to the turn out just beyond the hairpin/switchback below the slide gulley a few weeks back on our recent annual ski trip (he's 80). I stopped up there to show him Pettingell and The Citadel. It never occurred to me that people would ply those slopes there. They seemed quite steep.

My condolences to the friends and families of the deceased.

[MonGoose]

As outdoor enthusiasts, I believe that we should be quick to learn but slow to pass judgement on the mistakes (whether real or perceived) of those involved in a tragedy.

The updated Denver Post article states that all 6 riders were buried in the slide and two nearby boarders dug out the lone survivor, who had been buried for about an hour.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ ... ash-tragic

[PaliKona]

Truly horrifying. RIP

[SnowAlien]

I realized today that I knew one of the victims. Expert skier, founder of the ski equipment company. Lots of experience in the BC. From what I've been reading, they were going up, and triggered the slide from below. Tragic. RIP.

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