Avalanche death on Huntington's Ravine

[Mattl]

Its has been a couple years I think since someone has been killed by an avalanche but it has happened again. My condolences go out to his family. Anyone elese have any more details on this? Such a terrible thing to happen. It is often looked past how serious and dangerous the northern Presidentials are in winter. Be careful out there this weekend. Its brutally cold too.

From the Avalanche Report:

"We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to the family and friends of a fellow mountaineer who was killed in an avalanche in Huntington Ravine on Friday. The objective dangers in the winter mountains are many, which are contrasted by their extraordinary beauty, and the rejuvenation and peacefulness they can bring us. These factors together create the challenges that give us the intense fulfillment as human beings and keep us coming back time and time again. We must be ever on the lookout for all the hazards we face while pursuing our mountain passions. The mountains will be here another day. We will post an accident summary on tuckerman.org later today or tomorrow.


-Mattl

 

[dr_wu002]

More Info

-Dr. Wu

 

[Mad Townie]

Sad.

The article said, in part: "Authorities remind all winter hikers and climbers to check Forest Service's daily avalanche warnings before heading out and to be prepared with proper equipment." I had taken a look at the avy warnings on Friday just out of interest--both Tuckerman and Huntington were posted as "High." Still "Considerable" today (Sunday), with only two exceptions. The article didn't say which gully he was climbing.

Sounds like the person was alone, too. Definitely a cautionary tale, but still very sad for family and friends.

VFTT Gatherers, let's be careful out there!

 

[DougPaul]

The article didn't say which gully he was climbing.

It also didn't say if the avalanche occurred in a gully. They can occur on the approaches too.

EDIT: later reports have stated that the victim was avalanched out of Odell Gully.

Sounds like the person was alone, too.

Being with (properly trained and equipped) others is no guarantee--a significant percentage of those fully buried die even with helpers at hand. A number of experts are trying to emphasize that avoidance is better than digging after-the-fact. I posted some stats in http://www.vftt.org/forums/showpost.php?p=169931&postcount=19.

BTW, even Lions Head avalanches occasionally--there has been at least one avalanche death on that route. At least one of the Lions Head avalanches has also crossed the Tuckerman Ravine trail below.

Doug

 

[grouseking]

Such a sad day.

Every time I hear of an unfortunate death in the mountains that I call home, I have to pause, and reflect. Such a sad day. For me, whenever I hear about some who dies in the mountains, its similar to losing someone in an extended family.

Condolences, no matter the circumstances.

grouseking

 

[Jasper]

Union Leader article.

Climber dies on Mount Washington
By LORNA COLQUHOUN
New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent
8 hours, 48 minutes ago


PINKHAM’S GRANT – The body of a climber killed Friday in an avalanche on the slopes of Mount Washington was recovered this weekend, according to U.S. Forest Service snow rangers.

Peter Roux, 39, of Bartlett, Tenn. had been climbing alone Friday at Odell Gully, in Huntington Ravine and was reported by a friend as overdue just before 9:30 p.m. Friday.


Rest of story removed, please link to copyrighted stories. -dave-


Link to story

I note that he was climbing alone. Jasper

 

[cbcbd]

I heard about this today when I was talking to the Hermit Lake shelter caretaker. He speculated that the climber probably left early enough to miss the updated avy report and also somehow missed the Harvard cabin update. The avy rating for the previous day was at low to moderate, but Friday they got a lot of new snow which bumped it up to High. Apparently it was a nice size slide.

I agree on the "alone" part... it's not black/white, though, and it's hard to tell now if another person there would have avoided the situation.

A very sad and real story right in our backyard... yeah, it has been a while


The incident report is up on tuckerman.org:
http://tuckerman.org/accident/20072008.htm

 

[w7xman]

Terribly sad...

My condolances to the family and friends of this avid outdoorsman...It is always sad to hear that someone loses their life doing what they love, and provides me with a moment of pause to reflect on what my own love of the mountains means to me....

On a side note...
This marks the first winter fatality on Mount Washington since 2004...a rather long period of time. There are of course many factors that go into this, but I'd like to think that the period of relative safety is due in part to the increased reach and education that organizations like the AMC, National Forest Service, The Mount Washington Observatory, the State Park, the Guide community and the many other groups that make up the White Mountain Community. I believe it's a good day to reflect on what these groups bring to our hiking experiences. I also think that community websites like VFTT also provide hikers with a go to spot for information and increase safety...and likely save lives.

Unfortunately, the drive to experience nature and push our own limits will always lead to some number of accidents. Stay safe out there, and RIP fellow hiker...

 

[w7xman]

Full accident report available at tuckerman.org
http://www.tuckerman.org/accident/20072008.htm