Anybody know anything about this accident, or othe

This article from the Bellingham Herald tells of one accident at Baker: <br><br> www.bellinghamherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...3/OUTDOORS/601130322

I heard rumors of a more serious incident at Baker on the Pandome chair today at 2nd Ascent. Anyone know more?<br><br>At this point the latter is just a rumor as far as I'm concerned, but I thought it odd that the ski area has been closed some days lately and wondered if the closing might have been related to a close call or two.<br>

well there was this:<br><br> www.bellinghamherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...1/OUTDOORS/601110345

still, in other seasons people have died in the ski area and the area has remained open. this is the first time i can remember them closing for a reason other than lack of snow.

iits also a little ironic that they closed it because it didnt seem to make a big difference. got up there on sunday by noon with the intent of touring the closed ski area but the whole place was completely tracked. it was as if they were open. they can closed the chairs, but i guess that doesnt stop everyone from hiking (probably most of which are not backcountry equiped).

They closed in '99 also due to too much snow (they had to dig out the lifts). Maybe because of all the deaths that season (5 if I remember correctly-but just going off memory) due to avalanche they decided to take more caution. MLK is a big weekend for the ski areas and I'm sure they realized that many inexperienced riders would venture off to the fluffy white no matter how many warning signs are posted. Baker suffered the loss of potential income, but there is a good chance lives were saved as a result.

The website has a new module about tree wells and ungroomed powder, including the following-<br><br>&gt;If you choose to ski or snowboard in the ungroomed, deep snow areas with trees, remember: [...] #2: Gear<br>&gt;Carry the same personal rescue gear as backcountry skiers or snowboarders: a transceiver, shovel, probe, and whistle.<br><br> ???<br><br>If skiing inbounds requires BC gear, then?<br><br>

My reliable source says that there have been two suffocations in the past week, one in a moat, the other in a tree well, neither involving an avalanche. Apparently Baker has had these unfortunate fatalities and a couple of other close calls. Closing down is a highly unusual step, but reflects that management is taking this seriously.<br><br>One of the keys in deep snow skiing is using the "buddy system". <br><br>The closures in 99 as I recall were because the chairlift was dragging in the snow. The only other closures I've seen at Baker were temporary closures because of clearing the road after slides off the couple of avalanche slopes along the road.

/*  Looks like Gary beat my post on the details */<br><br>Hi.  I was in the backcountry this weekend up by the ski area and also talked to some folks in the know.<br><br>TWO people DIED at the Baker last week both as a result of terrain traps.  One in a moat on Monday and one in a tree well later in the week.  At that point management simply said something like "we can't keep running the area and hope no one else dies".<br><br>Evidently the snowpack in-bounds is riddled with holes, moats and channels from the heavy snow/heavy rain cycle thats been going on for the last month.  The eight feet of snow they got last week has covered but not filled in a lot of these features.  <br><br>They were hoping that the warm front last night would settle out the snowpack.<br><br>Not to say they weren't concerned about avalanche danger after receiving 8+ feet of snow, but that does not seem to have been the deciding element for the long-term closure as much as the terrain hazards that had developed.  Of course someone else here might tell me I don't know my head from my ass....<br><br>The article Gary Brill references is pretty good.  A guy gets trapped in a small slide and says something like  "I knew it was gonna slide...but I can outrun avalanches....if it wasn't for those damn skis".  Not a lot of humility going on there.<br><br><br><br>