Doug Coombs dies in La Grave avalanche

<br>For what it is worth, it was not an avalanche that caused the accident. I talked to a friend in La Grave who knows Doug quite well. He said that after Chad fell, Doug skied down to try to locate him, at which point he also slipped and fell.

Someone close to Doug and Chad asked me to post this link to an article that gives a detailed and accurate description, in a Jackson Hole newspaper article, of the Coombs accident:<br><br> www.jhnewsandguide.com/News.html

Nick

(Edited to repair link-rj)

I found this posted elsewhere on the web and thought is was the best account of what actually happened.  I wonder if they were wearing helmet... ???  (not that I always wear one in the BC)


The following email from the AMGA provides a pretty detailed account of what happened. While some details have been coming to light since the first incorrect reports of an avalanche this report outlines the entire incident, first hand.

AMGA Member

Here is a report from Matt Farmer on the accident involving Chad
VanderHam and Doug Coombs. If you are not interested or uncomfortable
with reading the details of the accident please do not read any
further.


La Grave, France 16:45 April 3, 2006

Christina Blomquist, Doug Coombs, Chad Vanderham, and I (Matt Farmer),
descended from the top of the Telepherique de la Meije to ski the "Le
Polichinelle" Couloir.

This route maintains an average steepness of 40-45 degrees through a
series of three successive couloirs linked by leftward traverses at
the base of each chute. The couloirs get progressively longer, from
approximately 40 to 100 meters, before a final leftward traverse
leads to mellower lower angled gullies which feed back into the apron
below the couloir. The base of the third chute is approximately 3-4
meters wide and exposed to the top of the final cliff which is about
50 meters high. Below this cliff is a small couloir to the right and
a 15-20 meter cliff to the left which both end up at the top of the
snow apron below the main couloir system. 30-40 cm of untracked
light snow was well bonded to a base of firm neve. General stability
of the snow pack was good and the hazard rating for the day was a 2
on the French scale. Weather conditions were beautiful, the sky
clear and blue without clouds or wind.

Chad descended the first couloir and waited to the left of the base
as Doug skied, followed by me and then Christina one at a time. Doug
traversed left and skied the second chute followed by Chad, then
myself and Christina. Chad led the third couloir which curves right
out of view of the starting point. Doug skied next and was
subsequently followed by Christina.

Just as Christina entered the middle of the top of the third couloir
Doug yelled up that "Chad fell, come down with a rope."

I traversed into the middle of the couloir to the point at which I
could see down to Doug who was side stepping down a rock rib below
and right of the constriction at the base of the couloir. Christina
and I saw Doug yelling Chad’s name while side stepping down and
attempting to see over the cliff to his right. We saw his skis slip
on the rock and he fell out of view over the rib.

I skied down to the constriction and carefully continued down softer
snow left of the rock rib that Doug had been standing on. I
continued along side the rock rib, sidestepping down and right on
snow to within 2 meters of where Chad's ski was sticking
vertically in the snow at the top of the cliff. From this vantage
point I could see Chad's body approximately 150 meters below on
the apron of snow below the cliff at the base of the couloir.
Doug's body was also visible, motionless, but sliding slowly
down the apron coming to rest about 30 meters beside Chad.

At this point, 17:29, I called the Haute Alps rescue services for a
helicopter and then (17:33) called a local guide friend to confirm
the helicopter dispatch and set other resources in motion. I
directed Christina down, through the crux constriction, and left
towards the exit into the mellower gullies that feed back into the
apron below the central cliff at the base of the third couloir. I
side stepped and boot packed 15 meters back up to the left exit and
proceeded down.

I arrived at Doug first, at about 17:40, as he was slightly higher on
the slope than Chad. I repositioned Doug, who was lying on his
right side, bent at the waist and facing up hill with his skis off.
There were no immediately obvious major injuries or deformities. He
was pulse less, with out respirations. His eyes were open, pupils
fixed and dilated. His lips were yellowish gray and his right ear
purple. I preformed rescue breaths and CPR for approximately two
minutes by which time Christina had arrived at Chad and declared that
he was breathing. I left Doug, who had no indications of response
and moved downhill 20 meters to Chad.

Chad was lying face down in the snow with his feet facing up hill.
We carefully reoriented him and opened his airway. His breaths were
regular and deep, his pulse strong and about 90 bpm. He had much
coagulated blood in his nose, his eyes and lips were slightly swollen
and discolored. Chad's pupils were equal and responsive to
light but he was unresponsive to shouting or pain. Christina
returned to Doug while I maintained Chad's airway, giving
occasional rescue breaths, until the helicopter arrived at 18:03.
Three members of the PGHM were lowered to the scene with their
equipment and began administering an IV to Chad. We installed an
oral airway in Chad's mouth and placed him in a rescue sled.
By this time Chad's facial edema was pronounced but his
breathing and pulse were still strong and he had begun to move his
arm and squeeze my hand in response to my own squeezes. As the
doctor began administering medicine to Chad, I returned to Doug to
resume CPR. The helicopter returned in 10 or 15 minutes to transport
Chad to a hospital in Briancon, 30 kilometers east. At this time one
of the two remaining PGHM informed us that the doctor had already
declared Doug dead. We replied that we knew and continued CPR for
another 20 or 30 minutes. The helicopter returned and transported
Christina and me back to La Grave. We were met by Jean Charles of La
Meije and brought to where many of our friends had gathered. While
debriefing the current situation with them the local police arrived
to take a statement and during this process we were informed that
Chad was dead as well.

--- End of Matt Farmer Report and AMGA email ---

I believe - but I am not sure that Matt Farmer is a local guide. Guides for RMI and is an aspiring Ski Mountaineering guide...but I am not sure. What a harrowing account of a horrible tragedy. I am sad for all involved.

Michael

Thanks for posting that story, Sam. While I never had the privilege of skiing with Doug Coombs (the closest I got was a couple of e-mails to him about his steep camps in La Grave/Verbier), I've heard many Coombs anecdotes over the years (some as recently as last weekend) from my friends at K2.

The fact that this could happen to skiers of Doug's and Chad's caliber certainly gives me reason to re-consider what I'm willing to ski . . .

Here is an article I found regarding the accident on SNEWS an outdoor industry website.  It contains a nice snapshot of how influential and great a person he was.




www.snewsnet.com/cgi-bin/snews/04679.html