Yes, very glad you and your party survived Marcus, and were successfully rescued - albeit at considerable risk and expense. I'll abandon Amar's 'northwest nice' for a minute. Dan Otter too had similar thoughts, and spent significant time and effort this past season sharing his experience with the entire backcountry ski community so they might learn from his mistake - for which I very much appreciated. It is extremely frustrating for avalanche instructors, and sharing victims like Dan, to hear once again of an entirely avoidable accident occurring. What part of avalanche terrain + considerable to high danger, combined with 2-3' of new, less than 48 hr old snow, on a weak layer, probably wind affected, + warming, equals a high likehood or certainty of getting caught, is so difficult for us to grasp! Let alone exercising, or not, safe travel practices? A question every TAYer needs to ask themselves, everytime they consider going out, and are out. We have alternatives. We just need to see them.
