April 18 More Avalanche Accidents

An Alaskan teacher was killed Monday sledding after work:
www.adn.com/2011/04/19/1818334/troopers-...ing-body-of-man.html

Two 'experienced' men are missing and feared buried in the Tetons:
nationalparkstraveler.org/2011/04/avalan...on-national-park7988

They spotted an avalanche chute on the Indian side of Bird Ridge. As the helicopter drew closer, they could make out clothing and what turned out to be a shiny saucer sled sticking out from the debris, said trooper Jeff Simpson, who was on board. "He was going to sled down it and the avalanche triggered," Simpson said.

Sad news. Has anyone ever heard before of someone being killed by an avalanche while sledding? Where "sledding" actually means sledding, and not a euphemism for snowmobiling.

Hope the other two in the Tetons are found OK.

The sledding accident is just crazy. I have never thought of sledding as a backcountry activity. I have seen people sledding on the Muir snowfield once, but they were coming down from Camp Muir rather than just up there for the sole purpose of sledding.

In my recent trip to Eastern Idaho I looked into some tours around Teton Pass. One website Bridger Teton Avy site had a recent HUGE avalanche on Rendezvous Peak on 4/11/11. It was enough deterrent for me to look for other options since I don't know the local snowpack and terrain.

Sad news. Has anyone ever heard before of someone being killed by an avalanche while sledding? Where "sledding" actually means sledding, and not a euphemism for snowmobiling.

Hope the other two in the Tetons are found OK.

An avalanche professional we work with at Hurricane Ridge tells a story of a young girl who was killed while sledding on a  snow covered sand pile in an otherwise flat area of eastern Canada a few years ago. Apparently about a foot of snow fell in the area and then there was an extended cold period. Depth hoar formed at the snow - ground interface. The victim and her friend were sledding on the hill and triggered the slide. Both girls were caught, one was totally burried and killed, the other girl was partially buried and survived. The abrupt transition between the sloped sand pile and the flat ground created a terrain trap which caught the girls.

Gary

Sadly, bad weather has forced suspension of the Teton SAR:
nationalparkstraveler.org/2011/04/deteri...on-national-park7996