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Avalanche kills person near Mount Baker ski area

  • AlpineRose
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10 years 3 weeks ago - 10 years 3 weeks ago #145603 by AlpineRose

Continued conservative decision-making remains wise travel advice, until the persistent slab problems can be ruled out.

<<--from NWAC

That's a pretty clear statement. Currently, the PWL warning is not region wide, because it's not region wide.
Last edit: 10 years 3 weeks ago by AlpineRose.

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  • T. Eastman
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10 years 3 weeks ago #145604 by T. Eastman

Currently, the PWL warning is not region wide, because it's not region wide.


And "Moderate" is a region-wide determination though all hazards are dependent to aspect and can be extremely local? And this is with the information contained withing the cautionary statement?

Help me with the logic here.

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  • ccwaskier
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10 years 3 weeks ago #145605 by ccwaskier

And "Moderate" is a region-wide determination though all hazards are dependent to aspect and can be extremely local? And this is with the information contained withing the cautionary statement?

Help me with the logic here.


I wouldn't put too much emphasis on snowpack information being relayed through a news article. NWAC has discussed the persistent week layers extensively in their forecast over the past few weeks. The forecast discussed that those layers were not present anymore in many areas due to Thursday's rain, but would remain in the discussion since they could still be an issue in some areas.

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  • Lowell_Skoog
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10 years 3 weeks ago #145606 by Lowell_Skoog
Replied by Lowell_Skoog on topic Re: Avalanche kills person near Mount Baker ski area
Confusing report.  How could the ski patrol have seen them if they were on the north side of Mt Herman? Where is the Widow Maker run?

Condolences to family and friends.

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  • Jim Oker
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10 years 3 weeks ago - 10 years 3 weeks ago #145607 by Jim Oker
Don't forget the "travel advice" for Moderate hazard rating:

Heigtened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.


Features of concern - i.e. places where the PWL may have not broken down, or perhaps places where water percolation from the recent rain may have hit a sliding surface, or where the new snow warmed in the heat of day, etc., and of course perhaps places where the consequence of a slide might be especially bad particularly given the discussion of a decent amount of unpredictability to the location of higher hazards.

You of course can't just bank on the one-word rating - you have to pay attention to the details too. What you see out there of course, but also what field observers have reported and what else is shared in the forecast discussion, which has been speaking of these dispersed and somewhat hard to predict hazard areas.

The rating does not strike me as way off for what has been getting reported from the field. Some slides have happened. Lots and lots of people have been out w/o incident though.

As to this particular incident, my condolences to the victim's family and friends.
Last edit: 10 years 3 weeks ago by Jim Oker.

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  • Jim Oker
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10 years 3 weeks ago - 10 years 3 weeks ago #145608 by Jim Oker
Lowell - take a look at the nwhikers thread on this death. Someone, I think pipedream, posted a photo of the slope, which is apparently visible from the upper lot at the ski area if I'm reading him correctly. More like NE or even ENE slope?
Last edit: 10 years 3 weeks ago by Jim Oker.

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