Phantom avy info? 04/06/11

Scary. Hooray for survival.

Is everybody here already well-versed in where to go when it's sketchy? Or can/does/should the bc ski community play a role in improving the collective knowledge of 'safer' options and choices on days like this?

[Post amended. Reason: not really relevant to the party in question, and not really sensible to use this particular thread to call out the 'secret stash' idea.]

Best wishes for all involved. Glad there was not a worse outcome.

... because they consider these alternatives to be their 'secret stash.'

This may have no bearing on this incident.

I don't think the phantom qualifies as a secret stash by any reasonable definition. I do think bc skiers need to be self reliant. This means being able to evaluate conditions to the extent that you can judge for your own party if the risk of skiing is acceptable to you.

Stay safe.

I don't know if those thoughts are premature, yet, Gerry...

I would suspect they are...
If I know Marcus he'll probably do a fine job at pointing out the mistakes that they made without any help from the rest of us.  
He's already promised to help us learn from their mistakes.
I think it frustrates us all to see knowledgable and professional friends caught in these situations but I believe it is only fair to be patient enough to let them have their say before castigating them.

We all make our own decisions and risk tolerance varies. The rest of us shouldn't be bothered by that nor should we judge others' choices. Fun often times comes at the expense of a little bit of personal safety.

Marcus, sorry there were injuries in your group, but it's great news that everyone got back alive. I bet that was one hell of a rush!

Or maybe it's just as simple as skiing Kendall Stump instead (is that 'always' safe)?

funny you mention the Stump....a few weeks ago on a considerable/high day, I actually saw a crown from a skier triggered slab release earlier in the day at the top of the Stump near the steepest most sparsely treed portion of the hill on the south side...so i'm not sure there are ever destinations that can always been considered safe...even something as tame as the Stump... so many variables (subtle changes in aspect and angle) can make for unsafe pockets within a larger zone generally known to be a safe place to play.  

No need to rush the story out, Marcus et al., though it might be handy to write your thoughts down now while they're fresh, then sit on them for a month or more. Your perspective on the accident may change with time in a way that's also educational. Waiting may help make any constructive criticism more objective (and less apt to appear in the Seattle Times).

Very glad everyone's home - best wishes for the imminent medical work and recovery. A huge thank-you to the SAR community.