Mount Baker Slide Photo from 11-05
11/15/05
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
4536
6
This is a very nice forum you guys got going here. It is great to read about people gettin the goods all over WA early this year.
This is a picture of a slide that I caused and went through, miracously ending up on top of the snow. This was at Mt Baker on 11/05. This slope is very short, close to the boundry on Blueberry Cat Track. We opted to ride this because of the slide we had seen that had buried someone earlier in the day. I definately learned a valuable lesson about how even small slopes can get ya. I read another post about this day and thought I would provide another pic from the same day.
anyway nice to see a great forum like this on the ol interweb.
This is a picture of a slide that I caused and went through, miracously ending up on top of the snow. This was at Mt Baker on 11/05. This slope is very short, close to the boundry on Blueberry Cat Track. We opted to ride this because of the slide we had seen that had buried someone earlier in the day. I definately learned a valuable lesson about how even small slopes can get ya. I read another post about this day and thought I would provide another pic from the same day.
anyway nice to see a great forum like this on the ol interweb.
... This is a picture of a slide that I caused and went through, miracously ending up on top of the snow ... We opted to ride this because of the slide we had seen that had buried someone earlier in the day...
This makes no sense. You opted to ride the slope because you knew it was dangerous, having seen a burial on an extremely similar, adjacent slope earlier in the day?? You wanted to be caught in an avalanche?
Are you trying to get sponsored?
But he also said:
I definately learned a valuable lesson about how even small slopes can get ya.
read through the lines: he is saying he thought the slope he was riding would be safer than the slope he saw slide. And it would be easy to think that given the obviouos anchors (trees) in the photo. Luckily the run-out zone is small, if almost non-existant, and it looks like the debris piled up 15 feet from the crown.
The slope he rode was of the same angle, elevation and aspect as the slope he saw slide. In fact, it is on the same ridge, maybe 100 ft away! My question would be, why did he think it would be any safer?!
because it was short and cute looking and now Brian Lee knows. Brian , glad you wern't hurt and thanks for sharing with all of us.
The slope he rode was of the same angle, elevation and aspect as the slope he saw slide. In fact, it is on the same ridge, maybe 100 ft away! My question would be, why did he think it would be any safer?!
First the visibilty was poor, with blowing snow, So I misjudged the aspect beacuse I couldn't see the surrounding topography.
Second, This was a very short slope, which my underestimating its dangerous potential was a very serious mistake.
Third, I have ridden this area a lot, I have used this route down in the past when I decided conditions out farther were very dangerous.
But all excuses aside, i was caught compeletely off guard and was being pretty stupid by not just going back to the ski area.
I am not trying to get sponsored ??? and I sure as hell didn't want to get caught in a avalanche.
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