# Cameron Pass Avalanche Fatality.



## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

I am reluctant to post this because the Denver Post articles is just plain horrible. A snowboarder was killed though regardless of the reporting. I certainly hope it was not a member of this forum. I am sure the CAIC report will be a little more factual and well researched.

One killed, one injured in avalanche near Cameron Pass in Colorado - The Denver Post

RIP fellow shredder.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

Rip! 


Avalanche lung floatation device? That reporter really done his homework.


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## Treegreen (Mar 16, 2012)

ETM said:


> Rip!
> 
> 
> Avalanche lung floatation device? That reporter really done his homework.


I'm more interested in the 40ft deep part. Having said that, the survivor is really lucky if he actually made it buried for 90 minutes. I cannot think of something more terrifying, to be honest.


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## DrnknZag (Feb 7, 2010)

Just saw this checking CAIC this afternoon. Damn, RIP.

Snow was getting pretty heavy in the Vail sidecountry today. Pinwheeling and a small wet slide. Any idea if the warming played a part in this one?


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

For sure the warm temps are having an effect. Unfortunately we have a snow pack stacked on top of a house of cards right. My plans for our tour tomorrow have backed off a ton already. Things can change in 24 hours, but it seems like we are in a snowy cycle. Probably going to have to play the conservative game. Bummer. There are still fun steep lines to be done, but a couple of the alpine shots are most likely out of the question. The three drainage tour has been great, and the roadside laps might be really good tomorrow too. We'll have a good time that is for sure.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

The Denver Post has made up for their crappy article with a rather good one about the accident. Jason Blevins wrote it and it is no surprise that it is well done. Jason is a well versed bc traveler and has done a good job on articles of this nature before. Sad, but a very good read none the less.

Colorado skier felt life fading during 3 hours buried in avalanche - The Denver Post


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## Hose91 (Feb 10, 2013)

*Well balanced journalism*

Read these two articles in reverse order. Seems like the original report was updated to maybe not be quite as crappy, but this recent piece was really well done. 

I know next to nothing about life in the BC, but thought that the accounts of how it went down and the stories from the various parties told a balanced tale. Seems like its hard to find that kind of unbiased reporting these days. I'm not sure I'll ever be a BC or even sidecountry caliber boarder, but articles like these are a great way to get a glimpse into all the aspects that go into it. Well done and thanks to Killclimbz for sharing it. It is sad, but there's something to be said for living life to its fullest, and for doing something you love to the end.


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## DrnknZag (Feb 7, 2010)

Saw your link on FB to this article on Saturday. Pretty heavy read, glad the guy made it out alive.

One thing I'm wondering is if they had trouble isolating the two signals, did they turn off the beacon on the guy they found first and still have trouble with the second signal?


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Good question Zag. I have no idea. From the sounds like the beacon was turned off to me, but they don't explicitly state that either. Regardless, when you are that close in, that shouldn't be much of an issue. A few things come to mind. That person may have had a cell phone on, Go Pro/POV device, or other electronic device. Could have also been a compatibility issue with the beacon, or maybe it was getting out of flux. Hard to say. I am sure CAIC will follow up on it with their findings once they have put more time into it.


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## walove (May 1, 2009)

yeah the beacon signal issue was odd? 

In theory the two signals could be pinging at the exact same time, but at 457hz that would be hard to imagine. I wonder if they were using a multiple burial feature to block the first signal and it was blocking both? I notice that it can take up to 30 sec for my dsp to separate signals and indicate when multiple beacons are close by. 

Frequency drift caused by an older beacon? nice feature on the dsp is that you can check other beacons to ensure they are still operating on 457hz.


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## DrnknZag (Feb 7, 2010)

I remember reading somewhere that they both had older style beacons (CAIC report maybe?), so frequency drift may have been an issue. But shouldn't a trailhead beacon check determine if there was an issue? Or can drift happen between the time they hit the trailhead and the accident? I'd imagine that wouldn't be possible.

Not gonna lie, I do feel a bit nervous when I head out with someone sporting an older beacon. NWMC where I took my Level 1 class doesn't allow the older analog styles at all. It seems some people still prefer the analog style because that's what they're used to I guess. I've never used one before so I don't have any first hand experience.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

I don't care for analogs at all. I've had people argue with me that they can search faster with them than with out. I smoke them by minutes every time doing a search. Bobski, our old lead instructor instructor had a flat out challenge to anyone with an analog to try to beat him locating beacons. He could find four in under four minutes. No one every came close. 

So yeah, I am skeptical with the analog guys. I've actually given them my beacon to use for the day and used their's on an occasion or two. Since I am practiced with analog beacons, and I wanted them to be able to find me fast...


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## huckfin (Dec 9, 2010)

the guides at the cat operation i recently went to near fernie asked us to leave our cell phones in the cat or put them in airplane mode while we rode. they told us the newer smartphones in the last few years have been known to interfere with beacon signals, and these were recent year mammut pulse barryvox beacons we were using.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

huckfin said:


> the guides at the cat operation i recently went to near fernie asked us to leave our cell phones in the cat or put them in airplane mode while we rode. they told us the newer smartphones in the last few years have been known to interfere with beacon signals, and these were recent year mammut pulse barryvox beacons we were using.


better safe than sorry


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Everything I have seen is that the smart phones and other devices have more of an effect on beacons that are in receive mode, not transmit. This whole electronic interference thing is something new that is just now getting addressed. I don't blame the cat operators at all for making this requirement.


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## walove (May 1, 2009)

it has been found that most electronics, even a phone in plane mode can interfere with a beacon in search mode if the electronic device is closer than 18" to the beacon. 

When im out exploring i like to track my route with the gps on my phone, phone goes in the pack, beacon is in the bib pocket. Right around 18" apart but doesnt seem to cause interference when other check my beacon.


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