# Holy crap! Tough year for ski patrol!



## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Avalanche kills four out on ski patrol | The Japan Times Online

There's already been two killed by avys here in CO this season and now four in Japan!


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## MistahTaki (Apr 24, 2010)

linvillegorge said:


> Avalanche kills four out on ski patrol | The Japan Times Online
> 
> There's already been two killed by avys here in CO this season and now four in Japan!


that's scary.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Pros or not, for four people to get caught in one avalanche, there have to be A LOT of mistakes made.


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## InfiniteEclipse (Jan 2, 2009)

Sorry to hear, my condolences to the family.

I'm currently reading 'Staying alive in avalanche terrain' and am interested in knowing where these professionals went wrong, if any mistakes were actually made that is.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Well, they certainly broke the 1st commandment of safe travel mentioned in that book.

"Thou shalt go one at a time - and leave someone in a safe spot to do the rescue."

There's no question of "if" mistakes were made, it's just about finding out the details to find out WHAT mistakes were made so that others can learn from them. If someone triggers an avalanche and gets caught, then mistakes were made. The goal is to not get caught in an avalanche. After you're caught, then it's up to luck and your buddies to save you. When your buddies are also caught, then it's completely up to luck. I don't like relying on luck.


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## InfiniteEclipse (Jan 2, 2009)

Ah yes, page 223... I'm not that far in yet


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## Sphere (Oct 20, 2009)

Another skier died at Keystone today.... Hit a tree, was wearing a helmet, but died of blunt trauma to the chest.... that makes 4 this year... Centennial man dies in skiing accident - The Denver Post

be careful out there everyone... inside or outside the ropes...


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Running into trees probably kills more people year in and year out than any other type of accident in skiing/snowboarding. I have nothing to back this up, but it sure seems that way to me.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

I know most skier deaths in Colorado are due to blunt force trauma. I.E., hitting a tree, lift tower, another person, etc. 

As far as the patrollers go. That just sucks. No doubt that mistakes were made. The reasoning for those mistakes is what is going to tell the story. I will say that avalanche mitigation work and backcountry protocols in general are fairly new to Japan. Up until recently, they only worried about roads and well controlled on piste terrain. Wild snow was not part of their management game...


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