2 US Ski Team Athletes Killed By Avalanche

Two US Ski Team ski racers were killed this morning in an avalanche in Solden, Austria.

Killed in the avalanche were Ronnie Berlack, 20, of Franconia, N.H., and Burke Mountain, Vt., and Bryce Astle, 19, of Sandy, Utah.

The two promising development level ski racers were among a group of six athletes freeskiing at the Austrian resort. The other four skied out of the slide and were not injured.

“Ronnie and Bryce were both outstanding ski racers who were passionate about their sport – both on the race course and skiing the mountain,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Our hearts go out to the Berlack and Astle families, as well as to their extended sport family. Both of them loved what they did and conveyed that to those around them.”





Ronnie Berlack

Franconia, NH/Burke Mountain, VTRonnie Berlack
Burke Mountain Academy

Birthdate: Apr. 21, 1994 (20)

New Hampshire native Ronnie Berlack, 20, earned a spot on the U.S. Ski Team’s Development Team following a spring 2013 tryout camp at Mammoth Mountain. He was a graduate of Vermont’s Burke Mountain Academy. He had finished 11th in downhill and 17th in super G at the 2013 U.S. Alpine Championships in Squaw Valley, Calif.. He was off to a strong season last year before suffering a knee injury in January. He had come back this summer competing in South American Cup races in Chile and in NorAm and FIS races last month in Canada. He also foreran the Beaver Creek men’s World Cup speed races.




Bryce Astle

Sandy, UT

Snowbird Ski team

Birthdate: Jan. 16, 1995 (19)

Utah’s Bryce Astle, 19, grew up racing with the Snowbird Ski Team. He was 13th in giant slalom at the U.S. Alpine Championships in Squaw Valley last March, finishing as the top junior. He had been invited to train with the development team this season. He posted strong results in South American Cup races in Chile this summer, and was coming off a pair of top-10 slalom and giant slalom NorAm Cup finishes in Canada last month where he was on the junior podium in all but two events.


http://www.sltrib.com/sports/2021706-155/us-ski-team-member-bryce-astle

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/01/05/two-u-s-ski-team-prospects-killed-in-austrian-avalanche/

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/01/05/nh-skier-killed-in-avalanche-in-austrian-alps/

Just read this on the next and came to post....RIP

Very sad, both parents in the industry.  He was out to have some fun and died doing what he loved.    Glad the other 4 were uninjured.  

http://www.tetongravity.com/story/ski/two-u.s.-ski-team-members-die-in-austrian-avalanche

skimore wrote

http://www.tetongravity.com/story/ski/two-u.s.-ski-team-members-die-in-austrian-avalanche

Interesting.

TGR wrote

 No one in the group of six Americans was wearing avalanche beacons or had any avalanche rescue equipment. This meant the searchers used probes to find the skiers. They were eventually found under 3-4 meters of snow. Recitation efforts were ineffective. The avalanche danger for the area was listed as Level 3 or "considerable," owing to the heavy snowfall, combined with warm temperatures, that were precipitating in natural and human-triggered avalanches around the area as a whole.

That is really sad.  And hard to understand.

This is very sad indeed. However, with a avi danger level of considerable, no avi beacons, no avi gear they were playing Russian roulette. We get'em here guys and this last thaw ice freeze layer is not one to be trifled with if we get a good dump on top. Similar to last year.

Awful news.

https://lawine.tirol.gv.at/English%20version/Avalanche%20bulletin/

Treacherous avalanche situation widespread above 2200m

Avalanche Danger


The avalanche situation in Tirol’s backcountry touring regions is treacherous above 2200m, the danger level is considerable over wide ranging areas. The major peril stems from freshly formed snowdrift accumulations which are prone to triggering and can release even by minimum additional loading, i.e. the weight of one sole skier. Avalanche prone locations are found on steep slopes in all aspects. In isolated cases, avalanches can fracture down to the old snowpack and thereby reach medium size. During the course of the day, caution is urged towards naturally triggered gliding avalanches across steep, grass-covered slopes, particularly in the northern regions where there is lots of snow.

Snow Layering

In the last 24 hours along the Northern Alps in particular, as well as along the Main Alpine Ridge, there has been a small amount of snowfall. High altitude northwesterly to northerly winds were blowing at strong to storm velocity, thus giving rise to far reaching snowdrift accumulations. New fallen and newly drifted snow above approximately 2200m has been deposited on top of a poorly structured old snowpack for the most part: between hardened crusts, layers of faceted crystals are embedded which can serve as a potential bed surface for avalanches. In addition, drifted masses themselves have often been deposited atop loosely packed fresh fallen snow and are thereby prone to triggering. Below approximately 2000m, the snowpack is thoroughly wet in places due to rainfall.

This is awful...Their parents and families have to be in such pain....I can only pray that they can move on one day.

This is tragic.  Their families must be heartbroken.

That they were  off piste in dangerous conditions without proper avy gear, training or guides leads to some questions that USSA needs to answer for.  Were their coaches with them?  Did they ok the powder skiing off piste?

Skiing off piste in Europe is not like skiing at Snowbird.  The level of Avy control and the risks are very different.  These were young racers that just joined the D team and this was likely thier first ever time skiing off piste in Europe.  The coaches should have been aware and warned them against these risks.

So sorry to hear about this. Peace to their families.

This is my biggest fear always. I did plenty of careless skiing when I was younger. A couple of years after I taught my wife to ski, we went to Europe skiing in deep but, over rotten snow.  We were lucky I say.  One of the treats of living out East I guess but,  I know there will be a time when my kids are going to be ready to venture into some deep stuff over the pond or out West somewhere.  I need to be sure that they understand the dangers of avalanches and narsids. Of course, to also avoid dangerous cliffs too.

My heart goes out to the families. I know what losing a child is like and it really hurts to read this news.  My wife and I at least agree that they were doing what they love, skiing.  Prayers and thoughts are with the families and friends.  RIP.

Coach Z wrote

This is tragic.  Their families must be heartbroken.

That they were  off piste in dangerous conditions without proper avy gear, training or guides leads to some questions that USSA needs to answer for.  Were their coaches with them?  Did they ok the powder skiing off piste?

Skiing off piste in Europe is not like skiing at Snowbird.  The level of Avy control and the risks are very different.  These were young racers that just joined the D team and this was likely thier first ever time skiing off piste in Europe.  The coaches should have been aware and warned them against these risks.

Just for clarification, off piste meaning anything off the groomer, but still within the boundaries of the resort, correct? Just making sure they weren't skiing out gates without any gear. I've never been to Europe, so I'm not totally familiar with their policies.

I don't think we know for sure, but you bring up a very good point.  From my limited skiing in Europe, it is very easy to ski "off piste" and that can mean something very different than leaving through a gate to "out of bounds" terrain at say Jackson Hole.  Basically if you imagine a low angle treeless bowl with a well marked trail meandering down it, that is a piste.  It is very difficult to not ski outside of this very arbitrary boundary for American kids, especially since there can be untouched powder there for days after a storm.  The vast majority of Euros do not leave the piste or seem to have a desire to do so.  It is not at all clear to me what the circumstances of this tragic accident were. Sometimes there are unusual events that are so severe that even lifts are taken out.  

Very young, and, probably sheltered from most free skiing experiences since an early age. Probably spent 90% of their time training since 14, considering they made the team, and the usual time that any kid that age would experience backcountry or off piste was extremely limited. One wonders if the kid from SLC egged on the kid from New Hampshire to do something stupid, and, of course, since they were hyper competitive types, well.....

Sad. There are educational programs and help most can find with a little Googling that will at least mentally prepare you to go out into very dangerous places. I know that, if I ever decide to do that, which, with the passing of age fades away as a possibility, I will use those services first. Last way I want to die is fire, second to last is crushed in an avalanche.

Benny you're a lightning rod sometimes, but always read what you have to say. Agree very sad

tBatt wrote

Coach Z wrote

This is tragic.  Their families must be heartbroken.

That they were  off piste in dangerous conditions without proper avy gear, training or guides leads to some questions that USSA needs to answer for.  Were their coaches with them?  Did they ok the powder skiing off piste?

Skiing off piste in Europe is not like skiing at Snowbird.  The level of Avy control and the risks are very different.  These were young racers that just joined the D team and this was likely thier first ever time skiing off piste in Europe.  The coaches should have been aware and warned them against these risks.

Just for clarification, off piste meaning anything off the groomer, but still within the boundaries of the resort, correct? Just making sure they weren't skiing out gates without any gear. I've never been to Europe, so I'm not totally familiar with their policies.

There are not side country access gates in Europe.  There is the piste and then everything else.  There is little to no Avy control work done off piste unless the slide zone would impact a piste.  The laws are very different and the feeling is if you go off piste you are on your own.  If you need ski patrol 20 meters off piste you get a bill for the sled ride.  Always buy the optional insurance where is offered (France I recall has it) which covers off piste rescue.

The first time I skied in EU I got powder fever and as I looked back on it skied some stuff that could have killed me.  I've skied off piste since but was was smarter about it.  I've used guides and locals to be safer.  I also have a full avy kit now.  Switzerland does much more Avy control work compared to France and Austria in my experience and my company has a R&d center there so most of my more recent EU trips have been to CH.

Coach Z wrote

Skiing off piste in Europe is not like skiing at Snowbird.  The level of Avy control and the risks are very different.  There are not side country access gates in Europe.  There is the piste and then everything else.  There is little to no Avy control work done off piste unless the slide zone would impact a piste.  The laws are very different and the feeling is if you go off piste you are on your own.  If you need ski patrol 20 meters off piste you get a bill for the sled ride.  Always buy the optional insurance where is offered (France I recall has it) which covers off piste rescue.

This ^^

You'll see these signs in Austria in obvious dangerous areas (but not always):


And these to alert you that you may be following sucker tracks:


As mentioned in my Euro TRs, it's really easy to find untracked or barely tracked snow relatively close to marked trails. Given my lack of avy training, that's what I tend to do in the Alps; however, it's tempting to keep moving further afield. There was an extensive exchange on FTO last year when someone did just that at Zermatt and was taken to task for it:
http://firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11340

Most of the powder skiing I've done in Europe has been just off pistes or in trees where there is little danger.  I also have used guides to get farther out.

I've been to Davos a couple of times.  One if the things I like about it is that The Brit Royals own a compound there.  Awhile back one of royals almost bit it in a slide and some of his body guards did die.  Since then Davos Klosters now does US style Avy control so you can be a bit more adventurous without a guide.

The US $ has been too weak to head to EU the last 5 years but that is now changing so it may get back on my radar

Benny Profane wrote

Very young, and, probably sheltered from most free skiing experiences since an early age. Probably spent 90% of their time training since 14, considering they made the team, and the usual time that any kid that age would experience backcountry or off piste was extremely limited. One wonders if the kid from SLC egged on the kid from New Hampshire to do something stupid, and, of course, since they were hyper competitive types, well.....

I find this speculation to be disrespectfully, distasteful, ignorant and down right rude.  Way worse than anything NJ ever posted and on par w/ the stupid level of powpuff, who is obvi trolling.  This is high handed BS.