In-bound Avalanche at Silver Mt., Idaho

This is freaking scary to me...especially since it was just opened by patrol after avy control.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/2nd-skier-found-dead-avalanche-151615574.html

“Wind is the architect of avalanches.”

-unknown

Snow can be a lot like people in that it doesn’t do well with rapid changes and often needs a bit of time to adjust. It sounds like their snowpack is upside down and this was a bunch of heavy, wet new snow and a lot of wind. It looks like it slid somewhere near the ridge line of that little summit area. That’s not surprising really. I’ve definitely learned over the years skiing during hundreds of heavy storm days to be constantly aware of changing conditions and to never rely on others to tell you what’s safe or not safe.

There’s definitely a lot of pressure on patrols to get things open now with social media and the constant desire to one up the post from the day before but patrol can never be on top of everything with large, rugged western ski areas. There’s always going to be a level of risk out there.

That's nuts. Just emphasises how hard it is to not only predict, but control avalanches.

When I was living in Summit County one winter, I showed up at ABasin and there was a long "stain" on the East Wall (a patroller called it a "diaper stain"). It was a narrow avi that was half rocks and boulders and debris that a bomb from the day before set off. You wouldn't have been just buried, you would have been ground to parts. And yet, we were allowed to ski right up and over that thing the very next day. Why was the wall safe then, 24 hours later?

We had a couple inbounds slides 1/7 as well.  Upside down 2 ' of snow , 2.5 " S.W.E.

Shit.....now at Alpine Meadows.  I dead, 1 seriously injured.  Hope there aren’t more.

That really sucks
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2020/01/17/alpine-meadows-placer-county-avalanche-people-missing/ 

 Alpine had the worst inbounds slide in American history back in the 80s. It actually took out a building and buried the parking lot. It was still very front of mind when I was there. I remember a couple lifties took advantage of their access to get first tracks and were spotted by some patrollers that we’re still out throwing bombs. Those guys got in a lot of trouble.

I remember that slide and seeing it on the news. People were buried in the locker room if I remember right.

Yeah, that’s right I think. Somebody wrote a book about it a couple years ago. It was an interesting read, especially after having met some of the people involved

crazy
my buddy was Alpine last week with his kids..

Wow... quite the coincidence??

Here's an interview with the survivor from the slide in 82. I remember it too... I had been skiing for a few years, at the age of 8, I had no idea the risks involved.

Unfortunately, there was another in-bounds avalanche fatality on a powder day.  This time at Alpine on Friday, Jan. 17.

https://www.sierrasun.com/news/california-man-killed-in-alpine-meadows-avalanche-another-seriously-injured/