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moosefish I am the fish
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 1210 | TRs | Pics Location: monkey herder |
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moosefish
I am the fish
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 9:10 am
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Guiran Member
Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 621 | TRs | Pics Location: University of Washington |
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Guiran
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:18 am
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Glad you three are all right. Scary stuff.
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Foist Sultan of Sweat
Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 3974 | TRs | Pics Location: Back! |
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Foist
Sultan of Sweat
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:39 am
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Dicey, obviously, like everyone, I'm so glad you're okay. You too, Mark.
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jenjen Moderatrix
Joined: 30 Jun 2003 Posts: 7617 | TRs | Pics Location: Sierra stylin |
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jenjen
Moderatrix
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:58 am
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Holy crap Dicey! I'm so glad you're ok. What an eye opener!
If life gives you melons - you might be dyslexic
If life gives you melons - you might be dyslexic
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dicey custom title
Joined: 11 May 2004 Posts: 2870 | TRs | Pics Location: giving cornices a wider berth |
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dicey
custom title
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:00 am
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EF- Logan was not caught in the slide, and as far as I can tell, she didn't even notice anything was going on.
Dane- I don't think folks need to turn around when the sun comes out, but I get your point. It's hard to say if this could have been avoided. I guess we could have dropped down and traversed below the slope in the trees, but as in Joans' case, trees are not a guarantee of safety. Maybe Mark or MC can elaborate on that incident, as I have only heard of it second hand.
I don't want to seem like I was overly confident in the snow conditions on Sunday, but I had been out the previous two days in the area (Granite and Mailbox), and nothing I experienced on Friday and Saturday led me to believe such an event could or would happen on Sunday.
I want to believe there is something we could have done differently for my own peace of mind out there, but maybe I'll just have to make my mind accept that it was just bad luck/timing, and move on.
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Foist Sultan of Sweat
Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 3974 | TRs | Pics Location: Back! |
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Foist
Sultan of Sweat
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:11 am
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Do you think you'll have trouble, mentally speaking, going back out in the snow?
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gyngve Member
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 1161 | TRs | Pics
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gyngve
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:13 am
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Where/when did you dig hasty pits?
Were you both crossing the open slope at the same time?
Did you each have beacon/probe/shovel?
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ActionBetty Im a dirty hippie!
Joined: 06 Jul 2003 Posts: 4807 | TRs | Pics Location: kennewick, wa |
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ActionBetty
Im a dirty hippie!
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:08 pm
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Ive played with Diceys beacon and probe before
"If you're not living good, you gotta travel wide"...Bob Marley
"If you're not living good, you gotta travel wide"...Bob Marley
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Solo Steve Harry Mudd wannabe
Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 639 | TRs | Pics Location: Federal Way |
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Solo Steve
Harry Mudd wannabe
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:11 pm
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Hiker Boy Hinking Fool
Joined: 18 Feb 2002 Posts: 1569 | TRs | Pics Location: Northern Polar Icecap |
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Hiker Boy
Hinking Fool
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:15 pm
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Ditto gyngve's questions.
Glad everyone made back safely. What a scary experience!
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Mtn Dog Technohiker
Joined: 01 Aug 2004 Posts: 3336 | TRs | Pics Location: Bellevue, WA |
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Mtn Dog
Technohiker
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:47 pm
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Dicey, glad you're OK and thanks for the details.
The slope angle has me puzzled. I was under the impression that the critical slope was more like 37-38 degrees; yours was relatively flat by comparison and should have remained stable. Perhaps the weight of the snow as it melts and solidifies in the sun was the deciding factor.
Footprints on the sands of time will never be made sitting down.
Footprints on the sands of time will never be made sitting down.
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dicey custom title
Joined: 11 May 2004 Posts: 2870 | TRs | Pics Location: giving cornices a wider berth |
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dicey
custom title
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:51 pm
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Gary --
We didn't dig any pits, hasty or otherwise. I won't speak for Mark, but for me, it is more about my lack of confidence to accurately analyze the results more than anything else. Not an excuse, I just need to make more time to practice the not terribly exciting or fun but still very important componants of being out there this time of year.
We were crossing this slope (and the previous gullies) one at a time.
We had some, but not all of the gear we should have brought on the trip. I acknowledge responsibility for a lack of communication on my part to Mark before hand as to what we each should bring. I vow to make this a priority in the future.
As I stated previously, I'm glad I was given a chance to learn from this experience - many have not been as lucky.
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gyngve Member
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 1161 | TRs | Pics
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gyngve
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:16 pm
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Mtn Dog wrote: | Dicey, glad you're OK and thanks for the details.
The slope angle has me puzzled. I was under the impression that the critical slope was more like 37-38 degrees; yours was relatively flat by comparison and should have remained stable. Perhaps the weight of the snow as it melts and solidifies in the sun was the deciding factor. |
Peak is 37 deg, but 30-45 is generally when slopes will avalanche.
I'm guessing 25-30 deg was an eyeball measurement and not done with an inclinometer? I tend to lowball slope angles.
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gyngve Member
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 1161 | TRs | Pics
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gyngve
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:19 pm
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That's a slab avalanche, and not sure I'd call it small.
Dicey's was a point-release avalanche. Be especially weary of wet sluffs that can knock you off your feet combined with terrain traps.
Here's a HUGE slab avalanche from some explosive work in NZ:
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gyngve Member
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 1161 | TRs | Pics
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gyngve
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Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:36 pm
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Dicey,
Did you see any signs of recent avy activity, balling/pinwheeling of wet snow, big bombs falling from trees, etc.?
How deep were you postholing in the snowshoes on the sun-exposed aspects as opposed to the ones in the shade?
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