8 Sparwood snowmobilers missing after avalanches - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Displaced Flames fan · 12-29-2008, 12:55 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americ...che/index.html

burn_this_city · 12-29-2008, 02:13 PM

My buddies were sledding out there this week.. I was pretty worried it was them.
Sounds like its all local Sparwood guys.. Such a tragedy, looks like they had all the right gear..

Superflyer · 12-29-2008, 02:57 PM

The wife and I were watching the news on Saturday night and they said that there were already avalanche warnings and that the risk was going to be very high for the next few days because of the warming and freezing.
We looked at each other and said, wanna bet that some back country snowmobilers trigger one.

Tron_fdc · 12-29-2008, 03:11 PM

Yeah, it's pretty crazy. Originally 4 guys buried, with 3 fellow riders digging them out. 4 more riders arrived on scene, and another avalanche takes them ALL out. 2 guys self-rescue, dig out a 3rd, and then realize where they are and call it.

This is one of those accidents that you don't ever want to be a part of. I'm out in the same region tomorrow and Wednesday, so it's going to be a little freaky. Avi conditions are some of the worst they've been in over a decade, so we're sticking well below treeline and out of the major hazard areas.

KootenayFlamesFan · 12-29-2008, 03:37 PM

I just don't get it...........people know the avalanche risk is high, yet go out into some of those hazard areas anyways. And these guys were locals, too, not a bunch of tourists that had no idea what the risk was.

It's pretty damn sad......good chance they're all dead by now. Snowmobiling is fun and all, but it certainly isn't worth the risk. Just stay the hell away from areas like that until the conditions improve. It sure as hell isn't worth your life.

Bigtime · 12-29-2008, 04:33 PM

CNN and others are now reporting that 6 bodies of the 8 have been found:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/bodies+...310/story.html

Displaced Flames fan · 12-29-2008, 04:57 PM

Just reminds me of the massive avalanche at Red Meadow Lake in NW Montana almost 3 years ago. Being very familiar with that lake and area, I can only imagine what it must've been like to be trapped there.

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2...nal/news03.txt

As the crow flies, the two locales aren't all that far from each other.

gildo · 12-29-2008, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

I believe the best way to prevent these in the future is to increase the punishment for snowmobilers caught\killed in an avalanche.

Fotze I think the 3 survivors having to watch or hear 8 of their buddies pass away is probably punishment enough. I think the last thing a mother with a 3 year old and 1 year old at home really needs after her husband passes away is a hefty bill saying oh by the way sorry for your loss but here is a bill / fine for $5000 (or whatever) for your husband snowmobiling in a restricted area. I hear what your saying but now isn't the time and place to bring that up, this town of 4000 people needs support.

burnin_vernon · 12-29-2008, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gildo

Fotze I think the 3 survivors having to watch or hear 8 of their buddies pass away is probably punishment enough. I think the last thing a mother with a 3 year old and 1 year old at home really needs after her husband passes away is a hefty bill saying oh by the way sorry for your loss but here is a bill / fine for $5000 (or whatever) for your husband snowmobiling in a restricted area. I hear what your saying but now isn't the time and place to bring that up, this town of 4000 people needs support.

I think he was being facetious, at least I hope

gildo · 12-29-2008, 09:10 PM

Sorry Fotze if you were being sarcastic, I missed it, just being a little extra sensitive cause i'm from the area and knew 4 of the guys (2 that survived and 2 that passed away).

moon · 12-29-2008, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gildo

Sorry Fotze if you were being sarcastic, I missed it, just being a little extra sensitive cause i'm from the area and knew 4 of the guys (2 that survived and 2 that passed away).

It was a comment based on the DUI thread. Make sense if you were crazy enough to wade into that mess of a thread.

He was being 100% sarcastic with the post.

Russic · 12-30-2008, 12:18 AM

To me the only thing more tragic than the deaths themselves is just how overwhelmingly avoidable it all was. Come on people, when the avalanche danger is that high and is reported as much as it was there is just no reason to be out there. So unbelievably sad.

hixxes · 12-30-2008, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russic

To me the only thing more tragic than the deaths themselves is just how overwhelmingly avoidable it all was. Come on people, when the avalanche danger is that high and is reported as much as it was there is just no reason to be out there. So unbelievably sad.

Thing is, the avalanche hazard was still moderate for the area when they left in the morning. It was only afterwards that the SE region was upgraded to considerable and high.

What a tragedy. My heart goes out to all in the community.

Bagor · 12-30-2008, 11:22 AM

Timeline of events leading to the tragedy.

One snowmobiler gets stuck in a bowl on the slope, two others come to his aid.
An avalanche buries the three men.
One of the three escapes as another group arrives to assist.
A second avalanche buries all 11 men from the two groups.
Three of the men are not far from the surface. One breaks free and digs out a friend.
A third member of the group cries out, and the two who are free begin digging him out.
While the two are digging, a cornice - an overhang of snow on the side of a mountain - breaks, bringing more snow crashing down. The two men run for safety while the third is buried again.
The two return, find the third man and dig him out after 15 or 20 minutes.
The three men notice a snowmobile on top of the snow that they could reach, but see another cornice above that appears to be dangerous. They decide against further rescue efforts and set out on foot towards Fernie.
About 10 minutes after they leave the scene, they see a fourth cornice fall, bringing more snow down.

http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc..._search_081230

kootenayguy9 · 12-30-2008, 01:06 PM

I think the Calgary Herald Editorial said it best this morning.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion...099/story.html

"One wonders how many people would step foot on a plane if they were told beforehand, there was a "considerable risk" of the aircraft crashing? How many would venture out into the ocean while on holiday if told there was a considerable risk of drowning?"

BavarianHorde · 12-30-2008, 01:25 PM

Thankfully for the families, the last missing person was found:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/Searc...020/story.html

Terrible for such a small town, and now is not the time for that editorial in my opinion.

So sad.

smithtofuhr86 · 12-31-2008, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hixxes

Thing is, the avalanche hazard was still moderate for the area when they left in the morning. It was only afterwards that the SE region was upgraded to considerable and high.

What a tragedy. My heart goes out to all in the community.

Excellent point I'm glad somebody brought this up....cause it's true I was in the area for X-Mas as I have family in a very small town between Fernie and Sparwood called Hosmer and the majority of people I spent the holidays with snowmobile in the area and they checked the risks and it was moderate (still not safe ofcourse) but it's a valid point.

Torture · 12-31-2008, 03:00 PM

I went to Fernie for skiing the other day, and they had a lot of avalanche control going on.

Talked to one guy that worked there and he said that they'd had avalanches in places that they've never had avalanches before.

Most of the runs didn't open until the afternoon as they had to do a lot of avalanche control. Even when they did open they had ski patrol standing at some of the runs that were closed of to make sure nobody ducked under the fence. When we left we heard 10-15 explosions and they had a helicopter up there watching everything too.

ken0042 · 12-31-2008, 05:07 PM

One of the survivors was on Global today telling his story. Just to add to what Bagor said, apparently they all had avalanche gear including locators, probes, and shovels. And 3 of the guys were trained in avalanche survival.

Sad story.

Displaced Flames fan · 12-31-2008, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

One of the survivors was on Global today telling his story. Just to add to what Bagor said, apparently they all had avalanche gear including locators, probes, and shovels. And 3 of the guys were trained in avalanche survival.

Sad story.

Yeah, just watched that. I get the feeling he's standing up and being the face of the incident so the other two don't have to. Huge thing as a friend.