Dying for Powder
The avalanche victims of 2002/2003
by Bob Comey
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| Skier: Jason Tattersall Photo: McKoy |
Since 1911, 52 people have died in avalanches in Wyoming, including 15 in the past three years. Last winter alone, seven people died and five were seriously injured.
Yet every winter, thousands of people venture into the avalanche terrain of the Rocky Mountains and return home contented, safe, and pleasantly tired. The key to survival is knowing when to go—and where.
In the deadly season of 2002/2003, the first fatality occurred on December 26, when a snowmobiler was killed in a small avalanche in the Snowy Range in south central Wyoming.
The first victim in Teton County was Tristan Picot, a 19-year-old professional snowboarder from France. Tristan died on January 4, near Ski Lake in the southern Tetons while riding with a group of seasoned locals. He was not buried, but he died from trauma sustained during the avalanche. In the two weeks leading up to this incident, numerous avalanches had been triggered by backcountry users, either upon approach or from a distance. On the afternoon of January 3, a strong west wind increased the surface strength of these slabs, which allowed these riders to get into the middle of this slope before it collapsed. The avalanche hazard was rated “considerable” (see sidebar), with a warning that dangerous, unstable slabs up to eight feet in depth could be easily triggered.
On that same day, a snowmobiler caught in an avalanche in Darby Canyon suffered a broken femur. The slope, though, had held firm for several others who crossed before the victim.
The next day Joshua Roy Richins, a 16-year-old snowmobiler from Evanston, died near Sheep Pass in the Salt River Range. This incident was similar to the previous day’s fatalities in that the victim was not the first member of the party to cross the slope before it avalanched. He was buried four feet deep in the slide debris. He was not wearing an avalanche rescue beacon, and his companions were not equipped with shovels or probe poles.
In a separate incident on January 5, another snowmobiler was buried and rescued, after sustaining significant injuries. The hazard was rated “considerable,” with a warning that dangerous, unstable slabs could be triggered, and not necessarily by the first rider.
On January 7, an avalanche partially buried a skier in an out-of-bounds area near the Grand Targhee Ski Resort. The following day a snowmobiler avoided injury by deploying a self-inflating avalanche rescue backpack when he triggered a large avalanche in the Snake River Range.
On January 25, Marshall Hevelery, a 44-year-old snowmobiler from Michigan, died in the Kettle Creek Drainage, nine miles south of Togwotee Pass. Marshall rode up a steep slope to help a friend who had gotten stuck while “high marking” (the practice of riding straight up a steep slope as far as possible, then turning around and riding back down). They triggered a slab on the same persistent weak layer that had been active since mid-December. Marshall was buried and was not wearing a rescue beacon. He was found and uncovered by companions using their probe pole and shovel. The hazard was rated “considerable.”
Pavel Wolf, a 27-year-old local snowboarder, died in Avalanche Bowl on Teton Pass in late January. It is not known exactly what day he left to snowboard the pass, because he was traveling alone and his roommate was out of town. On January 29, a local skier noticed a single track leading into—but not out of—a very active section of Avalanche Bowl. Pavel’s body was found on the 31st. Over a foot of new snow accompanied by high winds had fallen on the 27th and 28th. The avalanche hazard was rated “moderate,” with a warning that dense slabs could be triggered in steep, wind-loaded starting zones.
Steve Haas, a 41-year-old local skier, died on February 10 in Hourglass Couloir, a permanently closed area of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Steve died after he and his partner Tom Burlingame were caught in the starting zone of this very active avalanche path. Tom was deposited on the snow surface and Steve was buried. A quick recovery of Steve was hampered by damage sustained to Tom’s rescue beacon during the violent ride down the couloir. Seven inches of new snow and strong winds had created very unstable conditions. The hazard was rated “considerable,” and the advisory warned that soft slabs up to two feet in depth were likely to be easily triggered on steep, avalanche-prone slopes.
The final fatality of the season occurred on February 24 in the Salt River Range at Poker Hollow in Smith’s Fork. Mark Loveland, a 41-year-old snowmobiler from Star Valley, was the fifth rider to descend the slope from the top. He was swept downhill about 2,000 feet where he came to a rest under four feet of snow. He was the only member of his party who did not have a rescue beacon. The hazard was rated “considerable,” with a caution that soft slabs up to three feet in depth could be triggered on steep, wind-loaded slopes.
On March 13 several snowmobilers were caught in an avalanche near Sheep Pass in the Salt River Range. One man, wearing a beacon purchased the day before, was buried under eight feet of debris and rescued by his companions—alive, and with only minor injuries. A second rider was pushed against some trees and suffered rib and kidney injuries.
Tristan, Joshua, Marshall, Pavel, Steve and Mark all triggered the avalanches that ended their lives. There are many steep slopes that do not avalanche, or avalanche infrequently. Experienced locals know that these areas have the best powder. Seek them out, conservatively choose the times to ski active avalanche paths, and live to ski another day.
Bob Comey is the lead avalanche forecaster for the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and the director of the Bridger Teton National Forest Avalanche Center.
Avalanche Hazard Rating System
The following is the avalanche hazard rating system used by the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Hazard and Weather Forecast.
Extreme: Widespread areas of unstable snow exist and avalanches are certain on some slopes. Backcountry travel should be avoided.
High: Mostly unstable snow exists on a variety of aspects and slope angles. Natural avalanches are likely. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.
Considerable: Dangerous unstable slabs exist on steep terrain on certain aspects. Human-triggered avalanches probable. Natural avalanches possible.
Moderate: Areas of unstable snow exist. Human-triggered avalanches are possible. Larger triggers may be necessary as the snowpack becomes more stable. Use caution.
Low: Mostly stable snow exists. Avalanches are unlikely except in isolated pockets.
The daily forecast can be accessed by calling 733-2664, or online at www.jhavalanche.org
The Jackson Hole Skier is a free visitors’ guide published annually and distributed at hundreds of locations throughout Jackson Hole, Cody, and other regional communities. To receive a copy in the mail, send $5 to Jackson Hole SKier, P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001.
Copyright 2004 by FPI (Focus Productions, Inc)., P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publishers.
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