Here’s the press release from Alpine Meadows…at least we assume so as every media outlet has the identical story. Here’s the release:
Today at 10:45 a.m. a member of the Alpine Meadows professional ski patrol was caught in an avalanche. The patroller is part of a team of professional ski patrollers who were performing routine snow safety in the Sherwood Bowl area of Alpine Meadows. The area was closed to the public at the time.
The avalanche was triggered by an explosive charge that had been thrown by a senior member of the ski patrol team. The patrol team members were positioned in an area that was, based on historical experience, believed to have been a protected area. The charge triggered the avalanche, which broke much higher and wider on the slope than previously observed in past snow safety missions. The patroller who was caught and buried in the debris was found within one minute and uncovered within eight minutes from the time of the avalanche. After uncovering the buried patroller, members of the ski patrol team immediately began CPR. The patroller was transported to an ambulance and then transported via Care Flight to Renown Hospital in Reno, Nev.
The patroller has 28 years of experience on Alpine Meadows’ professional ski patrol and he routinely performed snow safety in this area.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the patroller and his family and also with the Alpine Meadows family, at this time.
From Alpine Meadows
It certainly gives all of us a moment of pause regarding avalanche safety. Mountain safety is a complex and imperfect science. The warnings have been out there and the number of people spotted wearing beacons inbounds today was a sign that some of us are getting better educated about the risks. We’ll keep you posted on this as we get information…
Update: This post (and the previous post) have generated a lot of traffic. We have received over 1200 hits from people looking for more insight into this tragedy. Some details are beginning to come through, but that information is not yet public.
Further details have been released and covered in our next post.
As a former patroller and first aid room physician for almost 30 years I have seen many accidents and other snow related injuries. All of them raise your level of awrenness of the potential risks and your concern for the welfare of the injured.
The Alpine Patrol is an extemely well trained, experienced and careful group. They constantly put themselves in positions of risk to help protect the safety and well being of others.
It is extremely disheartening to hear that a long time patroller was severely injured in a controlled avavlance- unfortunately nature is not always predictable.
We all wish him well and hope that the follow -up news is about a rapid recovery.
Well said Phil. There is no doubt that Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley patrollers are an amazing breed. With a maritime snowpack in steep terrain, avalanches are a certainty that we must deal with to enjoy the mountains. Memories of Drew Entin’s accident as a Squaw patroller in 2009 is still fresh on our minds. I am waiting to release any more details for now until information becomes public.
It’s sad that a trooper of the snow fields we love had to leave us on Christmas Day,but he went to the Promised Land in his favorite uniform,and in his area of expertise.Seems to me there was an avalanche there maybe 20 years ago that took out a ski patrol building and 7 people in the same bowl.I skied that area in the 1980’s and it was very demanding;like it was instant death if you screwed up a turn and it was sharp or jump turns with the 210 GS boards I used in those days.I’d ski the area again,it is fun .
Roger