Another Sad Story - Today's WAPO

[BlizzardBabe]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/04/21/switzerland-avalanche-emily-franciose-wellhorn/?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&location=alert

 

[AJM]

Darn it's behind a paywall but I get the gist. I'm picking another avalanche fatality?
A lovely young girl who was the best friend of my friends son recently died in an avalanche in Japan so that makes it 3 people I know of either directly or 1 step removed that have passed away after being caught in avalanches in the last year.
After a very twitchy season last year I'm hoping this next one will have a more stable snowpack and I for sure will be doing some preseason transceiver training.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

It is @AJM . It happened last year in Switzerland and the trial is coming up next month - probably why the Post picked it up. They did "almost" everything right, but one lapse in judgement ended up taking two young lives. The two guides are charged with negligent homicide which, in Switzerland, carries incarceration of up to 3 years and "some" monetary damages. Unlike the U.S., however, Swiss law does not allow for punitive damages which are, in many cases, the element that pushes monetary penalties very high in the U.S. The poor parents are unlikely to get sufficient damages to cover even the cost of their trip to collect their daughter's belongings.

 

[Christy]

It's a long story and heavily illustrated, otherwise I'd copy and paste. BlizzardBabe sums it up well.

 

[AJM]

It is @AJM . It happened last year in Switzerland and the trial is coming up next month - probably why the Post picked it up. They did "almost" everything right, but one lapse in judgement ended up taking two young lives. The two guides are charged with negligent homicide which, in Switzerland, carries incarceration of up to 3 years and "some" monetary damages. Unlike the U.S., however, Swiss law does not allow for punitive damages which are, in many cases, the element that pushes monetary penalties very high in the U.S. The poor parents are unlikely to get sufficient damages to cover even the cost of their trip to collect their daughter's belongings.

Its that one lapse of judgement, hubby (who is a keen backcountry skier) loved what Cody Townsend said on one of his episodes of The Fifty ...."it takes a 100 yesses to get to the top and only 1 no to turn around". I guess this situation is where The Human Factor comes into play, I know questions are being asked about it in regards to the Japan incident. Very sad all round and I really feel for the poor parents.

 

[Iwannaski]

Oh, that article was devastating. I’m so sad for everyone.
My prayers that her family finds their way to some sort of peace.

 

[Sheena]

I have a sub to the WP. This link may work. Incredibly tragic and very hard to read. https://wapo.st/3UpvORo

 

[AJM]

Its just shown up on our local NZ news page. So so tragic and to be sent a bill for the helicopter well that's just outrageous.
Those poor parents.

 

[MissySki]

Wow, what a terribly sad story..

I was pretty shocked reading some of it to be honest.. not being an expert on backcountry travel AT ALL, but knowing enough of the basics from taking an AIARE 1 class a few things stuck out to me as confusing (even negligent??) behaviors while reading.

1) The guide was checking the stability of the snow only by stomping and sticking their pole in??? And this with whatever avalanche reports that did seem to indicate concerns in steeper terrain.
2) Everyone skiing at once in avalanche terrain versus one at a time is a very basic thing and so easy to employ. Perhaps even if the avalanche was still triggered they wouldn't have lost two lives..
3) Going to that steeper terrain for the second run, and it having a devastating terrain trap below it with the large cliff there as well..

It all just seems like really lazy risky behavior when you are guiding students especially. Perhaps there was some level of complacency with having led so many groups in the past in this terrain safely (or I assume without major incidents since it wasn't mentioned).. I would just have assumed an expensive boarding school like this would have the best of the best guides for this program and certainly would be taking every safety precaution even when it's overkill. I would like to go read the overall reconstructed avalanche report of the day from the investigation to read more of those details and how the decision making went.

 

[TonyaReneeBray]

It is so easy for us to make judgments on the guides and people involved, and I always try to withhold judgment not being in the situation. This is tragic, and a huge reason why my husband and I always opt for low angle slopes and turn around often. We have friends who gang ski steep chutes here and I just feel one day we are going to lose one or more of them. They don't have any avy training, and I have refused to go out with them because they don't follow safety protocols. People criticize us for being overly safety-focused. yeah, they get to have al the fun, and I suppose that is something we are willing to give up in order to ski another day.

One reason I am a little hesitant to become a backcountry guide is the risk of being sued. These events are so unfortunate and deeply saddening, but I also completely understand the risks of going into the backcountry. I would love nothing more than to lead women's groups in the backcountry, but I also fear if something goes wrong, it all becomes my fault as the guide. Skiing in the backcountry is risky and dangerous. Any slope at any angle can slide no matter what anyone tells you. It is so costly to be a guide, the insurance alone, I just think maybe it's better to stick to being an instructor.

I see so much reckless behavior in the backcountry, and people get away with it time after time. If you consider this season so far in the US there have been 13 fatalities, including snowmobilers, of the million(s) of tours and trips, many people get very lucky.

This is such a sad story, and it seems like the rush to get another run in before the end of the year was just one more heuristic trap. I feel horrible for everyone involved, from the parents, the friends, the guides. Of course no one ever goes out wanting this to happen, and it seems the world lost a shining star, a huge loss for everyone including all of us.

 

[MissySki]

It is so easy for us to make judgments on the guides and people involved, and I always try to withhold judgment not being in the situation. This is tragic, and a huge reason why my husband and I always opt for low angle slopes and turn around often. We have friends who gang ski steep chutes here and I just feel one day we are going to lose one or more of them. They don't have any avy training, and I have refused to go out with them because they don't follow safety protocols. People criticize us for being overly safety-focused. yeah, they get to have al the fun, and I suppose that is something we are willing to give up in order to ski another day.

One reason I am a little hesitant to become a backcountry guide is the risk of being sued. These events are so unfortunate and deeply saddening, but I also completely understand the risks of going into the backcountry. I would love nothing more than to lead women's groups in the backcountry, but I also fear if something goes wrong, it all becomes my fault as the guide. Skiing in the backcountry is risky and dangerous. Any slope at any angle can slide no matter what anyone tells you. It is so costly to be a guide, the insurance alone, I just think maybe it's better to stick to being an instructor.

I see so much reckless behavior in the backcountry, and people get away with it time after time. If you consider this season so far in the US there have been 13 fatalities, including snowmobilers, of the million(s) of tours and trips, many people get very lucky.

This is such a sad story, and it seems like the rush to get another run in before the end of the year was just one more heuristic trap. I feel horrible for everyone involved, from the parents, the friends, the guides. Of course no one ever goes out wanting this to happen, and it seems the world lost a shining star, a huge loss for everyone including all of us.

In this case it seems the findings of the actual investigations into the incident question many simple concepts? I'm not sure that's rushing to any judgement so much as trying to understand why decisions were made that seem to go against some safety practices in the backcountry. I don't think anyone should be sue happy in these sorts of instances as there is a huge inherent risk to these activities that everyone is aware of, but as the guide you would be taking responsibility for the group and I do feel should be held to a certain standard and expected to follow an appropriate set of decision-making steps that are generally accepted as appropriate in backcountry travel. There are imbedded risks that everyone accepts in these activities, but when you are guiding and especially traveling with students, I think the bar should be set to a suitably high level and decision making should be scrutinized if there are red flags that other experts investigating the incident find concerning. Still, you can do everything right and get unlucky out there.. and unfortunately there will always be family who are so upset they lost their loved one that they need something to blame and punish.