Oct 13 2009
Grizzly Peak 13,988 North Couloir 10/11/09
I’m not sure how to begin this report. I think it might be best to go chronologically and try and process what happened that way. Adding up the mistakes and try and come to a conclusion that way. Hopefully anyone that reads this will gain some ideas or knowledge that will help keep them safe and will help them avoid a similarly scary situation.
Further reading and discussion can be found here
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171124
Colorado has seen a lot of early season snow over the last few weeks. After doing a little research we knew that there was a nice line on Grizzly worth going after. Calls were made and our group was assembled. Myself, Dave and Mark were ready. It’s not a huge day at about 7.5 miles round trip and 3500 vert. We figured we could get it done and still have time to make it to the Rockies playoff game back in Denver that night.
- A look at the route from Independence Pass
We made good time to the base of the couloir.
At the moment we are in a safe zone.
Looking back I get chills thinking about climbing that couloir. Thinking about what could have happened. I dug hand pits along the way, and also made assessments with each pole plant and each new step onward. The stability where I dug those pits seemed reasonable, lower and middle of the route. I knew we’d be dealing with sluff but i thought it would be manageable. Near the top, where the couloir widens I branched off on the hike and made for the rocky ribs instead of following straight up the right arm, I was cramping and felt I was getting too far behind and wanted to get to a safer place. So I didn’t have their info regarding the right branch which is where the slide started. In the past, I’ve gone up to the glaciers in RMNP early season for reliable turns on the new on old. As would realise later in the day this seems very different. The new is not bonding well with the old, up high, the dirt we got last season should affect any ski lines that had snow last all summer, as long as the first layer came in cold which seems to be the case. I will have serious doubts about any line that didn’t melt out all the way for a long time. There also seems to be a bonding issue in the thinner areas around the rocky ribs. Depth hoar of course. Our thin snowpack seems like November or December, not October. Typical I guess considering the greater than usual early accumulations, but I wasn’t expecting a hard slab up there.
One of the causes of the failure I believe was the creation of a partial block by booting up the slope. I believe this may have contributed to the weakening of the slab in the start zone
It’s a very good thing I followed safety zone practices or I have no doubt I would be dead right now.
Here are a couple pics of the slide path. These aren’t chronological so don’t think my partners are skiing while there’s still a cloud and movement at the bottom. I will update this and make the pictures flow chronologically by tomorrow
I dropped in first on the viewers left. I made 3 very hard ski cuts and got some surface sluffing of about 4-6 inches. I wasn’t concerned and made a hard jump turn. My line seemed to be in decent shape but I was still being cautious. I made some turns and got myself down to my predetermined safe zone and began setting up for pictures. Mark was ready and started to make some good, hard cuts. On the 3rd cut the slide started roughly 40 feet below his location and 20 feet below the convexity. I should have gotten pictures but I was more concerned with the path and it’s effect on me. Thinking back I heard a crack and not a whomph, this would be consistent with a harder slab. Realizing that my safe zone was safe I took pictures of the track and the bottom explosion of snow over the fin on skiers left of the couloir. The slide ran full track (1400′) and reached full width about 30 feet below my position. I estimate the start zone to be around 46-48 degrees. The track ran to within 2′ of Grizzly Lake.
I repositioned myself further back into the rock ribs and took pictures of Mark and Dave make their descent to the bed surface and relative safety. There was minimal hangfire, and it is generally my belief that once the tension is relieved on the slope the risk level goes down significantly. We now had the task of negotiating the icy bed surface. It took some time but we made it down safely. About half way down we went one at a time due to a large snow slope on the side of the couloir. Finally out of the track of the path we made for the flats of the meadows and our shoes that we had stashed by the creek. After 10 Hours we made it back to the truck and High tailed it out of there to contact loved ones and head home.
One thing to note, Dave reminded me of the new dust layer we found. Not a thin wind driven layer but a storm layer with thickness. The snow did not fail on this layer but it should be interesting to see what effect it has in the future.
I think I’m gonna take a break for a while and wait for some nice low angle pow in the trees.
BE CAREFUL OUT THERE PEOPLE.
Additional pics by Dave B.
- Mark seconds after remotely triggering the slide
- Layers. Note the new dust layer, thick isn’t it, but no failure there.
A TGR forum User passed the photo below on to me. Taken 9/5/09.
Insightful.
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[...] you want to bust an extra move or two, Colorado is the place to be at the moment. Here’s the first detailed incident report for the year; an example of smart and competent people doing something normal (climbing and skiing [...]
[...] Another happened close to here, on Grizzly Peak. Some skiers climbed up the prominent couloir on the north face and had just started their descent when a large hard slab pulled out and ran 1500′. Could have been very serious, thankfully no one was injured. You can read the full account here. [...]
fritz, it’s coe. heard about the slide from joe, i wasn’t sure why you guys didn’t make the game. way to make it out, lemme know when you’re ready to head back out there.
phenomenal story. of course i was only familiar with the CAIC update until now. seems to me this may have been the rocking-est october in a long while for early snow.
fritz, thank you very much for the TOW. i probably should have been below looking for traffic coming up and around the bend. the white pickup was able to drive off…
…if you’re up this winter and want to get out on the hill. matt
[...] backcountry turns. HOWEVER, with enough snow for skiing comes enough snow for avalanches. Read this account of an avy last weekend on Grizzly Mtn near Independence Pass. New snow over old snow and last [...]