The Sunday New York Times includes a timely report of an incident that occurred in the state of Washington last winter-2011. It is a tragic story with a sad ending. The reporter(s) knew the outcome going in after the fact. Like any tragedy, the examination of the circumstances can often lead to wiser decisions when one is faced with a similar situation.
This story involves an avalanche and a number of skiers, all experienced, all familiar with the terrain, and almost all willing to accept a certain amount of risk with their decision. What makes this story so timely is the current snow falling in and around our neighborhood: Lake Tahoe. Could an avalanche occur here? Of course, happens all the time; but they do not involve multiple deaths. They happen, and skiers remain aware of dangers on the slopes.
The writers talked with survivors, families of the victims, rescuers, scientists, and resort operator(s). The story is complete with photos of the site; graphics of the event created for the article, and photos of some of the group of skiers who participated. Details are very complete, excluding post mortems on the victims' remains.
One piece of information that is key: the area of the event was not a regular run; it was an area out of bounds with appropriate signage with warnings.
There are many lessons here, perhaps a few would take hold among our skier community.
Read it.
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