080308 Avalanche Norikura Dake
Avalanche Incident 8 March 08
Size 2, east aspect, 2350m, snowboarder triggered in a very obvious wind loaded convex roll immediately next to a previous avalanche. The rider was not buried. I observed the whole episode from the side and it was very fortunate that more people were not involved.
Two skiers and a snowboarder traversed across the loaded convex in a group. I predicted then that they were about to get caught in an avalanche.
Another skier was below them on his own seperate descent. Two of group skied the line, dropping in directly on top of the skier already in the bowl! I yelled out my concerns at this incredibly stupid and selfish act. Luckily when the snowboarder entered the bowl, all other people had cleared the area below him. It was pure luck that the other two skiers didn't set of the avalanche on top of the person already in the bowl. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It started out bad and then just got worse.
People like this should not be in the backcountry. They have no idea what they are doing and put the lives of others in direct danger.
We vacated the area on the basis of this event. Later we passed by the bowl and noted that the entire face had been tracked out either side of the slide path. It would appear that to everyone else that day, its only an avalanche if someone dies.
Photo taken before the slide with the obvious wind loaded pillow.
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Welcome to march madness in
Welcome to march madness in a sense. People have the go mind on and they just go. You will see more of this db! When the Heli fires up it gets worse!
We saw more of it today
The wind was extreme off the top of Norikura Dake, there was a wind triggered natural right in front of us, not huge, but a real indicator. Our group decided not to go on and changed our plans, everyone else went on up a chronically wind loaded bowl.
I don't think I'll handle that helicopter very well.
Same type of people riding
Same type of people riding Tateyama early in the season.
Comes March 15th, many BC riders in Japan believe that conditions are safe pretty much everywhere and that anything goes. Not sure why March 15th, but expect a lot more of the same going forward until the season wanes and the cycle starts again.
Fortunately I will miss a
Fortunately I will miss a lot of the horrible circus that is about to be unleashed on the Tsugaike "Backcountry" (it isn't backcountry at all). We camped again up there yesterday: the grooming machines are out in force all the way to 2200m, the helicopter is getting ready and the, wait for it, big trail marking signs with arrows are being erected. The amusement park opens this weekend. It can go to hell, I cant stand it. Pathetic. Makes me sick.
Unfortunately, I will also miss the opening to the steep alpine corn season. I could have climbed and ridden almost anything in the last two days and after this rain, it will only get better next week with clear cold night forecast. So many people talk and never act, never climb and never actually ride proper steep alpine terrain. Hopefully it will still be in ok form when I get back in early April.