Our best to Adam Smith, who got “Maytagged” a few days ago in a large avalanche behind Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Smith’s injuries include a broken femur and being punji staked by a tree. He’s definitely lucky to be alive. It’s said he’s “not out of the woods yet” so send your healing prayers his way.
What I’m seeing in many recent avalanche accidents is that people are pushing too hard on snowpacks with too much deep instability. It’s difficult to dial it back in places like the Tetons or Utah where the pack is usually nicely bonded by this time of year, but every season is different and it sounds like this is a more a year for some standing back when it comes to taking direct ski lines down loaded avalanche paths. Another interesting thing is I’m seeing avalanche forecasts that mention “frequently skied paths” running anyway. I’m a big advocate of using heavily skied backcounty runs for safer turns, but I’m rethinking just what I mean by “heavily skied.”
But the value system of the extreme is hard to shake. Mountaineering culture bombards us with the necessity of aesthetic lines enjoyed in a white photogenic cloud. White room, dude. More, I’m not going to deny the compelling sensuality of skiing steep deep powder. It’s one of the more special things human beings have invented. Even so, a conservative approach will still yield the goods — in good time. Waiting is the game in many places this season, even on slopes that have been skied quite a bit.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
