"It could've been worse" TR - Y Couloir 1/28/06

**hev** · 01-30-2006, 09:12 AM

Thanks for sharing X. A scary tale but the details really make it a shared learning experience for the community.

**road trip** · 01-30-2006, 09:30 AM

Wow, guys. Glad that you are both okay and thanks for the write up.

Looking forward to "the comeback" trip report where I'm sure you'll supply me with my next desktop wallpaper pic.

**tarkman1** · 01-30-2006, 09:36 AM

I'm glad you guys are okay.

I really think everyone should take note about your comment about taking pictures. Trip reports are great. Pictures are great. Sometimes, the trip report doesn't need pictures, especially when they put you at risk. Also, excellent comment about being aware of feeder routes.

"Get it. Get out." That's my attitude. I don't like waiting for cameras. I can't help think back to the post about the improving quality of trip reports a week or two ago. It's great to share the stoke, just don't let it get you in trouble.

**watersnowdirt** · 01-30-2006, 10:06 AM

Glad you're ok and made it through. Terrifying read, and very humbling and informational. Glad you shared it.

**lemon boy** · 01-30-2006, 10:20 AM

sketch X, glad it turned out okay for you guys.

an observation: agreed upon safe zones/rallying points are areed upon safe zones and stopping/regrouping at each is good protocol (and believe me, I know how easy it is go get complacent about it especially when things are going "good")

13 · 01-30-2006, 10:40 AM

Argh. Glad you're OK breathing and in one piece, Matt.

2005 was a horrible year for skiers as far as deaths/injuries went, I hope we reverse that trend for 2006.

**Tuckerman** · 01-30-2006, 10:56 AM

Wow glad your ok.

**shamrockpow** · 01-30-2006, 11:10 AM

Wow. The thread title definitely sums everything up... Glad to hear you´re both all right. Heal quick and stay safe out there!

**Dantheman** · 01-30-2006, 12:47 PM

Sorry it took me so long to chime into this thread.

Was definitely not how I was expecting that day to end. The boot up was pretty much a sufferfest the whole way except for a few firm sections and I was spanked by the top. Going down though, oh man, forgot about almost every one of those waist-deep steps. Except for taking time to take pics I don't think we could have skied it much more conservatively, probably never skied more than 30-40 yards before pulling off to a safe zone.

As we were finishing off the lower sections I did kind of have a feeling like we should get out of there sooner than later, but definitely didn’t expect what was about to come. I worked my way through the second of three small rock bands and ducked into the last SZ. X came down stopped for a moment, and then I looked over my should to hear him say he was going to keep going and finish it off.

The rest of this happened in about 1-2, maybeee 3 seconds tops. As the words were coming out his mouth some light spray kicked up just like the wind had gusted. Right on it’s tails were some small chunks. I thought to myself, “Uh oh, little sluffage, glad were almost out.” I hadn’t even finished the thought when I heard snow moving, fast, and a lot more than just a little sluff. The way I was standing, my skis were pointing left towards the rock and I was looking back over my shoulder. Something about that sound tripped a wire in my brain and I snapped back around towards the wall, crouched and dug my edges in as hard as I could just as the meat of it ripped by. There was snow swirling all around me and my back was getting pelted, but because of my position I never felt like it was pushing me down or I was going to move. I had seen X trying to dig in when I turned around and I thought he was going to be able to make it, so when I turned around after everything had passed and saw nothing my heart just dropped. I stood up and looked down, nothing. Yelled as loud as I could, nothing. Then the pow cloud settled out and I saw him at the bottom of the apron moving himself off the side. Thank Fucking God. As rocky as that last section was I had feared the worst. I yelled again asking if he was all right and he yelled up that he thought so. I let him check some more for a minute and asked again. Everything seemed to be in place so I headed down keeping an eye out for gear. Found one ski snagged on the left wall but there wasn’t a trace of anything else. Heading down the apron I was surprised how little debris there was, makes me pretty sure it came from up high on the rocks close by because I can’t think of any other way that little snow could have come in with the heat that it did. I looked over him quick for blood, etc. and not finding any we both decded to get the hell out as quick as we could.

Lessons learned have been pretty well summed up in this thread. We probably should have spent less time snapping pics but in this case I’m not sure how much of a difference it would have made. We just got hit by one of the inherent dangers of this line. If it had released 2 minutes earlier it would have taken me out while I was working my way down to the last SZ. A minute later and X would have been at the bottom and I would have been caught while working through the last rocks. It’s not always a big mistake that gets you in trouble, here it was some very minor ones and fateful timing. You can’t control for everything, ever. I’m just glad we’re both OK and able to talk about it now.

**Tyrone Shoelaces** · 01-30-2006, 02:25 PM

Holy crap guys....so glad you're both ok. Damn that sounds scary.

Thanks for sharing your experiences here.

**zion zig zag** · 01-30-2006, 02:30 PM

Man, glad you guys are safe, it obviously could have been bad.

**SherpaStyle** · 01-30-2006, 03:40 PM

Glad you guys are ok. It's wierd...reading that was like reading a report of a very similar situation I was in on Saturday afternoon. Scary. Thanks for sharing your story... I just wish I had read this 3 days ago and I might have thought twice about skiing what I did the way I did. I learned a lot from that afternoon, most of the lessons I learned were similar to those which you mentioned. Fortunately I came out unscathed and all my gear was recovered. I'll post more on that incident later

**bbirtle** · 01-30-2006, 04:40 PM

It's threads like this that make this board the best out there.

Glad to hear y'all made it out safe.

About the snow - I've heard some say that these kinds of lines (serious exposure over a long period of time) are best skiied when the snow is highly consolidated to the point of being hardpack or even slightly icy.

You guys had snow coming up to your waists on the climb up. Now I've skiied some similar stuff in the same exact conditions but I was wondering is this good practice? I mean, is a line like that only really safe to ski when the conditions are "bad" (quite hard surface, very consolidated subsurface)?

Not trying to fault those involved - it seems like you all skiied very safely and picked the safest conditions you could ever have had at this time of year. Just wondering whether on lines like this, normal avo assessment doesn't apply as much...?

**Xover** · 01-31-2006, 02:52 PM

Sorry it has taken me a few days to get back with some answers. I've been spending some time now and then reflecting, regrouping, trying to heal up and just flat out shedding a few tears over what could have happened; not really missing skiing yet at all.

Thanks for everyone's kind words. In response to those that have asked:

Sphinx - what hit me was most likely a big sluff. no slabs were present what so ever (at least that we saw - and i truly believe were not present on anything we couldn't see) both when we started and when we finished.

Slim - without being God, I will never know for sure what actually got us or where it came from. I can only make my best, educated guess. Which is that the sluff just ran naturally off of some rocks just above us as there was not enough snow entrained in it to have come from any further up the couloir, but it did have some heat to it which would have been generated by the shear vertical drop of the cliff face below the rocks. After further thought, I honestly don't think that we triggered anything from above us just by skiing. This had not been occuring anywhere else in the couloir as we skied down. Plus, as stated any sluffs that we had while skiing down were only running a 100' or so and not gaining speed, but rather slowing down. Plus plus, if this had happened there would have been alot more snow come down.

MD - yes, as TH alluded to the Y is pretty much a terrain trap the whole way. Thus us skiing it in what we felt were "safe" conditions while still hoping to enjoy some nice snow in it.

Philfort - it had snowed, at most, an additional 2-3" more by the time we were at the bottom and the wind was still basically calm with only a very slight breeze even at the top of it with no observed wind loading taking place or windslabs forming.

Ice - I am not sure when BD intended the avalung to actually be put into your mouth. I know I have seen Powstash ski with it in his teeth from time to time when he is concerned; however I think we can all visualize how encumbering that may be to your skiing. Plus, just my thoughts now, but assuming you do ski with it in your teeth at all times and you do get caught in a slide are you actually going to be able to keep it in your mouth?? I can say just from my experience this past weekend that I don't personally think I'd be able to just due to being pummeled in every direction imaginable. At best, I would like to think that I could train myself mentally and practice to get it into my mouth once the slide actually starts slowing down before the concrete starts setting up and you can't move for shit. i.e. make it a step in the process just like clearing space around your face and lunging for surface are.

Playa - I truly believe the "actual snowpack" within the couloir proper was assessed accurately; it behaved just as was expected. There really was no need to dig a full blown pit - it wouldn't have revealed anything more than what we saw with our hand pits plus what we observed naturally. Our error was in not giving the "feeder gullies" and "feeder cliffs/rocks" the proper respect and thus attention that they deserved.

Bbirtle - you bring up a very good point that I actually thought of last night as well. To get some lines (i.e. the Y, Y Not, the Grand, etc.) in "optimal" conditions may not mean that you get to ski them in pow or softer snow conditions. The only downfall I see to that program is obviously the danger of an uncontrollable fall potentially slamming you into rock walls or over cliffs. Personally, in the future though when evaluating skiing such lines, I will be much more willing to take the chance of not falling (i.e. something I can pretty much control) vs. getting flushed by a rogue sluff (i.e. something I have little to no control over).

Where I have ended up mentally has been stated above and in my original post. The only thought that I have to add or rather reiterate was what Buster said in the other post about there being a very fine line between risk and reward sometimes.

I am personally going to talk with all my touring partners about not only this incident, but their feelings also on touring with me in the future. I have always felt that their lives and families are just as important as mine.

**Karl Stall** · 01-31-2006, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by Xover

My first thought was I can't believe this is happening - not to me at least -

I just kept waiting for the ONE rock that would break something, knock me out or possibly kill me because basically whatever the slide/sluff wanted to do with me it was going to.

First is that I was really, really scared. then felt like crying that my little girl possibly was going to be left without her daddy .

Holy shit, MR. So glad you're o.k. Damn, your thought process was so eerily similar to mine last Spring that it made me shiver. I don't want to ever have those thoughts again, especially that feeling of "am I going to hit something?", but having no control or vision. The thoughts about your daughter go without saying.

I have been more haunted in the backcountry this year, which is probably for the better.

Stay safe, bro, I know you're charging but you ARE a daddy, as well as skiing on 'em

**Bodhi** · 01-31-2006, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by tarkman1

I really think everyone should take note about your comment about taking pictures...Pictures are great. Sometimes, the trip report doesn't need pictures, especially when they put you at risk...I can't help think back to the post about the improving quality of trip reports a week or two ago. It's great to share the stoke, just don't let it get you in trouble.

Well stated Tarka.

X,
Thanks again for posting something so personal and terrifying...Hope you heal up well and shake the negatives into positives. Extremely chilling read that has left most of us thinking...

peace,
D.

**Bum Z** · 01-31-2006, 03:32 PM

Didn't know about this until this morning - glad to hear you're OK.

Skiing the Y again was on my list. Was.

**Buzzworthy** · 01-31-2006, 03:35 PM

Wow X, been away a few days and come back to see this. Chilliing story to say the least and I am glad you both are ok. DTM, I can't imagine the fear that went thru you when you did not see him at first.

I thank you for sharing. It takes a big person to do so and admit mistakes.

And you take care of that little girl, there is nothing more precious.

**Xover** · 02-04-2006, 05:58 PM

one week later, left leg still hurts like hell. i can't sleep on it. walking with a slight limp (once it is loosened up) but is still painful. if i leave my leg in one position and not move it, it is ok - but as soon as i move it, it hurts like hell for the first 5 to 10 seconds - feels like the very marrow in my leg bones is leaking out.

oh, and bruises, ya we got bruises a plenty too

we got posterior bruises...

and we got anterior bruises ...

and we got distal bruises ....

and we got proximal bruises .....

and we got the mother of all bruises

p.s. sorry for the graphic shots, but i wanted to let you guys/gals know that i am still getting after the gnar - all be it from the couch

**truth** · 02-04-2006, 06:00 PM

Fugg, that looks most un-fun. Welcome to my world of hurt.

**gonzo** · 02-04-2006, 06:11 PM

you got banged up!

**Crinkle** · 02-04-2006, 06:20 PM

damn X, i missed this one while i was away. Everyone appreciates your brutal honesty and its a huge reality that we all face everytime we go into the BC, even when its not a spooky line like the Y, shit can happen despite all precautions. Super glad you and DTM made it out. just.....wow.

heal up

**altagirl** · 02-04-2006, 06:20 PM

Damn. Have you figured out if there's any serious damage, or just a ton of ugly bruises?

Hope you're feeling better soon.

**splat** · 02-04-2006, 07:07 PM

Way to go, X!
You're a survivor because you kept your head in an ugly situation.
Natural releases from side couloirs have hurt and killed a lot of people.
Looks like you might have hit that rock and not noticed.