17th skier or snowboarder dies on Colorado slopes this season, setting record
April 6 2008, 5:56 PM
VAIL — Colorado's ski resorts set a grim record Saturday when a 32-year-old Denver-area man became the 17th skier or snowboarder to die on the slopes this season.
The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the Vail Valley Medical Center after a skiing incident on the intermediate run In The Wuides in Blue Sky Basin on Vail Mountain.
A call came at approximately 10:50 a.m., and Vail Ski Patrol responded immediately.
The ski patrol provided advanced life support and transported the patient to an ambulance at the bottom of the mountain.
The skier was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. Officials did not provide any other details.
The previous record for deaths was 16, set in the 2001-02 season.
Snowboarder killed in cliff jump at Aspen Highlands
April 6 2008, 6:03 PM
ASPEN - Aspen native and snowboarder Wallace Westfeldt liked spinners, bonks and card tricks, according to one of his sponsors' Web sites.
He enjoyed powder days, sunny days, park days, big air, small air, winning and New Zealand, according to another Web site.
But Friday morning, the 22-year-old died just outside his hometown after jumping off a cliff in an out-of-bounds area called Tonar Bowl beyond the Aspen Highlands ski area, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff and Aspen Daily News.
The sheriff's office said it received a report of an unconscious skier at 11:34 a.m. But Westfeldt was on a snowboard, according to the Daily News.
"He was the most passionate snowboarder I've ever met in my entire life," John Lafferty, a local skier who attended high school and college with Westfeldt, told the Daily News. "He was just such a funny, charismatic guy, and the most humble person."
A 28-year-old woman was killed in a freak accident while hiking on New Hampshire's Mount Lafayette:
FRANCONIA – A hiker climbing up Mount Lafayette yesterday afternoon was killed in a freak accident, when a huge boulder crashed from its perch and struck her.
Shu Qin, 28, of Shanghai, China, was staying with friends in Wellesley, Mass., and they were hiking up the Falling Waters trail in Franconia Notch, according to Fish and Game Lt. Todd Bogardus.
Qin and her brother-in-law were more than a mile up the trail at Cloudland Falls "when a large boulder broke off a ledge" and tumbled about 40 feet before striking her, leaving her with severe head injuries.
> The location of the tragedy (Google map)
With no cell phone service in the area, a member of the party ran back to the trailhead to summon help after the accident, which happened at about 2:30 p.m.
Conservation officers and volunteers from Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue were called out at about 4 p.m. and carried her out on a litter. She was taken to Littleton Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Bogardus said snow and ice is still on the ground at that elevation, but he said last night he was at a loss to explain how it happened.
"It was an unfortunate accident," he said. "It's just tragic."
The brother in law wondered if response was quick enough. If a medical helicopter should have been used. He lamented there was no cellphone reception and there should have been a land line at the TH. He thought there should have been signs and slide prone areas marked with spray paint. I'm sorry this young lady died, its very sad. Maybe the wrong person was killed.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem some people are able to differentiate between wilderness and the civilized world. It could be said that this gentleman fits into this category. I think he probably just doesn't get it.
I think it's more likely that he's grieving after losing his sister-in-law in a tragic accident. He's asking questions and gaining some understanding, all necessary to have closure in this unfortunate scenario. It got some play in the local news, then was dropped.
Sounds more like he is suffering from "Vacation State of Mind"
Laurence Gonzales, auther of DEEP SURVIVAL has been writing a series of very interesting articles on survival and how we get in these predicaments in the first place for National Geographic Adventure Magazine. The lastest one is about getting lost in Jockey Ridge State Park that is a mile long and three-quarters of a mile wide. The loacal park ranger calles it "a vacation state of mind". Seems like we have been protected or removed from so many dangers in our every day lives that we unconsciously accept that our little corner of the world is safe.
Details at link. Shining Rock is an easily accessable, heavily used area. The wilderness contains 3 Southern Sixers and just south of the wilderness boundary is Chestnut Bald, the county highpoint of Transylvania county NC.
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Climbing Rangers Conduct Two Alpine SARs
During the early part of last week, climbing rangers conducted two upper mountain SARs. On the morning of Sunday, May 4th, three climbers left Camp Muir, following a gentle downhill traverse to reach the base of the Wilson Headwall, About ten minutes out from the camp, they stopped to scout and evaluate the need for roping up prior to entering a known crevasse area. While stopped, one of the climbers fell through the snow into a crevasse to a depth of approximately 120 feet. The climbers were able to put out a distress radio call via the park frequency. Climbing ranger Arlington Ashby responded within 15 minutes of the call from Camp Muir and assessed the situation. Climbing rangers Thomas Payne and Joe Franklin soon arrived from Camp Muir to assist in the rescue, with Payne assuming the role as team lead. The stranded climber was wedged headfirst deep in the crevasse, giving responders only two feet of vertical space in which to maneuver. After removing his pack by cutting the straps, they were able to haul him out of the crevasse. “The position of the climber, stranded headfirst at a very narrow point in the crevasse, combined with his hypothermic condition, made time a critical issue and a quick crevasse rescue imperative,” said incident commander David Gottlieb. Due to these factors, the climber was removed from the crevasse, placed on a backboard, then taken to Camp Muir. A Bell Jet Ranger helicopter was placed on standby to fly him out once the weather cleared. During this time, rangers worked with the Northwest Helicopters pilot to reconfigure the Jet Ranger to carry a litter. Although the climber fell 120 feet, he suffered only superficial wounds. That same day, two climbers left Paradise at 9:00 p.m. with the intention of doing a single push summit climb and skiing back down the mountain via Fuhrers Thumb. On Monday afternoon, the park received a 911 call from one of the climbers, reporting that he’d become separated from his partner and lost in a whiteout somewhere on the summit. That evening, his partner skied down to Paradise. On Tuesday morning, the park brought in a Hughes 500 helicopter operated by Whirlwind Helicopters and organized a two-person observation team. A break in the weather permitted the observation flight around mid-day, during which the observers located the climber on the summit. The helicopter was found to be too heavy to take on another passenger at 14,000+ feet, so the pilot returned to the Kautz Helibase to drop off one of the rangers. During the observation flight, the pilot exceeded the aircrafts’ capabilities, causing it to overheat. The climber eventually tired of waiting for the helicopter to return and skied down to Paradise. There were no injuries or accidents due to the overheating of the aircraft. Said Gottlieb, who was also IC for the second incident: “It is our responsibility to respond to requests for assistance proactively; a delayed response costs lives here.” He went on to say that he was pleased with the outcome of both SARs, as there were no employee injuries, the damaged helicopter ascended safely before anyone was hurt or anything bad happened, and neither of the climbers was seriously injured. [Submitted by Patti Wold, Incident Information Officer]
Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)
Aerial Search For Climbers On Cassin Ridge Suspended
The active search effort for two missing climbers on the Cassin Ridge of Mt. McKinley was scaled back on Thursday morning after search managers determined that further air operations were unlikely to locate the men. Mountaineering rangers will continue to try and determine the whereabouts of the climbers through extensive digital imagery collected during the past week. Tatsuro Yamada, 27, and Yuto Inoue, 24, both from Japan, were expected to return from a climb of the Cassin Ridge on May 22nd. With no sign of the men, the National Park Service began planning the search on May 23rd, although cloudy and windy weather initially kept all aircraft on standby. From May 24th to May 27th, skilled observers flew a total of 33 hours of helicopter and fixed wing flight time in the aerial search effort. More than 3,000 high resolution photos of the search zone were captured during these flights. Analysis of the enlarged and enhanced images enables a concentrated and effective search effort to continue at ground level. There have been no sighting of the climbers or gear on or near the route, nor any evidence of a fall or related disturbance on the snow surface. Clues found throughout the week, including multiple sets of footprints and a campsite at 17,000 feet, suggest that Yamada and Inoue reached the upper elevations of the route. Tracks followed by a subsequent climbing party reportedly reached to upwards of 19,000 feet. During a low level flight on Wednesday, mountaineering rangers on board the NPS Lama helicopter also discovered tracks traversing the five mile length of the Kahiltna Peaks. According to the journals left in camp, the team had intended to approach their route via this knife-edge ridge, which reaches a peak elevation of 13,440 feet. The tracks follow the dramatic ridgeline and connect with Cassin Ridge, indicating the team accomplished an arduous and highly technical new variation on the traditional approach. In a discussion with Denali rangers a month prior to their climb, Yamada and Inoue said they planned to take five to six days of food and fuel on the ascent of Cassin Ridge. Furthermore, as is typical of a quick, technical ascent of the route, the team likely took minimal, lightweight gear. Based on the dated journal entries, the men probably left their camp at 7,800 feet as early as May 10th, and, as such, have been without food and water for as long as 10 to 14 days. In light of their limited supplies and the subzero temperatures, search managers consider that survival is outside the window of possibility. Observers have thoroughly searched the route and surrounding areas to a degree that would make it likely that the climbers would have been seen if they were visible on the surface. [Submitted by Maureen McLaughlin, Information Officer]
One person dies in Mount Rainier Blizzard (6-10-08)
June 10 2008, 4:55 PM
1 dies in Mount Rainier blizzard
Two others await rescue after they get caught in snowstorm during hike
The Associated Press
updated 1:14 p.m. PT, Tues., June. 10, 2008
LONGMIRE, Washington - A climber has died on Mount Rainier in Washington state and the national park says two others are awaiting rescue.
Ranger Sandi Kinzer the three went on a day hike Monday when they were caught in a blizzard.
Kinzer says one of the survivors has frostbite and cannot walk out from a shelter. She says a helicopter is waiting for a snow storm to clear to land at Camp Muir, which is at about 10,000 feet elevation.
SEATTLE - A Romanian hiker who lost his life high on Mount Rainier lay down in the snow and used his body's warmth to save his wife and a friend from the 70-mph winds of a freak June blizzard, national park officials say.
When it became obvious the trio of friends could not find their way back to base camp in whiteout conditions, they dug a snow trench with their hands. Then 31-year-old Eduard Burceag lay down on the snow and his wife and a friend lay on top of him. Later, when they begged him to switch places, Burceag refused, saying he was OK.
"In doing so, he probably saved their lives," park spokesman Kevin Bacher said Thursday.
Mariana Burceag, also 31, survived the storm, as did the couple's good friend, Daniel Vlad, 34. All three of the hikers were from Romania.
Kevin Hammonds, 28, who was the National Park Service ranger in charge of rescue operations on duty when the call came in at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday to the Camp Muir base camp, described the storm as the worst he had ever seen.
Hammonds and a fellow ranger, Joe Franklin, readied a search party to go at first light.
At about 5:30 a.m., Franklin was checking the horizon for any clues to the location of the missing hikers, who all lived in a suburb of Seattle.
He saw what looked like a boulder in an unusual spot on the snowfield, then took a closer look with binoculars and realized the shape was moving.
Hammonds grabbed two mountain guides who had stayed the night at Camp Muir, at the 10,000 foot level of the 14,410-foot mountain, and headed out toward Vlad. Walking through knee-deep, blowing snow, it took about 10 minutes to meet him halfway.
One of the guides helped Vlad back to Camp Muir after he directed Hammonds and Eben Reckord of International Mountain Guides toward Mariana and Eduard Burceag.
'Immediate attention'
Mariana Burceag was conscious but not coherent, said Hammonds.
When they turned to check her husband, they found Eduard Burceag unconscious, and they couldn't find a pulse.
"The two of us had to make a decision that she needed our immediate attention," Hammonds said. They put a second down jacket on Mariana Burceag, put her in a sleeping bag and onto a sleeping pad, covered her with a small tent and started to drag the whole package toward Camp Muir.
They only got about 100 feet before realizing they needed more help. Four more guides answered their call with oxygen, another sleeping bag and a real sled. It took another hour for six people to get Mariana Burceag to shelter.
Experienced hikers
Then the rescuers turned around and went back for Eduard Burceag. Perhaps another hour passed before he made it to shelter; attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Hammonds said the three were experienced hikers — both Eduard Burceag and Vlad had summited Rainier in the past — and were dressed properly for a spring hike in warm winter jackets, wool hats and gloves and good boots.
Thick clouds prevented a helicopter evacuation later Tuesday. An Army chopper airlifted Mariana Burceag and Vlad from the peak Wednesday morning. They were treated for frostbite at a Seattle hospital and released. Eduard Burceag's body was brought down the mountain on a sled Wednesday afternoon.
'His children needed a lot of their mother'
Reached by telephone in Romania, Eduard Burceag's brother Cristian told The Seattle Times that his older brother moved to America eight years ago.
Eduard Burceag worked for Active Voice, a Seattle-based company that specializes in helping companies transition from voice mail to computer communications and messaging.
Cristian Burceag said he was not surprised his brother died shielding his wife from the blizzard.
"I'm sure he would do that. He knew very well that his children needed a lot of their mother and that was the main thing in his life," he said.
DENALI NATIONAL PARK - Two hikers missing for five days in Denali National Park used a cell phone to call for help this morning and are waiting to be rescued by a helicopter.
Erica Nelson, 23, of Nevada, and Abby Flantz, 25, of Minnesota, appear to be doing well, National Park Service spokeswoman Kris Fister said.
Family members of the women, who were due to return from an overnight backpacking trip last Friday, were meeting with park officials to learn about today's search plans when Ellane Nelson's cell phone rang.
Caller ID said the call was from her daughter.
"Her face looked like she'd seen a ghost," Fister said.
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