RIP: Jamie Pierre

[marcski]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52907844-78/avalanche-pierre-resort-hoyal.html.csp

 

[Nick]

Jamie Pierre dies in avalanche

Just saw this morning on first tracks

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/20...ine/pDno+(First+Tracks!!+Online+Ski+Magazine)

Very sad, the guy was a crazy huckmaster... Rip

 

[Nick]

Just saw this and posted at the same time.. sad news the guy was really talented

 

[marcski]

My links don't seem to want to work this morning.... Yes, very sad. My buddy who lives out there told me about the big storm coming in this weekend when I spoke to hom on friday. He went out skinning and skiing yesterday at Alta...I wonder if he saw the emergency response.

 

[SkiDork]

sux

 

[Cannonball]

that sucks for his family.

It's a little bit ironic though. With Pierre there was never a question of "if" he would die skiing just "when". He seemed almost hell-bent on killing himself with his big drops. But this accident didn't fit that profile. He was snowboarding (not his main tool) and was caught in a slide rather than intentionally plummeting hundreds of feet. Although it sounds like it was an ill advised choice to be there given the avy conditions.

 

[Nick]

This video of him from GoPro is one of my favorites... so well done. ... outpouring of comments on the youtube page also

 

[MadPatSki]

that sucks for his family.

It's a little bit ironic though. With Pierre there was never a question of "if" he would die skiing just "when". He seemed almost hell-bent on killing himself with his big drops. But this accident didn't fit that profile. He was snowboarding (not his main tool) and was caught in a slide rather than intentionally plummeting hundreds of feet. Although it sounds like it was an ill advised choice to be there given the avy conditions.

There were many slides that were triggered in the LCC this weekend from what I read. It would seem that Jamie Pierre died from his injuries as he was carried over a cliff (not a huge one). You don't need to be a superstar to kill yourself like that, it could have happened to many of us in the same situation. It's somewhat ironic that Pierre jumped off a 255 ft cliff in 2006 and survived only to be killed skiing fairly conservatively. I guess it was time.

 

[deadheadskier]

You would think a guy with his experience would have more common sense than to ski gullies that are at a high risk to slide.

The article stated he and his buddy likely triggered another slide before the slide that killed him. Wonder why he didn't turn around and head for a safer lower angle route down. Guess we'll never know.

RIP

definitely a great skier

 

[thetrailboss]

As MPS said, there were a lot of avalanche this weekend at Alta and Snowbird. So many that they have put on both ski area's websites notices that the mountains are closed to hiking. I was seriously considering going for some XC skiing, but life and the roads made me reconsider. Snowmonster told me about this incident. It is very sad. Thoughts and prayers for his family, including his wife and kids.

 

[TheBEast]

RIP.....sad for sure.

 

[Abubob]

An avalanche death already? Too soon. Always too soon.

 

[Gnarcissaro]

Report from Utah Avy Center.

RIP

 

[riverc0il]

Wonder why he didn't turn around and head for a safer lower angle route down. Guess we'll never know.

I think we do already know. It is why avi deaths keep happening. Skiers and riders think they know what they are doing. No one skis a line thinking "this is probably going to kill me" but rather "this aspect is different than that other aspect, I am confident it won't go". I gotta wonder if Avalanche instruction needs to focus even more on decision making and less on the science? I don't know. It is why I don't pursue avalanche terrain... I know I couldn't trust myself to be unbiased after hiking 3k vert to ski pow.

 

[BenedictGomez]

It's somewhat ironic that Pierre jumped off a 255 ft cliff in 2006 and survived only to be killed skiing fairly conservativel.

I read an article that called the trail (Barry Barry Steep) "easier" expert terrain, than some other trails/routes right in that same area where he died.

 

[riverc0il]

We interviewed the victim's ski partner. While neither had any rescue gear or formal avalanche training...

Wow, this guy was a pro without any avi training or gear.

 

[thetrailboss]

You would think a guy with his experience would have more common sense than to ski gullies that are at a high risk to slide.

The article stated he and his buddy likely triggered another slide before the slide that killed him. Wonder why he didn't turn around and head for a safer lower angle route down. Guess we'll never know.

RIP

definitely a great skier

You know it was not a matter of easy vs hard terrain. The snow was just too unstable everywhere yesterday. There were at least 10-12 avalanches yesterday alone in Alta/Snowbird. So many that Alta Ski Patrol kicked everyone out...even though the area was not open and folks were just hiking.

And the thing that really shocked me was that the report indicated that Jamie's partner said that neither of them had avi training or equipment. Now that makes no sense. I imagine that must be a typo.

 

[deadheadskier]

I think we do already know. It is why avi deaths keep happening. Skiers and riders think they know what they are doing. No one skis a line thinking "this is probably going to kill me" but rather "this aspect is different than that other aspect, I am confident it won't go". I gotta wonder if Avalanche instruction needs to focus even more on decision making and less on the science? I don't know. It is why I don't pursue avalanche terrain... I know I couldn't trust myself to be unbiased after hiking 3k vert to ski pow.

only time I've been in true avalanche type conditions / terrain was going to ski some side country I believe is called The Fingers off the back of Abasin with some locals. I had never been, they were interested in skiing the 2nd one out from the resort. As we crossed the top of the 1st gully, the 1st person out set off a fracture. We all immediately abandoned the thought and headed back to the mountain.

I would've figured had Jaime set off one already, that he'd call it a day. That would've been my decision anyhow.

 

[deadheadskier]

You know it was not a matter of easy vs hard terrain. The snow was just too unstable everywhere yesterday.

right, but snow on a 20 degree slope isn't as likely to slide as snow on a 40 degree slope. That's what I'm suggesting he should have looked for.

 

[riverc0il]

I would've figured had Jaime set off one already, that he'd call it a day. That would've been my decision anyhow.

Yea, totally. That is the really weird that they didn't heed what nature was telling them. Perhaps lack of avi training was part of the reason. Though I could easily see someone well versed in avi training thinking they were just on the wrong aspect when something went and that another aspect might be better. Just bad decisions all around even in the face of overwhelming evidence that something was wrong.

Hopefully something good will come of this and others facing similar conditions this season might reflect on this news and make different decisions that result in other lives not being lost. This news is massive, it is on pretty much every forum and blog today.