NoFakie 45 Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 It's just been on the Nagano news saying that a 32-yr-old was found dead in the trees near one of the advanced courses at Nozawa this morning. A search was conducted after he didn't return to the pension where he was staying, but it was somebody doing course maintenance that found him. The report stated that a large amount of snow had fallen in the last two days, but didn't say whether there were any signs of injury. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I was at Nozawa today and as soon as we got there a helicopter was flying low over the left side of the resort and Skyline was closed for the search. Around 11 am they found the person near the ski jump. I talked to a patroller riding a chairlift and the person apparently did a headplant and suffocated. As they were alone and off course, nobody was able to help. Presumably the person was found upside down. The snow at Nozawa was exceptionally deep in places and riding normally was quite hard. Link to post Share on other sites
Dims 0 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Geez Ocean, What do you think the reprocusions of this incident will be to off-piste riding at your stomping ground? Fear an over-the top, shut the gate after the horse has bolted-type reaction from the japanese management? I look on with interest. Link to post Share on other sites
echineko 1 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 sad news Link to post Share on other sites
Dims 0 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Yeah it is sad news, didn't mean to sound heartless. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I dunno. Actually there's probably very little they can really do. The place is huge, and the off-piste areas are too many to patrol effectively. I hope they treat it as what it is, an unavoidable consequence of people enjoying a somewhat risky sport. Today at least they were taking their usual reasonable approach. As I don't know any more than what I've posted, I don't know how far 'off-piste' the person was, nor whether it's likely they wanted to be off-piste. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I have a buddy, when we ski the trees together or with friends, he doesnt care about them worth a damm." He will say ah dont worry, he will come out, dont worry lets just go"! I tend to wait a worry. I Japan the patrol will not sweep these OB tree areas. I will slide back in and explore before I leave a friend behind. Link to post Share on other sites
badmigraine 0 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Once you get in the trees, it is hard to hold a course or line, and not so much fun to stick right behind somebody. Last week Mogski and I were at Snowbird in Utah during a big dump and what with his white puffy jacket and my silver spacesuit, it only took a couple of turns before we were invisible to each other... Link to post Share on other sites
zwelgen 0 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 It is really sad. Really really sad but as rough as it sounds skiing/boarding arent without risks and accidents do happen. A couple of times Ive been tree riding alone at an empty blizzare Nozawa (the powder is all MINE) and got a bit freaked out realising that if I smack into something and knock myself out or seriously hurt myself the only people that will know is my mates when I dont show up for lunch or the drive home a few hours later. Sometimes you just gotta ride alone, but Id prefer to ride off course with a mate, and definately wait for them to come out at the other end before skiing off. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 As for asking about repercussions, this isn't the first person to die at Nozawa. I remember a skier died there last year in an accident involving a tree, and I don't remember any repercussions. Link to post Share on other sites
Dims 0 Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 Good, sounds like level-headed management there at Nozzie Link to post Share on other sites
IceEiji 0 Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 Yes, it is terrible news. I hope for less incidents like this. Link to post Share on other sites
echineko 1 Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 I think resort might must have to pay much money to family of person. Link to post Share on other sites
steeno 0 Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 does anyone ski with a transceiver? what kind of trees are we talking about here? Off piste like way beyond the ski area and mandatory skin or hike back or just in the trees between runs? I have been reading some of the threads on this board and get the feeling that the patrol wants people only on the trail and no where else. Is this true? Having never skied in Japan I am left scratching my head. That to me defeats the purpose of skiing. The goods are hidden and should require some effort to attain. They are away from the groomed runs and regular masses. They should take some time to get to or should be as simple as taking a right turn off the trail. As far as who's responsible. It is solely the responsibility of the individual and not the resort. That is the way nature intended it. However, if it is an obstacle that was created by the resort (i.e. snowcat tracks, etc) then you have a different story. Being an ex-patroller I can attest that people will do the dumbest things if left to their own vices. However, it is not the resorts position to regulate everything. Sometimes Darwinism must take over. Thus, if you are then responsible to yourself and anyone else in your group then common sense can go a long way. Like the buddy system and taking the proper safety precautions (safety meeting?). Like carrying a transceiver and shovel. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 Yes i use a tranciever. It helps to when calling mates onto jumps when we can't see or hear each other too, and much cheaper than using mobiles. and you can also tune into the ski patrol! Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 Resorts want you to stay out of the trees within their borders unless specifically told otherwise, generally even if they're not roped off. In many places you can scoot into the trees without ducking ropes, and the patrol will still yell at you. Indo, how much does buying and using a transceiver cost? I could of used one of them last time I went. My mates took a while to mount a search, and I had left the area. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 I ski with radios on course sometimes, BC always carry one. beacon is worn 80% of the time, if I even think of going out of bounds its on, the wifes too. Link to post Share on other sites
steeno 0 Posted March 22, 2003 Share Posted March 22, 2003 oops, i meant avy transceiver and not radio transceiver. although traveling with a radio, such as a motorola, is not a bad idea either. however, i'm curious as to the number of people who wear a transceiver/beacon while skiing. i pretty much wear mine all the time regardless of if i'm traveling in a high danger zone or not. just kind of habit. but i'm guessing that if the resorts are that anal about people in the trees there's probably not much of a worry for them to get caught in a slide or being in high risk zones. are they really that up tight about it? are they in the habit of pulling passes and kicking you off the hill or what? how many people a year are killed in avalanches in japan? (this is such an upbeat thread) Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted March 22, 2003 Share Posted March 22, 2003 I ski with a beacon. Deaths no idea maybe in the low teens. wearing a beacon is always a good idea, if your in and out of bounds on the same day. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted March 22, 2003 Share Posted March 22, 2003 It depends a lot on the resort/area. It seems that in Hakuba, the patrols are pretty repressive. At Nozawa where this accident happened they're usually not a problem at all (I've been hassled once in 3 years). As for people riding with beacons, I don't know anybody who does. But I think increasingly there's going to be deaths and accidents because more people are going off-piste and the resorts don't mark so as to distinguish what is actually very dangerous and what isn't but where they don't want you to go. steeno, changing the subject a bit, have you heard anything about those Avalung breathing aids? Know if they work? Link to post Share on other sites
steeno 0 Posted March 23, 2003 Share Posted March 23, 2003 i do know that the avalung received extensive testing to prove it's theory and has been recorded once to actually work in a "real-life-in-the-field" situation. I have buddy who received one as a comp but have never actually seen him use it. i've tried it on and checked it out but found it too cumbersome and too difficult to use. I've alway felt that the best precaution is not to get into the situation in the first place. If the danger is to high you simply turn around. but of course life doesn't always unfold that way. I have also seen a new device that acts like a parachute. If you get swept off in a slide you pull a shoot and a red parachute floats behind you. If your lucky it will trail you on the surface thus giving your rescuers an immediate pin point location to find you. this is actually a recycled idea from the days prior to the transceiver. but i think back then it was just a long cord that you let dangle behind you as you descended. so, i'm still curious. is patrol going to pull my pass and hand me a ticket for venturing into the goods. or are they going give me a lecure and i'll be on my way. in the states i've seen it both ways but there the patrol does active bombing and secures the off piste.... which brings up another great form of avy prevention. imagine dropping a five pound charge on a field your about to drop in on just to make sure it's not going to slide when you do. I can see all kinds of liabilty issues with that one. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted March 23, 2003 Share Posted March 23, 2003 The trouble with patrol is that they probably don't have any operating standards, so one patroller might try to take your pass while another might just warn you. It differs between days even within one resort, and it also differs between areas. You'll just have to come and see for yourself... But in Nagano anyway, Hakuba seems to have especially intrusive patrollers. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted March 23, 2003 Share Posted March 23, 2003 Not too much bombing going on here. Active avie control is rare here indeed. That is part and parcel why there is always pow to ride. That chute thing seems kind of freaky, I mean how do you test it. Link to post Share on other sites
LiquidX 0 Posted March 24, 2003 Share Posted March 24, 2003 How many people die in a season overall? I suppose every season there are accidents and deaths going on, but how many? Link to post Share on other sites
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