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Two fatalities in Niseko (late January 2013)


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Why?

So others dont make the same mistakes????

 

Don't go out of the gates when you're not supposed to.

 

Simple.

 

Well, the Finnish person apparently went through an open gate.

 

I think it would be useful if we knew some more details: were they alone, what was the cause of death (trauma, asphyxiation, exposure)? Was there a rescue attempt while they were still alive? If so, what went wrong?

 

Knowing these things can help people avoid making the same mistakes and prepare for dealing with the same situation if it occurs again.

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In truth my gut reaction to this was "oh god, another thing to add to the list of ways the snow is trying to kill me!" I knew cracks existed of course. You just need to look at your own hill to see t

Well, the Finnish person apparently went through an open gate.   I think it would be useful if we knew some more details: were they alone, what was the cause of death (trauma, asphyxiation, exposure

Remember to keep the relative safety our sport in perspective. In Australia, only about 0.5% of snowsports participants need medical attention of any sort and as far as I know we have quite a high inj

Can someone explain to me how glide cracks form, whether they are more likely to form on a particular type of slope, or slope orientation?

 

Gnarly-dude, surely any information which might help someone avoid the same mistakes would be helpful?

 

I do agree that those people should not have left the resort area when the gates are closed, but I am pretty sure that those cracks wouldn't have dissapeared overnight, and the gates are open today.

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Via SJ.

 

"It seems:

1 person from Finland outside of the Hanazono area - apparently 'the gate was open' and so he went.

1 Japanese local found outside of Niseko Village resort area bounds."

 

For the Finnish guy. It may have been Gate 5. Hanozono 3 chair. opened up in the afternoon.

It is possible he traversed to Jackson's my mate said. There are big cracks all over the face there. afaik.

 

disclaimer: speculation only.

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Glide cracks form when the weight of the settled snow becomes too heavy to be supported by the waxy sheaths of the sasa (bamboo) buried beneath.

 

Many would be surprised to see how much sasa is below the snow.

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I went past some huge glide cracks on shiribetsu last week, the foliage under the snowpack is incredible as mike said.

The fact is people are going to talk and speculate if no info is forthcoming.

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I have deleted a few posts.

 

Please don't make me have to spend more time deleting anything else.

 

I'm extremely busy and very tired. Take that as meaning I am totally not in the mood. This applies to 'both sides' of the argument and witty (or mostly otherwise) comebacks.

 

(8 people reported those posts by the way).

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They also tend to (not always) to occur more on convex rolls where the effect of gravity is a lot higher on the lower section than the upper section.

Cracks that open up can be very quickly covered up as if nothing was there, especially after events of heavy snowfalls+wind, so they can be very hard to detect.

This is the 1st year I see them out there so early in the season.

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Via SJ.

 

"It seems:

1 person from Finland outside of the Hanazono area - apparently 'the gate was open' and so he went.

1 Japanese local found outside of Niseko Village resort area bounds."

 

For the Finnish guy. It may have been Gate 5. Hanozono 3 chair. opened up in the afternoon.

It is possible he traversed to Jackson's my mate said. There are big cracks all over the face there. afaik.

 

disclaimer: speculation only.

 

That's where I saw big cracks when I was there. I am repeating myself but the gates were open the day I saw them. Just going or not going out of bounds based on whether the gates are open or not is not enough. We need to educate ourselves on the hazards out there. A lot of hazards are still there when the gates are open.

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Word coming through that someone died in Rusutsu yesterday after colliding with a tree.

 

Tough weekend in this area.

Ive been at rusutsu for a while now and didnt see or hear anything? Must have been on West Mt

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At work when there is an incident we do an investgation not to apportion blame but to take learnings from it so we dont repeat it. Its this sort of information Im seeking and by the sounds of it others.

 

Like surfarthur Im interested to understand what these cracks are, how they are formed, how they can be recognised and hopefully avoided. I want to thank the guys that have posted as I drafted this providing the input I was after. To be honest and show my lack of knowledge I'd never even considered this a risk, with my focus being avies and being caught in deep soft pow and struggling to get out.

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Exactly pete. Most of us that do venture out into the BC have avalanche training and rescue gear, its all common knowledge and in the event of an avalanche will save lives. But do any of us have crevasse rescue gear? Do we know how to self rescue or rescue a partner? Does standard crevasse rescue gear even work in the soft snow of hokkaido?

The answers to these questions could possibly be answered by learning more details from this tragedy.

By keeping this secret it would've been like keeping secret all the avalanche fatalities and we wouldnt be as prepaired for avalanche as we are today.

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Glide cracks form when the weight of the settled snow becomes too heavy to be supported by the waxy sheaths of the sasa (bamboo) buried beneath.

 

Many would be surprised to see how much sasa is below the snow.

They also tend to (not always) to occur more on convex rolls where the effect of gravity is a lot higher on the lower section than the upper section.

Cracks that open up can be very quickly covered up as if nothing was there, especially after events of heavy snowfalls+wind, so they can be very hard to detect.

This is the 1st year I see them out there so early in the season.

Thanks for the info guys :thumbsup:

 

So if these cracks are hard to detect, how do you avoid falling into one? If the only information that is available in the avalanche report is that cracks exist, watch out for them, then many people would read that as "I will be able to see the crack before I get to it, and I will be able to stop and go around it", but this isn't the case?

 

As Gozaimaas has mentioned, what type of equipment is required to perform a rescue (assuming that waiting for ski patrol or other rescue services is not an option)?

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Some of the cracks are obvious from the chairs.

 

Most are not.

 

As SerreChe pointed out they often occur on convex 'blind' rollers, so skiing in to one is all too easy.

 

The best way to avoild them is not to go out of bounds.

 

We all know that's not going to happen.

 

Next best defence is skiing with people who know the area well and who've skied the terrain regularly in the past 1-14 days.

 

Following tracks is not a strategy.

 

For example I was out taking photos yesterday with a group of skiers and snowboarders who were launching off and over a sizeable glide crack.

 

We all skied below it to scope it out.

 

Then bootpacked up to it to check the take off and landing.

 

From above it just looks like a small rollover to more powder.

 

From below it's considerably bigger.

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If the person falling in is uninjured then it's time and effort to get out of the hole.

 

The sasa forms a very dense matrix that swallows up kit and is difficult to ascend - it's slippery.

 

Skiing partners carrying rope is always a good idea. Failing that it's break a long branch and use that.

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Pleasure SurfArthur. They can be hard to detect if it has snowed back over them and they're fully covered. In this case the only indication maybe a very slight depression in the snow surface vs the surrounding area. If you're hiking up before riding down you may be (not always) able to detect them if you pay close attention. If you fall in the consequence will be less dire if you're hiking than falling into one while riding down at high speed.

 

If the crack is still open then it is obviously easier to detect. If you're riding down at high speed though and the cracks is large then you may not be able to avoid it unfortunately. So for areas with lift-served access to terrain where they may be present and which you cannot see from the lift maybe one way to go about it is to have one recon run at lower speed check out the area.

 

The inner walls of a glide cracks are usually frozen solid. This adds to the potential for trauma if falling into one. So a helmet would be useful for protection. Typical glacier gear such as ice screws could work into the frozen sidewall but probably a bit of an overkill. A small short rope with a partner building an anchor for you on the outside in the soft snow to get out is probably enough (from my experience). If you ride by yourself then an ice axe or crampons maybe useful as well to get out but I have never tested that.

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All good comments by MikePow as well about going with people who knwo the area when possible and not blindly following tracks.

As for the injured person then yes as MP mentionned, that is a whole new dimension of complexity and preparedness.

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Coming to this late, but:

There have been 2 fatal accidents yesterday. In both cases, the Niseko Rules has been ignored and disrespected.

 

Can someone explain to me which of the Niseko Rules were ignored and disrespected by the Finnish guy?

I looked up the Niseko Rules, and don't see anything there that he seems to have violated.

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I was just reading those, here

 

 

The Niseko Rules are Niseko area's official regulations created for the safety and freedom of every skier and snowboarder riding inside and outside the ski resort boundaries.

 

 

STRICTLY OFF LIMIT AREAS ARE NOT TO BE ENTERED AT ANY TIME

Yu no Sawa and Haru no Taki are “STRICTLY off limits areas” determined by the Niseko Rules. Whoever riding these areas WILL have their lift pass confiscated.

 

DUCKING ROPES IS PROHIBITED

Ducking the boundary ropes is prohibited. If you do, your lift pass will be confiscated. Use designated gates to access out of bound areas.

 

NO SAFETY CONTROL BEYOND RESORT BOUNDARY

The area outside the mountain resort boundaries (including the peak) are National forests and parks, and are not controlled or supervised by the ski resort. Niseko Rules proclaims that hiking and riding these areas involves danger and if you do, you do it AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

DO NOT STEP OUT OF BOUNDS WHEN GATES ARE CLOSED

Access gates will be closed during hazardous conditions and out of bound riding will be strictly prohibited.

 

NISEKO AVALANCHE INFORMATION

The “Niseko Avalanche Information” is the official information posted by “Niseko Avalanche Institute”. This information can be found at lift stations, access gates and on the Internet.

 

BACK COUNTRY SEARCH AND RESCUE

You are responsible for the cost of search and rescue operation from any out of bounds areas.

 

SKI AND MOUNTAIN PATROL

Niseko Rules demand all resort users respect and follow the instructions of the Ski Patrol and the Shiribeshi Mountain Patrol.

 

RESPECT EACH OTHER

Niseko’s ski resorts and the locals respect the freedom of the visitors, but are concerned about their safety, and expect visitors to respect the Niseko Rules.

 

 

Niseko Rules are official regulations, established by the Niseko Annupuri Avalanche Prevention Committee, the Niseko Mountain Resort Safety Committee, the Niseko Free Passport Committee and the Hokkaido Shiribeshi Alpine Accident Prevention Committee.

 

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There is also a newer version which includes an injunction against kids under 12 heading out of bounds without being accompanied by a proficient adult leader.

 

None of the above rules seem to apply in the Finnish guy's case, though, at least not according to the NHK report.

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I'd like to find out more information too. The families must be going through hell, so my thoughts go out to them.

 

RIP.

 

This is copy and pasted from the site:

 

 

ニセコなだれ情報第46号 Niseko Avalanche Info No.46

 

 

山麓6時-9度降雪なし静穏、モイワ山頂北西5m/s気温-10度ふきだまりの発達わずか、

アンヌプリ山頂北8.1m/s気温-12.8度、日本海北北東5m/s波高1.3m気圧1014hpa、

気圧の傾きゆるく静穏、朝までに顕著なふきだまりの発達なく1/24-25層上の風成雪スラブは安定、雪崩リスクは低い。2番3番ゲートは午前10時に開けられる。

昨日ルールを軽視して軽率な行動をとったことで、2件の死亡事故が起きた。現場としてやりきれない思いだ。

事故は亀裂転落で起こっている。亀裂の危険はこの情報でも再三呼びかけている。しかし無駄だった。この情報やニセコルールの無視、軽視、批判は一向に構わない。それなら事故につながるような安易な行動をすべきではない。残念な朝だ。亡くなられた方の冥福を祈る。

 

Niseko base 6am: -9℃, no snowfall and calm morning. Moiwa peak: NW5m/s, -10℃ and light development of snowdrifts. Annupuri peak: N8.1m/s, -12.8℃. Coastal data: NNE5m/s, 1.3m waves and 1014hPa.

The atmospheric pressure gradient is shelving and the weather is calm. No notable development of snowdrifts can be observed and the new slab formed on top of Jan 24-25 is stable. The avalanche risk is low. Gates 2 & 3 are scheduled to open at 10am.

There have been 2 fatal accidents yesterday. In both cases, the Niseko Rules has been ignored and disrespected. It is really sad to apprehend this reality. Both victims fell into a crack and lost their lives. Dangers about cracks have been repeatedly mentioned in this information, but ended up in vain. Disrespecting, ignoring or criticizing this Information or the Niseko Rules is not a problem as long as people take care of themselves and avoid thoughtless actions that could lead to serious accidents. It is a very sad morning. May their souls rest in peace.

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