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Show At 0545 a fourth party of 15 men left the highway for the site. Just after 0600, the dawn began to break and while the rest were eating, the leader of the third rescue party, E. G.*, went up to look at the slide. At the toe of the slide debris and under a piece of snow, he spotted a piece of snow-shoe. He called to the others, and they soon had the body dug out, 11 hours and 35 minutes after the accident. Radio contact was made with the base, and the fourth party was turned back. Permission was received by radio from the coroner to remove the body. K. P. was found under l \ feet of snow with his arms folded under his chest, face downhill, head deeper than feet, and mouth full of snow. His goggles were down over his face, packsack still on his back, and hat still on his head. AVALANCHE DATA The avalanche was 240 feet wide and ran a distance of 300 feet. The fracture was 2\ feet thick, and the slope was 84% ( 40°). Snow profile from the ground up was 2 feet of depth hoar, sun crust of unknown depth, small layer of depth hoar on top of the crust ( these crystals l/ 8"- l/ 4" in diameter), and a 2\ foot hard slab. Blocks of the slab up to 4' x6' x2; jl remained intact The slope is covered with scattered timber. ( HS- AS- 3) COMMENTS Experience and the recent avalanche classes should have taught K. P. the conditions under which depth hoar forms, and the instability that results when it undermines a snow pack. With enough depth hoar, steep slopes with moderately heavy timber will avalanche. This area was steep, had more than enough depth hoar, and only had scattered trees. If contact had been made with the local ranger or with the lodge owner, they would have been warned of the unstable conditions. With three separate groups working the rescue, many people were involved. To be successful, coordination and good organization are a must. It is commendable that control was exercised over the men, and only organized groups dispatched. Good judgement was exercised in not searching the unknown terrain until dawn. This had no bearing on the survival of the victim- his only chance would have been for discovery by the other members of his party. Note that the victim was located by a visual search which spotted an exposed piece of his snowshoe. If the survivors had noticed this, they might have saved their buried partner. But they began their search toward dusk, and were quickly forced to decide whether one man should go for help. In the light of the situation at that time, they probably made the sensible choice, although hindsight suggests they might better have both continued the search. The importance of careful scrutiny for visual signs among the avalanche debris is demonstrated again. 61 |