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Show Because of the extremely steep and hazardous slide path, the rescue party experienced some difficulty in lowering the toboggan to the victim's location. Due to increasing darkness, two men were dispatched to mark an exit route to the Wasatch Mine road at the bottom of the Gulch. The evacuation of the victim began at 7: 05 p. m. The ambulance had'been summoned, and was waiting for the rescue party when it reached the Wasatch Mine, The injured skier was immediately transported to the County Hospital in Salt Lake City, arriving there at 8: 00 p. m., only two hours and forty- five minutes after the accident occurred. It was found that the victim suffered fractures of the left leg and dislocation of the right hip. H. M. was also brought to the hospital where his injuries were found to be superficial. AVALANCHE DATA The slide began as a shallow, soft slab some 100 feet or more wide, fun-neled down through a narrow zone in the cliff band, and then spread out in the deposition areas below. Vertical relief from the avalanche fracture line to the tip of the deposition zone was about 550 feet with the slant distance close to 800 feet. The slide path was covered by scattered timber except in the open basin at the release zone. The slide initially involved only the new snow from the 1 March storm, sliding on a hard sun crust. Further down, in the narrow part of the gully, some deep layers of snow were dislodged by the force of the sliding snow. COMMENTS This accident involved a party of very experienced skiers who recognized the danger of the terrain they entered and were cautious of avalanche possibilities. The slide was triggered by the victim's momentary disregard of precautionary measures. A shouted warning and quick reaction by the experienced party enabled them to escape the slide with minimum injuries. Their prompt recovery of the buried victim and dispatch of a messenger for help led to a safe and rapid rescue operation. Training and experience tell; panic or confusion by an inexperienced party in this same situation could have had fatal results. Commenting later on her rescue, D. L. remarked: " It pays to be choosy with whom you ski in avalanche country." We strongly endorse this advice. No. 63- 2 RED MOUNTAIN PASS. COLORADO 3 March 1963 WEATHER FACTORS The winter had produced a snow depth which was less than average. It had stormed off and on during the week, but this particular storm began on Saturday afternoon, 2 March, and continued throughout the night. Winds were 87 |