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Show for L. After T. was freed, the four men spent another \ hour searching for the remaining man in the party, L., to no avail. At approximately 1500 hours, F- and one other went for help. Six persons were located. One was sent down the trail for more help while five went to the accident scene with F. and his companion. The nine men probed with ski poles until 1630, when the search was called off. Searchers were afraid of another avalanche, and the weather was worsening. A doctor in the party expressed the opinion that the victim was probably dead by now. On Monday, 25 searchers began searching at 0830 with probes and shovels, systematically covering the area. At 1310 the body of L. was recovered. A doctor on the scene believed he died from suffocation shortly after being buried. Probing was concentrated near the terminus where T. and Sa. were located. T. thought he had been hit by L. as the slide carried them downward. L. was found about 10 feet from where T. was dug out, and about 10 or 15 feet from the edge of the avalanche. AVALANCHE DATA The slide was a hard slab. Distance from the fracture line to terminus of the debris is estimated between 800 and 1000 feet. Fracture line was estimated between 1000 - 2000 feet long. Slide would be coded HS- N- 3. The slide could have been released by the party if they were in the compression zone of the avalanche. However, from their description and available pictures, it seems more likely it was a natural release. COMMENT Signs placed along the trail to Tuckerman Ravine warned of hazards to skiers and climbers. Since use at the area was only light in February, there were no restrictions in force- only warning signs. During the popular spring skiing in March and April, a ski patrol is usually on duty. The victim's body was in an upright position. Depth below the surface is not recorded. The report states " the systematic probing, carried out in a straight line, did not include the uneven edge of the pile- up. Here, probing was carried on independently by individuals. The nearly upright position of the body probably caused it to be missed during earlier probing there." The body was found within 10 feet of where they thought it might be, yet the searchers probed for over 4^ hours Monday morning before finding it. A good lesson- always begin at the extreme toe or terminus of the debris with systematic probing. Exceptions to this rule will be rare. The survivors used good judgement in conducting their search for L. However, it is questionable if the first rescue party should have called off the search Sunday afternoon after searching for less than an hour ( searching called off at 1630 -- 2^ hours after the accident.) The storm was worsening, and darkness was approaching, but these two conditions are not enough in themselves to call off a rescue. Danger from additional slides had to be considered, but sometimes a calculated risk is necessary. The rescue party may have been unduly influenced by the doctor's statement that 20 |