Avalanche(s) at MTN HIGH???

[Al]

I did not wish to stir the bickering pot here.  I just was looking at some facts.  Maybe Mountain High had no legal obligation to warn it's guest of the first avalanche, but they should have a moral obligation.  

If the resort closed for the day after the first avalanche, the others would have no way of reaching the out of bounds area.  And I am most certain that if Mountain High would have made the effort to announce warnings and/or post signage at the lift lines, more lives would not have been lost.  Wildman posted "there is a right time to be right"  Maybe this is the wrong time.  I really feel Mountain High is negligent to a degree.  Gross negligence?  Probably not.

[sallyanne]

Okay, here's a fact for you.  Mountain High averages over 500,000 ticket sales per season.  If you multiply that by the cost of a $46 lift ticket, that's twenty three million dollars a year in ticket sales alone.  Subtract their 4.2 million dollar yearly lease, and operating expenses and you still have a whopping profit, especially considering most employees are at minimum wages (not counting the highly paid executives).  But this profit does not include rentals, food sales, etc. that nearly doubles that amount.

But my question for you all is, why do I have to give you 'the facts?'  Why isn't eveyone in this community taking more interest in what is going on here?  Do your own homework, and you will see that Mountain High is not a friend of Wrightwood.  Open your eyes people.

[ChattyCathy]

I am done with this thread, too.  Give it a rest.  You do not know all the facts regarding the incidents, and you are causing grief to friends and family members.  Many people on this forum do know facts, but this is not the place. 

[FSfirefighter]

The United States Forest Service is supposed to have a National Avalanche Warning Center.... and require and enforce "out of area" fencing. It failed. Nobody who died should be ever blamed when other folks allowed their "human actions".

The Forest Service is underfunded, understaffed and only concentrates on certain areas of the country normally at risk. It allows concessionaires and contractors to dictate "their" terms without looking at the funding for safety.... and their profits.

I know the grief personally. The discussion should go on. It is the best way to ensure the future safety of our friends, their families, and our communities.

The Angeles National Forest folks need to get on board and support the community of Wrightwood.

It is going to be confusing at first, but the discussion should go on. The initial reading should be Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why and the research of Dr. James Reason on why the Forest Service allowed the latent failures to exist.

[Jack]

I have skied out of bounds many times over the years with no problems. This was just a freak accident and I do not feel anyone was at fault. Now that I have posted, lets give it a rest. Unless someone posts after this and then I'll have to post again saying lets give it a rest. And then someone else will post saying give it a rest. 

[Hillbillies]

I have been up here a long time.  This is the first time I have heard anyone die in these canyons due to avalanches.  Of course this was a freak accident.

[Al]

Why then was there no warning from Mountain High management to its guest that these conditions existed that day?  The Mountain High President was on scene at the very first avalanche.  Why did he not take action?  He saw first hand that avalanche conditions existed outside his ski hill that day.  He knows first hand that a huge amount of his guests/employees ski these out of bounds areas.

I was told first hand by two Mountain High employees that management told its employees to hush up the situation.   

Safety of its guests should be the number one priority/responsibility for Mountain High. 

[SkierBob]

These are very harsh words when you have no facts.  All I see is questions posed - no factual information.

I know the facts & understand the conditions at the time.  Anyone with even a little training who knows the facts also knows the truth.   








   

[mgomerymom]

SallyAnne,
Give it a rest. Mt HIgh is a friend of Wrightwood...DO you seriously think Wrightwood could survive without all the guests of Mtn High? The motels, restaurants...the winter is what keeps us going. And you stating it is Mtn Highs fault, per se, give me a break. I didn't personally know either of the gentlemen that passed, but I know a lot of folks who knew them. I know a lot of folks who ski/snowboard every year out of bounds. Avalanches are not at all commom here...We all take risks everyday, and this one unfortunately was not a good one.
I am not a mountain high advocate, by no means, I haven't been there in two or more years and i live here.... but you folks who literally put the blame on the resort for these two deaths ( and I heard some young guy friend of darrens at the Raccoon blaming the mtn UGH!) and for the shortage of water in Wrightwood (while we are blaming) are so full of S**T.  People need to accept responsibility for there own actions, like going out of bounds, or using too much water.....quit blaming others (like MT High)...
Now please let the family and friends of the two guys deal with this and not have to hear this over and over.....

[Hillbillies]

DO you seriously think Wrightwood could survive without all the guests of Mtn High? The motels, restaurants...

I don't know?  How many mthigh guests do you see while you're "hangin' out" at the Racoon? 

Mountain High does very little when it comes to bringing support to this town.  Go ask the local merchants. 

[SkierBob]

I know a lot of folks who ski/snowboard every year out of bounds. Avalanches are not at all commom here...We all take risks everyday, and this one unfortunately was not a good one.

Mh had nothing to do with terrible tragedy. The responsibility falls on nobody but the victims.  The only reason avalanches are not as common in Southern California as they are in the Sierra's or B.C. is the amount of snow that falls.  Back country skiing is a calculated risk at best when all safe percutions are taken. 

And since dangerous avy conditions are not that common in our area even though folks may of training they lack experience due to the fact avy conditions are not normally present in SoCal. 

However if the Angeles got as much snow as the Sierras conditions would in fact be much more dangerous due to the huge temp difference between night and day.    When new snow falls on top of an icy crust formed by high day time temps and freezing night time temps super dangerous avy conditions exist, as did on the day our boys were out of bounds.

I know exactly what they were doing that day as I share the same passion for laying fresh tracks down a prestine slope of untracked snow.  It's incredibly addicting and can very easily lead to even the most experienced taking huge risks. 

There hasn't been a day since the tragedy that I haven't thought about accident. And on days that we are skiing and taking risks ourselves we have talked in depth about the ww avys.

The only good that can come out of the tragic loss of life is a higher level of awareness of the dangers of avys and skiing out of bounds in hopes that others do not make the same mistakes.

Unfortunately some folks are clouding issue by not knowing a darn thing about what they are talking about and completely missing the lesson to be learned.  Their deaths may very well have saved my life or the lives of one of my friends, because I'll never again descend a slope without thinking of Darren and Mike and the conditions the day they lost their lives doing what they love.

DON'T TELL ME TO GIVE IT A REST!

[Al]

 
The only good that can come out of the tragic loss of life is a higher level of awareness of the dangers of avys and skiing out of bounds in hopes that others do not make the same mistakes.

Very good point.  Awareness is important.  In fact, a higher level of awareness should have been brought up immediately by Mountain High's management to the guests of Mountain High after the first deadly avalanche. 

[Elk]

I was up skiing at MH on Wednesday and noticed that MH has dedicated a new run to McKay. The run is called McKay's Glades. It is a double black diamond run through the trees to the left side off the top of Conquest. There is a designation sign with a quote from McKay I assume. There is also a warning about the risks involved with skiing in these types of areas.

I inquired with one of the ski instructors and she told me that MH had also dedicated a run to Coffey as well. I did not see the Coffey sign or run. I believe it is off the right side at the top of Conquest.

I think it was a nice gesture for MH to dedicate these runs in their memory. RIP

[Kimy1387]