44. Lessons from a Deadly Avalanche Accident with Forecaster Nikki Champion
Out and Back
English - December 15, 2021 10:02 - 52 minutesPlaces & Travel Society & Culture Leisure hiking backpacking navigation gaia gps outdoors offroad overlanding backcountry interview Homepage Download Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
With avalanche danger rated high in the Wasatch Mountains, two separate backcountry ski parties went searching for safer, lower-angle terrain. They headed for Wilson Glade, a relatively mild slope that beckons skiers when conditions seem too dangerous to head into the steeps. The two groups checked the avalanche and weather forecasts, made a conservative travel plan, and carried all the right gear and backcountry experience for a successful trip. But, all precautions aside, they were swept away in a colossal avalanche. Four of eight people died. Avalanche Forecaster Nikki Champion, of the Utah Avalanche Center, walks us through what we can learn from this tragic accident as we head into a new ski season - one that could be shaping up to be just as dangerous as the last.