I would definitely call myself a backcountry enthusiast. Nearly every day I'm dragging my snowboard out of the safety gates of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. I've taken an avalanche course. I know how it works. I've probably spent hundreds of days out of bounds. With that said, I have never seen an avalanche. It's a common fact that women are more conservative in the backcountry...less willing to take big risks. I'm definitely one that fits into that category, and I'm totally fine with it. My life will not be any less desirable if I don't do "Twice is Nice," a "no fall zone" just south of Cody Peak. I don't look longingly up at "Talk is Cheap" or "Breakneck" and wonder when I'm going to get the chance to hit them. I play it safe.
Nevertheless, I lugged my backcountry/camera bag out of the gates on a sunny Sunday morning, March 29, 2011 -- a date I don't think I'll forget. I was planning to go shoot photos of David Duffy dropping a 40-foot cliff called Smart Bastard. He was planning on entering the slope in an area called "Cowboys and Indians" and then traverse over to hit the big drop. Nothing unusual, just a big line, that many people have hit before. The avalanche danger was "moderate," that being only one step up from "low". We thought we were good to go.
Smart Bastard is on the right. You drop it diagonally into the little couloir.
I posted up just north of the drop so I would have a perfect view of the entire slope. There were tons of people out, as it was a beautiful day with a fresh coating of our world famous champagne powder...not to mention we've received over 500 inches of snow this year so stuff is pretty filled in. A pretty good year to check off some boxes on your backcountry hit list, if you feel the need to do so. I saw David peak over the top of the face, just as I saw two guys about to drop Smart Bastard. They were on a much lower entrance and they set off a pretty good amount of sluff, which was to be expected. The slope is, after all, 55+ degrees steep. I still wasn't worried at this point.
I got on the phone with David to help him navigate underneath a little patch of rocks so that he could easily traverse over to the cliff. Just as he was inching down the last part of the open snow field to his left, the whole slope ripped out. A thundering noise rattled the valley below, with waves of snow pouring over the cliff band. David was lucky enough to be able to make a quick turn and grab onto the nearby rocks for dear life. He was able to withstand the falling snow boulders and stayed safe and uninjured through the whole event. This guy was lucky.
After the avalanche, David climbed his way slowly back up the steep slope and rode to safety. He never did get to drop Smart Bastard, but it didn't really matter seeing as he could have died in an avalanche that day. We are all so thankful for his life.
Before and after shots of the slope.
David next to the massive crown.
I write this blog mainly because I have plenty of friends out there who take big risks on a daily basis. This was a moderate avalanche danger day, and David was able to release a size 2 avalanche with a 55 inch crown with the weight of just one person. Pretty scary. I know it's the end of the season and it's time to ski the lines you've been drooling over all year, but please be careful. I love my friends out here and I would never want anything to happen to them.
With that said, let's throw on some neon onezies this weekend and get our shred on!
