A group of 13 expert skiers suited in proper avalanche gear crossed the boundary of the Stevens Pass ski resort in Washington and entered the backcountry just before noon on Feb. 19, 2012. After a brief 10-minute hike they arrived at the top of a 3,000-vertical-foot drainage blanketed in 26 inches of fresh snow from the past 48 hours. It had the makings of one of the best days all winter, and the skiers dove in.
What happened next made headlines around the world and became another tragic example of how easily and quickly the great outdoors can turn deadly for even the most skilled and knowledgeable recreationists.
An avalanche 32-inches deep and 200-feet wide erupted at the top of the drainage and swallowed four skiers. One of them was Elyse Saugstad, a 33-year-old professional freeskier. She had been skiing professionally for six years and won the Free World Championship in 2008. During the European tour in 2009 she was given an ABS air-bag backpack, a piece of backcountry gear that had become popular across the continent. The pack was designed to instantly deploy an inflatable bladder that would hopefully protect the skier’s neck and keep them above the surface during an avalanche. Saugstad wore the pack that day and felt comfortable skiing with it on, so she decided to keep wearing it.
Today she firmly believes that piece of gear is the only reason she’s alive. After being swept into a wave of snow near Stevens Pass, Saugstad’s final act was pulling the toggle on her backpack. The avalanche ripped her down the drainage but because of the airbag it was unable to completely engulf her. Once the snow slowed to a halt, Saugstad’s head and hands were still above surface. She was OK.
As she would later find out, the three other skiers taken by the avalanche died.
The tragedy of that day continues to resonate in the outdoor community on the eve of another winter, and the haunting story is recounted in this month’s Outside Magazine by Saugstad’s friend, Megan Michelson, who witnessed the slide.
Saugstad visited Whitefish recently to emphasize the importance of being prepared and aware in the backcountry at the second annual Northern Rockies Avalanche Safety Workshop. The workshop featured six speakers from various backgrounds. It drew 250 people and was sold out.
Last winter avalanches killed 34 recreationists nationwide — 20 skiers and snowboarders, nine snowmobilers and five hikers. Six of those deaths occurred in Montana.
Saugstad is using her survival story as a way to try to prevent future incidents. Primarily she has become an outspoken proponent of the airbag backpack that saved her life.
“It’s really unfortunate because I think the day would’ve gone differently if my friends were wearing them,” she told the Beacon in an interview before the workshop. “I will ski with it for the rest of my life and I hope that from this incident people can learn from it and I hope that these backpacks become an integral part of our backcountry gear right alongside transceivers, shovels and probes.”
She emphasized that gear should never replace knowledge; the two should go hand in hand. But recreationists should take every possible safety measure no matter what.
“Regardless if it costs too much money,” she said. “That’s a silly reason (for not wearing one) to me.”
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Elyse Saugstad | Stephane Godin – Photo Courtesy Outside Media |
Another important message she hoped to convey at the workshop is the danger of complacency, especially in the backcountry near ski resorts. Like Whitefish Mountain Resort, Stevens Pass has vast out-of-bounds opportunities nearby. It can be easy to let your guard down and become complacent when accessing terrain near resorts, Saugstad said.
“You don’t have the same time to put into assessing everything, not to mention you can also have a false sense of safeness,” she said.
She said the group at Stevens Pass that day followed proper protocol. However, perhaps they relied too much on previous experience when deciding where to ski, she said. Many of the skiers that day had an extensive history in that area. But the avalanche forecast that day warned that conditions were considerably dangerous.
“Sometimes those past experiences really shouldn’t be what leads you or determines what you’re going to ski that day,” she said.
In a large group, especially an experienced one, it can also be more difficult for someone to speak up and raise concerns.
“You just naturally fall into this group mentality,” she said. “Once the cogs get going it’s hard sometimes for it to stop.”
As long as ski resorts are crowded and newer gear makes the backcountry more accessible, more and more people will continue to venture outward in search of ideal powder, Saugstad said.
The message for them, from a survivor, is to always remember how easily and quickly everything can change.
“The mountains are a very special place to be and to play in, but one of the things about mountains is they’re kind of like sleeping giants. You never know when they will awaken and that’s when things can go wrong,” she said.
“We try to mitigate those dangers but no matter how smart, educated and experienced you are, these mountains still have the upper hand.”