otis24: Thank you!
I also found a description of that situation. Here is text from an old
www.esavalanche.org forum -- gone from the original source.
Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:52 am
Post subject: Survivor's account of Mt. Whitney area avalanche
This information comes courtesy of Brian Spitek of the Mt. Whitney Ranger Station.
Brief Account from 4 Climbers Who Survived Whitney Avalanche:
Four climbers survived an avalanche below Iceberg Lake on April 4th. Climbers began ascent of Mt. Whitney on April 2nd in good weather. Climbers checked forecast which predicted snow before departing. Climbers were not aware of a severe winter storm warning if in fact one had been issued by then. Climbers ascended the Mountaineers Route, camping in the drainage on the first night. Climbers ascended to below Iceberg Lake on April 3rd. Weather conditions deteriorated during the afternoon and early evening, with light snow and winds, sometimes gusting. Camp was set on one side of a small gully, providing some protection from the wind.
Weather conditions worsened during the night of April 3rd with constant snow and increasing winds. Upon awaking on the morning of April 4th, climbers were confronted with high winds and near white-out conditions.. Climbers decided to descend. Upon dressing, climbers ate and made water inside the tent because of the wind. As climbers were preparing to leave the tent, there was a tremendous gust of wind and, within seconds, the entire tent was buried in an avalanche.
When the avalanche ended, Climber 1 was nearest the surface, approximately 2.5 feet from it, and able to move his arms above his head. Climber 2 was beneath Climber 1, under several feet of snow and unable to move much. Climbers 3 and 4 were pinned together beneath Climber 2. Climber 1 punched through to the surface, climbed out, and began excavating the hole from which he emerged with his hands (shovels and other gear were buried). Climber 2 was able to talk and provided direction. After many minutes of digging by Climber 1, Climber 2 was able to free himself and move up out of the hole.
Once freed, Climber 2 did not exit the hole right away, though, concerned that the hole would collapse and suffocate the climbers below. Climber 2 communicated with Climber 3, and immediately began excavating the hole further with assistance from Climber 1. The excavation freed Climber 3, and Climbers 2 and 3 then climbed out. Climber 4 then climbed out following Climber 3. During the entire self rescue, climbers attempted to control their breathing and remain calm. Climbers believe that the tent structure may have created small air pockets and that the loose snow may have played a role in allowing enough oxygen to the climbers below.
Once all four climbers were on the surface, they recovered two sets of snow shoes and began their descent. Climbers descended in white out conditions. Heavy winds with gusts they estimate at 70 mph or more frequently pinned them to the slopes. Snow was heavy, and climbers without snowshoes post-holed often. Climbers rotated lead and attempted to descend through rocky areas to avoid triggering more avalanches. Climbers crossed avalanche prone slopes one at a time when crossing them was unavoidable. Climbers nonetheless triggered a small avalanche on the descent, from the top of a small chute, which the lead climber rode down.
Climbers hope this account helps others and are grateful to be alive.
And
Bob R's words are worth repeating here:
The following is from Ranger Brian Spitek's report:
The climbers knew that snow was forecast before starting their climb on April 2. The weather was good that day, but deteriorated beginning the afternoon of April 3. They set up camp in the gully below Iceberg Lake because it offered some protection from the wind. Spitek believes it was at the base of a 200'-high, fairly steep, south-facing, slope.
Conditions worsened during the night, with heavy snow and high winds. The avalanche occurred the morning of April 4, as they were preparing to leave their tent for the descent.
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I was reminded of an evening in the Himalaya in 1993. I'm sure Kurt Wedberg remembers it, too, because he was there. From my logbook:
"It was stormy and wild at dinnertime, so the cooks brought the food to us in our tents. We thought it was bad, but later it got really stormy! The wind blew; snow was heavy; thunder and lightning very close overhead—seemingly for hours. A lot of snow piled up on the tents and had to be shoveled off repeatedly. Around midnight Eric decided that there was some danger of avalanche through the eastern part of the camp, from a side gully, so everyone piled out in this terrific storm, to move tents a hundred feet or so to safer ground. Not a pleasant task because the rocks used to guy the tents down had to be dug up and moved too. Finally, after a couple of hours, we were able to get back in our sleeping bags."
My recollection is that "our" avalanche never came. Nevertheless, the lesson is clear: Life-protection measures must take precedence over personal comfort.
In my article on Whitney area avalanches, in which I stress the importance of avalanche avoidance: "we almost never go if a serious storm has occurred within the prior two days." A corollary is that we always retreat if a serious storm unexpectedly materializes when we are up there. That happened on a Mountaineer's Route climb of our own, on New Year's weekend several years ago. It sounds like the weather conditions we met evolved similarly to these four fellows', but we were camped in a safer area at Iceberg Lake.
I will take this opportunity to repeat the concluding paragraph of my article, with renewed emphasis:
"Generally speaking, for those who know about and practice avalanche avoidance procedures, the popular winter and spring climbing routes to peaks in the Mount Whitney basin are pretty safe. But saying something is pretty safe is not saying it is perfectly safe. Learn as much as you can about avalanche hazards and avoidance, be alert and observant, and take a longer path around or retreat if you sense that the conditions are not quite right."
Please do not be blasé about climbing in the Sierra in winter. And, as Doug Thompson says in another post, winter ends only when summer gets here.
