By Jim Stanford on January 13, 2007
The death of skier Justin Kautz, 25, in an avalanche south of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on Jan. 5 was hardly a surprise, given that for years lift riders have been regarding the backcountry terrain around the resort as part of the ski area. And with dangerous instabilities lingering in this year’s snowpack, it’s likely Kautz’s death won’t be the last.
Forecaster Bob Comey of the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center sees similarities between this winter and 2000-01, a winter dubbed the “season of sorrow” when avalanches killed five skiers and snowboarders in the Jackson Hole area, among other recreation-related deaths. “We’re seeing a lot of close calls, lots of people involved in avalanches,” Comey says.
Consider that:
- On the morning of Kautz’s death, the B-T avalanche center reported that seven people had been caught in slides in the southern Tetons the previous day, six of whom left the ski area boundaries. Forecasters had been warning backcountry travelers to avoid the type of steep, north-facing cliff area where Kautz and his two friends were caught. The three had gone to Rock Springs Bowl to film Kautz, an expert skier, jumping a 60-foot cliff called Fat Bastard.
- On Wednesday, Jan. 10, three people triggered avalanches in Grand Teton National Park and Angle Mountain on Togwotee Pass. The Angle Mountain slide ran to the ground.
- Today, two skiers were buried up to their necks after triggering a 3-foot slab near the Great White Hump north of Teton Pass. The two already had skied the slope and were skinning back up when the avalanche occurred. Both were dug out, unhurt.
The deep freeze gripping northwest Wyoming will continue to form faceted snow crystals, or surface hoar, that will present a problem layer in the snowpack later in the winter. And Comey says the shallow snowpack in the Togwotee Pass and Greys River areas — both popular for snowmobiling — is even more dangerous, as it is rotting from the inside out because of temperature gradient. The bottom half of the snow is sugary and weak, and fractures could produce large “climax” avalanches that run to the ground.
The good news is the Teton snowpack likely is deep enough (five feet) that forecasters aren’t too worried about similar rotting due to the cold temperatures, Comey says.
By all accounts, Kautz, the skier killed in Rock Springs Bowl, was a fun-loving and thoughtful person who cared about the world beyond his own. Lauren Whaley, who spent considerable time with Kautz’s friends, paints a moving portrait of him at NewWest.net and The Snaz.com. Kautz, a Vermont native who lived in Wilson, is remembered for living “purposefully and passionately.”
After its initial report misspelled Kautz’s name, the Jackson Hole News&Guide rebounds with a nice follow-up by Cory Hatch.
And Rando Steve has a photo of Fat Bastard archived on his sick-gnar Alpine touring site, www.tetonat.com.
Judging by his photo gallery posted on flickr.com, Kautz was an impressive skier. Let’s hope others, either through luck, preparation or better judgment, avoid his fate.
Posted under avalanches, skiing, sports, weather
