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Honoring the Mountain’s Truth – Avalanche Danger (03-31-2005)

Bookmark and Share            By Lou

Quite a bit of information about the Mount Tom, California avalanche is coming out. This article in the Inyo register is good. Reading between the lines, it’s easy to see the group was gang skiing an avalanche slope, probably because they felt safe backcountry skiing on Sierra snow that’s generally quite stable — but in this case was not. One way of honoring the victims of such events, especially if they’re legendary mountaineers such as victim Will Crljenko, is to learn from their mistakes.

Those close to such accidents might find the word “mistake” to be harsh. I believe one of the beautiful things about mountaineering is that it’s an activity of consequence, with a firm set of cause/effect rules. Folks at a Boulder, Colorado coffee shop can debate the meaning of “truth” all they want, but when we’re skiing backcountry snow, certain truths are as sure as the sunrise we greet every morning. When we disregard or forget the mountain’s truth, I call that a mistake. We all do it now and then — because we’re human — but we can learn from misfortune and perhaps do better.

Thus, my use of the word “mistake” is not intended to disparage anyone, but rather to lift us all up — to honor those individuals who commit their lives to alpinism, and to respect the mountains where they live and die.

Posted by Lou on March 31, 2005 | Filed Under avalanches 

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Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information and opinion website. Lou's passion for the past forty years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about backcountry skiing and is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the Fourteeners! Books and free back country information here, and tons of Randonnee rando telemark info.

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