2021/2022 Avalanche Education Series
Part 2: Thinking you’re playing it safe when conditions are dangerous “TO ERR IS HUMAN” – Josh Feinberg, ESAC Lead Avalanche Forecaster
Part 1: Backcountry Basics- Chris Engelhardt, ESAC Avalanche Forecaster
2021/2022 Season Kick Off Workshops
White Death & Taxes: uncertainty and us in snowy mountains – Howie Schwartz, Sierra Mountain Guides
Avalanche Forecasts & Quality Field Observations – Steve Mace and Chris Engelhardt, Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center
Season history, outlook, and weather forecasts for the Eastern Sierra – Chris Smallcomb, NOAA Meteorologist and Warning Coordinator
An operational perspective on avalanche safety: Avalanche mitigation and safety at Mammoth Mountain – Neil Satterfield, Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol
Explosion in backcountry use across the U.S.: A changing backcountry skiing landscape – Ned Bair, UCSB Earth Research Institute
Bardini Chute Accident Debrief
March 18, 2021
On January 30th 2021 a large avalanche was unintentionally triggered in the Main Bardini Chute on Punta Bardini, just outside of the town of Mammoth Lakes. An experienced local skier was caught, carried, and injured in the slide. This incident followed a major winter storm event and immediately drew the attention of the local community. This man and his partners are fortunate that the outcome of this particular avalanche was not worse.
As a community we are also fortunate that the outcome of this avalanche was not worse. Review of this incident provides the opportunity to peek behind the curtain of events like these to examine the decision-making errors made and explore lessons to be learned first hand from those involved. Case studies of avalanche accidents can be powerful learning tools for all of us, but when they are from terrain that we are familiar with and can even see from town, it can be even more impactful.
How did this group of experienced and educated backcountry travelers end up there, and what were the contributing factors that led to this incident?
2020/2021 Backcountry Travel & Avalanche Education Event Series