Choose your color scheme:
The Vette Barn  
 
Go Back   The Vette Barn > Off Topic/Babes/Other > Off Topic
Register Photo Albums Today's Posts Search Experience

Off Topic Off Topic - General non-Corvette related discussion.

User Tag List

Reply
 
Share Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 03-03-2018, 8:27pm   #1
NEED-A-VETTE
Moderatrix
Barn Stall Owner #109
BR Organizer II,III,IV

NCM Supporter '17
Bantayan Kids '13,'15,'17
Points: 120,217, Level: 100
Activity: 3.2%
 
NEED-A-VETTE's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Your not a good moderator either, V-A-G. Honestly I find it kind of funny.
Posts: 22,107
Thanks: 10,660
Thanked 18,127 Times in 5,356 Posts
Gameroom Barn Bucks: $9966256
Default Avalanche strikes crowded Mammoth Mountain

Avalanche strikes crowded Mammoth Mountain: 'Essentially, the top of the mountain came loose'



Quote:
MAR 03, 2018 @ 3:20 PM

An avalanche at Mammoth Mountain early Saturday forced the closure of the popular ski area and triggered search and rescue efforts, officials said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or missing people, but emergency crews were activated, officials said.

The ski patrol was conducting avalanche hazard mitigation work when the avalanche occurred about 10:15 a.m. on the upper part of the mountain near the High Five Express chairlift area, Lauren Burke, public relations manager for Mammoth Mountain, said in a statement. Such work usually involves the use of explosive devices to demolish dangerous snow piles.

Rescue operations, which included the use of search dogs, were immediately activated.

"Three people were partially buried [in the avalanche], including one Mammoth Mountain employee," Burke said. But "the three individuals were able to free themselves without injury."

The area where the ski patrol had been working was closed to skiers at the time of the incident, she said. Falling avalanche debris reached the bottom of the lift and ultimately an area open to the public, Burke said.

Upon hearing reports of the avalanche, Mammoth Hospital summoned about 20 extra doctors and nurses into work, but as of 12:45 p.m. Saturday, the hospital had not received any patients related to the event, according an emergency room nurse who declined to give his name.

"The reports we are getting is that all employees have been accounted for, and no one has called in the number for missing loved ones," he said.

Mammoth Mountain is in California's Sierra Nevada range, about 300 miles north of Los Angeles. A recent storm brought up to 5 feet of snow to mountain areas.

The slopes were extremely crowded Saturday morning with people taking advantage of the new snowfall. As the sun came up, visitors could hear explosions on the mountain indicating that workers were using a cannon and other equipment to break up snowy overhangs that had developed overnight and could fall, triggering avalanches.

Skiers realized there had been a disaster on the mountain about 11 a.m., when chairlifts came to an abrupt halt and the air was suddenly filled with the sound of sirens blaring as emergency responders and ambulances streamed up to the resort, a witness said in an interview with The Times on Saturday.

"I was waiting to board a ski lift when it suddenly stopped working," said Barbara Maynard of Los Angeles. "Suddenly, it was pandemonium everywhere you looked. Ambulances, police vehicles and fire engines were rolling into the area. Simultaneously, Mammoth Mountain staffers and ski patrols were roaring up the slopes on snowmobiles."

Many people were probing for buried skiers and snowboarders on the Comeback Trail, which cuts past Chairlift 5, she said.

"Shortly before the slide, that area was very crowded," Maynard said. "Essentially, the top of the mountain came loose in a major avalanche."

Maynard said all members of the Mammoth Mountain ski racing team, including her 13-year-old daughter, got off the mountain safely.

Lucas Dunn was skiing down from Chairlift 16 when he saw snow pouring down what appeared to be a closed run near Chair 5, the area called High Five Express.

"I skied down to see what was going on, and at that point, you could see a bunch of broken trees and all the fencing had been taken out. You could see snowmobiles flipped and buried," said Dunn, the social media manager at Footloose Sports, a sporting goods store in Mammoth Lakes. He said the men riding the snowmobiles appeared unhurt and were doing a head count as he passed by.

The avalanche "descended the mountain much farther than anything I've seen previously," he said.

Afterward, the mountain was shut down, and a throng of motorists began making their way down into town in white-out conditions. As cars crept down the winding roads, Dunn said, more than 15 ambulances, their sirens screaming, made their way up the hill toward the site of the avalanche.

"That was the most unnerving part," he said.

John Williams, 46, a longtime resident of the area, said he was among a group of friends preparing to board Chairlift 22 when "the operation suddenly stopped loading, leaving more than 150 skiers wondering what was going on."

"We hiked about 15 minutes to the parking lot, where local emergency mayhem had broken out," Williams said. "There were people trying to get out any way they could; some were waiting for buses, others were sharing rides and more than 100 just started skiing down Minaret Road, the main highway to the bottom of the mountain.

"Driving down two-lane Minaret Road was tricky and a little dangerous," he said. "Traffic was closed uphill to all but emergency responders. The downhill lane was jammed with cars, trucks and skiers traveling about 5 miles per hour."

The varying consistency of the snowpack deposited over the area by recent storms already was a topic of conversation among locals concerned about the potential for avalanches.

Thursday night, a heavy layer of wet snow accumulated over a few feet of cold, light snow. On Friday night, the heavy wet snow was covered with another fresh layer of cold, light snow.

That combination, locals say, can result in layers of ice and light snow that fail to adhere and are, therefore, prone to sliding.

Details of the avalanche were hard to come by throughout the day, even for residents of nearby communities that are home for the ski resort's staffers.

"There was nothing on local police, fire or emergency websites," said Stephanie Cooper, who resides in the area during the winter months. "Mammoth Mountain's website finally said in its Daily News section that 'all lifts are currently closed' but went on to talk about the great snowfall."

Although there were no confirmed reports of missing people, anyone who is aware of missing friends or family is asked to call authorities at (760) 934-0611.

Mammoth will remain closed Saturday, Burke said.

"We expect to return to normal operation" Sunday, she said. "Full investigation is ongoing, and more details will come."
Avalanche strikes crowded Mammoth Mountain: 'Essentially, the top of the mountain came loose'
NEED-A-VETTE is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2018, 8:33pm   #2
JRD77VET
Barn Stall Owner #327
NCM Supporter '16,'17,'19,'20
Bantayan Kids '13,'14,'15,'17
GTMS ‘18
Points: 116,158, Level: 100
Activity: 9.4%
 
JRD77VET's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Zionsville,PA
Posts: 49,135
Thanks: 25,808
Thanked 21,886 Times in 8,905 Posts
Gameroom Barn Bucks: $5976008
Default

Hope for zero casualties
JRD77VET is online now   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to JRD77VET For This Useful Post:
Old 03-03-2018, 9:33pm   #3
snide
Barn Raising II,III
NCM Supporter '13
Bantayan Kids '17
Points: 216,817, Level: 100
Activity: 53.6%
 
snide's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: I could never live there.
Posts: 339,934
Thanks: 200,281
Thanked 30,508 Times in 14,293 Posts
Gameroom Barn Bucks: $108033784
Default

Snow happens.
snide is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to snide For This Useful Post:
Old 03-03-2018, 9:42pm   #4
FasterTraffic
A Real Barner
Points: 21,280, Level: 100
Activity: 0%
 
FasterTraffic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 5,416
Thanks: 29
Thanked 2,735 Times in 1,411 Posts
Gameroom Barn Bucks: $2008887
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JRD77VET View Post
Hope for zero casualties
Sounds like a close call for a few but the area directly impacted was closed to skiers. I haven't read anything yet that says anyone is missing.
FasterTraffic is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to FasterTraffic For This Useful Post:
Old 03-03-2018, 9:47pm   #5
OddBall
A Real Barner
Points: 50,207, Level: 100
Activity: 36.0%
 
OddBall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Winston Salem NC
Posts: 30,058
Thanks: 10,935
Thanked 10,517 Times in 5,423 Posts
Gameroom Barn Bucks: $29466197
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JRD77VET View Post
Hope for zero casualties
OddBall is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to OddBall For This Useful Post:
Old 03-03-2018, 9:50pm   #6
MrPeabody
A Real Barner
Points: 69,948, Level: 100
Activity: 0%
 
MrPeabody's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Northern California
Posts: 33,993
Thanks: 14,302
Thanked 12,309 Times in 5,942 Posts
Gameroom Barn Bucks: $2214590
Default

Five were rescued up in Squaw Valley today.
MrPeabody is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to MrPeabody For This Useful Post:
Old 03-04-2018, 4:44am   #7
Black94lt1
Barn Stall Owner #13
Barn Raising II,III,IV

NCM Supporter '13,'14,'16,'17,'19,'20
Bantayan Kids '13,'15,'17
GTMS ‘18
Points: 24,895, Level: 100
Activity: 1.4%
 
Black94lt1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Ypsilanti, Mi
Posts: 13,298
Thanks: 7,790
Thanked 2,641 Times in 1,956 Posts
Gameroom Barn Bucks: $425244
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FasterTraffic View Post
Sounds like a close call for a few but the area directly impacted was closed to skiers. I haven't read anything yet that says anyone is missing.
Great news!
Black94lt1 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Black94lt1 For This Useful Post:
Reply

The Vette Barn > Off Topic/Babes/Other > Off Topic



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 8:39pm.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2009 - 2024 The Vette Barn


Support the Barn:
 
Download the Mobile App;
 
Follow us on Facebook:

Become a Stall Owner

 

Apple iOS App        Google Android App

 

Visit our Facebook page