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Blackbird Mountain Guides

All articles tagged with #blackbird mountain guides

public-safety-regulation7 days ago•3 min saved

Cal/OSHA hits Blackbird Mountain Guides with six-figure penalties after deadly avalanche

Cal/OSHA fined Blackbird Mountain Guides $151,300 for a February backcountry avalanche near Castle Peak that killed nine people, citing willful-serious and other safety violations such as failing to correct an imminent avalanche hazard, inadequate hazard assessment, insufficient training, inadequate protective equipment assessment, and failure to report fatalities; the company plans to appeal and contends it operated within safety standards amid the challenging backcountry conditions.

via KCRA|

#avalanche #backcountry-skiing #blackbird-mountain-guides

national6 months ago•7 min saved

Backcountry Split Turns Fatal in Sierra Nevada Avalanche

Two backcountry groups split up to exit Sierra Nevada huts ahead of a major storm: four friends from Frog Lake Huts and about 15 clients/guides with Blackbird Mountain Guides. By Tuesday, a massive avalanche on a north-facing slope near Perry’s Point buried the Blackbird group, killing at least eight, with six survivors and one missing; 3–6 feet of snow and winds up to 60 mph followed several dry, sunny days, and forecasters warned of a weak, destabilizing layer. Survivors who sheltered under a tarp were rescued after hours of whiteout conditions. Questions linger about why the Blackbird party left on Tuesday and whether a different route or delaying departure could have changed the outcome. The tragedy is the deadliest avalanche in the United States in more than four decades.

via The New York Times|

#avalanche #backcountry #blackbird-mountain-guides