Oz - Avalanche Accident

The following details were relayed to FAC via WMR patrol, or communicated directly by Party 2 (Riders 3 and 4). We will update this report as more details become available or we confirm them with Riders 1 and 2.                                

Rider's 1 and 2 arrived at the top of Oz mid to late morning. There was one track down the chute from earlier that morning, from a rider they'd encountered earlier. Just before Riders 1 and 2 dropped into the chute, a second party (Riders 3 and 4) arrived. Rider 1 dropped into the slope first and skied partway down, then tucked behind a tree in what he thought was a safe zone. He called for his partner to ski down. Before Rider 2 could start, the slope fractured about 100 feet above Rider 1. A wall of snow hit Rider 1 and swept him downhill, and after a short distance, pinned him against a tree. He felt his skis come off. He dogpaddled to keep his head above the snow.  When the snow stopped, he was buried waist deep. Most of the debris - and likely Rider 1's skis - traveled much further down slope. Rider 2 skied to Rider 1 and they evaluated the situation. They were about roughly halfway down the chute, several hundred feet from the top and several hundred feet above the debris. They calculated they had less than 3 hours to make the last lift. They chose not to look for Rider 1's skis and began bootpacking back to the top of Oz. 

Riders 3 and 4 waited on top for the first party to be clear of the chute. Once they figured enough time had elapsed, Rider 3 entered Oz and skied to the bottom without incident. There he saw the debris from the slide that caught Rider 1. Looking up, he saw the pair booting back to the top of the chute. He had no way to warn Rider 4, who dropped into the steeper, left side of the chute. Rider 4 triggered a small slab - likely the hangfire from the previous slide - but escaped to the right. 

The debris from the second slide missed Riders 1 and 2. Riders 1, 2, and 4 talked, then Rider 4 continued to the base of the chute and reconvened with Rider 3. This pair then skinned out of the basin, back to the top and descended Dorothy's without incident. They were unable to make it back to the lifts in time and skinned out of the canyon via Ridge Run. 

Meanwhile, Riders 1 and 2 continued their self evacuation. Once they reached the top of Oz, they traveled back along the ridge, each using half of Rider 2's splitboard. At the top of Skook Peak, they alerted WMR patrol of their predicament. They emphasized that they were uninjured and well prepared and did not need a rescue. They made it to the base of Chair 7 just in time to ride up to the summit, where Rider 1 was downloaded to the base of WMR. 

Riders 1 and 2 were familiar with the terrain, well-prepared with food and extra clothing, and executed a self rescue. 

Getting pinned against a tree almost immediately likely kept Rider 1 from suffering serious trauma. 

The solo rider presumably returned to the resort safely.

Note: On their way to visit the accident site the following day, FAC forecasters saw the crown and debris from a recent avalanche on the east face of Skook Peak. Four tracks were visible in the bed surface and lead from the runout to Oz. There were no other tracks going to Oz. When they checked out the crown of that slide ontheir return, tracks indicated that the slide was triggered by the last rider jumping into the slope. It appeared that both parties skied this slope on their way to Oz (it is a frequent route). However, one of the riders in the second party triggered the slide before those two riders continued on to Oz. 

A skier suffered a broken femur and other serious injuries in an accident in Oz about 20 years ago. A complicated night rescue ensued. He eventually made a full recovery.