NY Times feature about Stevens Pass February 2012 Avalanche

I was about to post that link myself after coming across it in the Mammoth Forum. I've been bashing the NY Times about that apocalyptic scare article about the ski industry earlier this month. But it's only fair to give them credit for the very well executed multimedia feature about the Stevens Pass avalanche.
 
Wow, that is sobering. It's scary to realize how groupthink can cause even experienced, careful people to go with the flow, despite external warning signs of danger and (for some) internal foreboding. It seems especially important to be on your guard when you're with several experienced backcountry skiers/boarders, not deferring too much to others when you feel misgivings. That's easy to say, but harder to do, especially when snow conditions are so inviting.
 
baldyskier":pxvl5oij said:
Wow, that is sobering. It's scary to realize how groupthink can cause even experienced, careful people to go with the flow, despite external warning signs of danger and (for some) internal foreboding. It seems especially important to be on your guard when you're with several experienced backcountry skiers/boarders, not deferring too much to others when you feel misgivings. That's easy to say, but harder to do, especially when snow conditions are so inviting.
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Word...
When in doubt - go with your gut. If your spider senses are tingling, don't ignore them.
Everyone has to realize that the 1st goal must always be safety, and that everyone wants to live to ride another day.
Maybe Familiarity does breed comtempt...
 
longshanks":1dq7zxow said:
Maybe Familiarity does breeds comtempt...
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Undoubtedly. Well, maybe not contempt - perhaps complacency is a better term. One of our ex-locals, who doesn't know jack $hit about avi assessment, took some visitors OOB into the Alta side-country a few seasons ago 'cause he wanted to get to some untracked (and show off local knowledge a bit as well, I think). In any case on that day he had not read the avi advisory, didn't know elevation or aspect, didn't know snowpack history, didn't know safe travel protocol, and no one had any avi gear. He had no business going out there or taking anyone else along.
OK. Maybe that is contempt.
 
I was about to post this article but a search revealed that it already had been and I just missed it. So, a bump up, for anyone else who also missed it.

It is a very good article that, along with the multimedia aspect and overall presentation, becomes quite an immersive experience. In fact, I came across it in an article about the NYTimes itself, commenting on how projects like this are "showing the way forward for online journalism."
 
Tony Crocker":xwt18hap said:
Give credit where credit is due but also call out crap like the ski industry article last December.
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+1, Sometimes the Times gets it right in a big way, but many other times it's total trash.


FYI, this was the Denver posts attempt to quasi replicate the Times piece with a huge feature length article on an avalanche in the northern part of CO:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_22909077/colorado-skier-felt-life-fading-during-3-hours

A decent read and reasonably well written for today's day and age of newspapers. However quite lacking relative to the immersive multi-media experience that the Times piece had.
 
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