Avalanche Claims California Man Near Mt. Baker

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Avalanche Claims California Man Near Mt. Baker

By J.D. O'Connor
April 22, 2006

A California man became the latest in a string of skiers/boarders killed during one of the most lethal seasons in recent memory when he and two companions were caught up in an avalanche west of the Mount Baker Ski area, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.

Tuesday's accident claimed Tobias Lee, 25, of Truckee, Calif. His brother and a friend survived.

A sheriff's spokesman said the trio was skiing near the Mount Baker Ski Area when the avalanche was triggered, sweeping Lee over two rock faces and through a stand of trees.

Lee was unconscious after the slide and didn't respond to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to the sheriff's spokesman. A team from Bellingham Mountain Rescue was unable to reach the area because the continuing avalanche danger, and a private helicopter was summoned to remove Lee's body.

Lee's death is the latest in a string of off-piste and on-mountain accidents which claimed a record number of U.S. and European skiers/boarders this year. In the French Alps alone, 49 people died in off-piste avalanche accidents - the highest figure since records began 35 years ago. There have been 19 deaths in Switzerland since October, including 12 over a 17-day period last month alone.

The exact number of ski-related deaths in the U.S. has not yet been fixed but experts agree it is up over previous years. In a typical year, four to 12 people can expect to lose their lives on California ski slopes. This year, that number stands at 17.

Experts blame this winter's high death toll on irregular weather patterns. The fashion for extreme sports has made the situation worse by attracting more people to potentially perilous slopes. Others maintain that better equipment has given skiers access to terrain they might not otherwise have visited.

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Comments

	It has been a tough year. Lot of people on the slopes and some of them going where they shouldn't. I notice that several of the people who lost their lives this season were patrollers and instructers, which just goes to show you that it can happen to anyone. Keep them all alive in your memories.
	Posted by: Clay Bergran \| April 22, 2006 02:41 PM

	Tobias was a great skier who competed in the U.S. World Extremes in Crested Butte Colorado. He skied by day and worked by night....a passionate skier.
	Posted by: Mark D. kogelmann \| May 23, 2006 07:20 AM