3 girls died at squallywood (squaw valley). they were in the parking lot in their car sleeping, the car was running and they were backed up against a snow bank, which blocked the tailpipe and they died of carbon monoxide. tough start to the ski/board season.
It's really been a rough season. A skier died from an
inbound avy at Squaw on Christmas. Then I heard someone died in an
inbound avy at Jackson. There have been several more inbound slides at Jackson too.
Word is they have closed part of the resort until they can get things under control.
As I hear it, out west, there was early season snow and then lots of warm sunny days and cold nights with no snow for a long time afterward. Recently they have been getting dumped on, but that early season layer is of the type that is difficult for new snow to adhere to, so the top snow just keeps sliding off. This is what is responsible for the very dangerous conditions.
So far CA, CO, WY, and UT have all seen post-control inbound avalanches (that I am aware of). The danger is high and not just in the backcountry. I know some of our members are planning trips out west in the coming days and weeks. Please don't ride alone. Be careful and stick with a buddy. Make sure you don't lose sight of your friends, and don't even think about ducking ropes when you are out there. Come back alive.
