British Columbia, Southern Selkirks, Avalanche Peak—On July 9, Alan Stroh (34), Sandra Antins (20), David Williams (25), Timothy Weakley (27), Charles Carpenter (30), and Russell Burditt (23), set out to climb Avalanche Crest. This party was part of 9 who had arrived at Glacier the night before. Seventeen more, including the leaders of the whole group, had been detained at Lake Louise. Though most of them had little experience, they undertook a climb in perfect weather, slightly on the cool side. Snow was soft in the hot sun. Most of them needed practice in self-arrest on snow slopes. Carpenter had no idea of climbing a mountain involving a 5200 foot climb, though Stroh, who signed up for the climb, says he did. They started about 6:00 a.m. climbing to the snow- filled basin south of Avalanche and Eagle Peaks, then up on to the ridge called “Avalanche Crest.” Here, on a knife-edge, snow covered part of the ridge near the beginning, Stroh, Miss Antins, and Williams roped up, and asked the rest of the group who had already traversed the stretch, to wait and rope up with them. The rope slowed them up exceedingly. At the time of roping up it was 9:00 a.m.; they arrived at the summit of Avalanche Peak at 4:00 p.m.

Not wanting to return by so long a route, they started down the col to Eagle and then abandoned it for a snow slope on the southwest face. This was about 35° but steepened to 40° and ended in a cliff. The snow was soft, and care had to be taken not to push out the steps. No attempt was made at belaying; the whole of the party moved at once, too slow to belay, and no need. First sign of trouble was a hissing sound. Carpenter (second from the bottom) saw Stroh and Miss Antins (first and second at top) sliding by him. He made some feeble attempt at self-arrest, but they were soon all sliding. They crashed into a chain of rocks crossing the slope near the bottom, but some missed these rocks and pulled the rest of them over and they landed in a gully cut in the snow by meltwater. Time was about 5:00 p.m.

Stroh and Miss Antins had only minor injuries. Williams received bruises and abrasions on his hands. Weakley had a broken left elbow and cut forehead. Carpenter suffered a broken left collarbone (compound) and a fractured rib. Burditt was knocked unconscious and had extensive bleeding from scalp wounds. The members of the party administered first aid to each other.

After about a 15-minute assessment of injuries, and a noting of altitude (8,500 feet) Stroh started for base camp at 4,100 feet, 3½ miles away. He arrived at about 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. Other members of the group and 29 wardens and construction workers started to the rescue alarmed about the injuries. The first rescuers arrived at midnight with soup, tea, sleeping bags, and air mattresses, all welcomed by the injured on the cold rocky cliff edge (it was now below freezing). About 2:00 a.m. rescuers with a basket stretcher took down Russ Burditt, who had recovered consciousness about 3 hours after the accident. The rest walked down, with aid from the rescuers, arriving at the base camp at 6:00 a.m. They had a brief examination, and were taken by train to Revelstoke, Queen Victoria’s Hospital. Carpenter and Williams stayed two days, Burditt three, and Weakley four (Stroh discharged immediately, Miss Antins never went). During the rescue Barry Seed slipped and fell and was injured slightly.

Source: Charles Carpenter.

Analysis (Carpenter): “The account speaks for itself. An inexperienced, though fairly strong, party is lured farther than most wanted to go (more time used up, I should say), then returns in haste. Roped climbing down a steep snow slope with six on a rope is a mistake. Trying a static belay after someone has fallen under these conditions was a mistake. No one yelled, or even spoke, during the entire fall, another mistake.

“This is a classic example of how to be the ‘other person,' one lacking in common sense, who gets into accidents, at no point did we make the one move that caused our accident. General things led up to it.”