AVALANCHE

New Hampshire, Mt. Washington

Sunday, April 6, 1980, was a clear, relatively warm, late-winter day. A winter of light snow and seasonably cold temperatures had resulted in excellent ice climbing conditions throughout the White Mountain area. It was this attractive combination of conditions that drew Jeff Tirey and Richard Morse to a day of climbing in King Ravine’s beautiful Great Gully. At 9:30 a.m., as they were about to complete the climb, a large piece of overhanging wind slab snow broke loose, creating an avalanche that dragged both climbers approximately 1,000 feet to the bottom of the gully. Both climbers sustained multiple injuries; neither could move and there were no other people in the remote area.

About 11 a.m., three hikers on the Air Line Trail heard screaming from somewhere in King Ravine. Two of them went down to notify the AMC at Pinkham Notch, while the third, Justin Whitney from Winthrop, Maine, descended into the ravine to investigate. Two very fortunate things had happened: Tirey had been conscious enough to see the three hikers on the ridge and Whitney had been curious enough to bushwhack one mile through a boulder field of drifted snow toward the screams for help. Whitney and his two friends were the only three hikers in the area that day; if they had not responded, if could have been days before anyone else happened upon the scene.

At 4 p.m., six and one-half hours after the avalanche, the accident was confirmed via a phone call from Whitney to Pinkham Notch Camp. He reported that Tirey had a broken right ankle and possible broken ribs, while Morse had severe head lacerations, was semiconscious and very cold, and had vomited blood. Whitney had leveled out a platform with a snowshoe, put Morse in a sleeping bag and bundled Tirey up as best he could.

All signs pointed to a long and involved rescue; the injuries were severe, the temperature was dropping, and the climbers had spent all day lying in the snow. It was just dusk when, after bushwhacking through the ravine, and following Whitney’s tracks, the first rescuers reached the victims. Tirey was in good spirits; Morse had severe head injuries, was cold, and was only moderately responsive. Morse’s injuries were treated as well as possible, while a great deal of attention was given to Tirey’s injured ankle and foot, both of which were very cold. The litter crews arrived 30 minutes later and the long process of evacuation began. At this point the two climbers had been in the snow for ten hours and there was an urgent need to get them to a hospital. The carry, although long and difficult, went smoothly; at 2 a.m., 17 hours after their initial fall, both climbers were in the ambulance bound for Androscoggin Valley Hospital.

Tirey was released from the hospital several days later. Morse was transferred to Mary Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover for further treatment of his head injuries. Both recovered satisfactorily. (Source: from a report by Jon Martinson, Manager, Pinkham Notch Camp)

Analysis

King Ravine is a remote area that draws relatively few winter climbers. The accident was not caused by any error on the part of either climber but was simply the result of the inherent dangers involved in winter climbing. Whitney’s response was instrumental in saving both lives. (Source: Jon Martinson, Manager, Pinkham Notch Camp)