andy_lemon
Dec 1, 2002, 6:47 AM
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By Associated Press, 11/30/2002
Mount Washington, NH - Two men, one of them from Massachusetts, were killed yesterday when an avalanche slammed through Tuckerman Ravine.
Thomas Burke, 46, of Springfield, and Scott Sandberg, 32, of Arlington, Mass., were among seven men who were mountaineering and ice climbing when the avalanche swept them about 1,000 feet down the ravine just before 11:30 a.m., said Fish and Game Lieutenant Martin Garabedian.
Two of the other men also were buried. One managed to free himself, and the other was hospitalized. Authorities have not identified the survivors.
The avalanche started near the lip of the headwall of the ravine, a wall of ice and snow with a 55-degree pitch. Others in the area called for help and tried unsuccessfully to revive Burke, Garabedian said.
Sandberg's body was found by 1:30 p.m., he said.
Hours before the avalanche, the US Forest Service had posted a warning reporting a moderate risk of avalanches, the second lowest rating in its five-rating system.
Natural avalanches are unlikely and human-triggered avalanches are possible on steep snow, covered open slopes, and gullies,'' the Forest Service said in the bulletin, which is displayed online, at national forest ranger stations, and on the mountain.
Garabedian said authorities are investigating what triggered the avalanche.
Mount Washington's 6,288-foot summit, the highest in the Northeast, has some of the world's worst weather and was the site of the highest wind speed ever recorded - 231 miles per hour on April 12, 1934.
The bowl-shaped Tuckerman Ravine, on the southeast shoulder of the mountain, is known for its deep snow and challenging hiking and skiing terrain.
This story ran on page B1 of the Boston Globe on 11-30-2002.
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[ This Message was edited by: andy_lemon on 2002-12-01 11:44 ]
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Avalanche Kills Two Climbers on Mt. Washington
