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Skiers, boarder caught in snowfall

Two skiers found alive; snowboarder's body recovered

By Ondřej Bouda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
March 26th, 2008 issue

Mountain rescue teams responded to two avalanches in the Krkonoše Mountains over Easter weekend. On Friday, March 21, an avalanche fell on two skiers on the Czech side of the mountain range, and Saturday a snowboarder disappeared under an avalanche on the Polish side.
Twenty rescuers were dispatched to look for the skiers, and found the first 45 minutes after his friends had called for help. The other victim was located after a little more than an hour. Both men suffered hypothermia but were otherwise fine, and were transported to a nearby hospital. Rescuers also dug out a dog that showed no sign of injury.
“They were both very lucky,” said the chief of Krkonoše Mountain Rescue Service, Adolf Klepš, in a statement. “The best chance of finding survivors is during the first 15 minutes. The critical time period depending on local conditions is about 45 minutes.”
The snowboarder, unfortunately, could not be located in time. The mountain rescuers received a call for help from their Polish colleagues shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday. However, due to bad weather and the loss of daylight, the rescue effort was called off after three hours.
On Sunday morning, 140 Czech and Polish rescuers returned to the area and, with the help of seven trained avalanche dogs, located the snowboarder’s body at 2 p.m.
“He had a pocket of air, so there had been a chance of survival. Sometimes people manage to survive for two or three days under the snow,” said Klepš, adding that after several unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation, doctors pronounced him dead.
Despite warning signs, the snowboarder had entered a dangerous avalanche zone that is accessible only during the summer. Recent conditions had made the area particularly hazardous, as fresh snow had fallen on grass or frozen snow. Such circumstances are ideal for avalanches as the fresh snow slides easily over the lower layers. Saturday’s avalanche was the largest in the Krkonoše Mountains in 40 years, according to the Czech News Agency.
“Two accidents in such a short period are a clear sign that the snow is very unstable at the moment,” said Klepš, who could not be reached by press time for further comment. “We’d like to warn all tourists to stay only on designated paths and skiing slopes.”

Ondřej Bouda can be reached at news@praguepost.com


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