The Broken River Avalanche - An Eye Witness Report

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THE BROKEN RIVER AVALANCHE - AN EYE WITNESS REPORT Harry Smith Photo courtesy of Peter Simpson, Department of Conservation, Arthurs Pass Some days in the hills turn out in ways that you couldn't I had just walked up to Palmer Lodge, at the foot of the have predicted in your wildest dreams. Things seem field, and was sitting down outside for a breather when I normal and unremarkable, when suddenly, without heard a loud rumbling and shouts from the skiers having warning, something happens which instantly changes lunch in the sun in front of the lodge. Looking up everything. Such a day was Monday the 10th of August, through steamed-up goggles I saw a huge avalanche when Lyndsay Fletcher, Anita Catchpole, Paul Michl and coming down from the top right-hand side of the field, I found ourselves at the bottom of the Broken River above the top of the access tow. A snow groomer was skifield at the time of the big avalanche. caught up in the middle of it, and although I didn't see the very start of the avalanche it seems likely that it was We were near the beginning of a week's holiday in the the snow groomer that triggered it off. As I watched, the Arthur's Pass region, and had just walked in to Broken avalanche spread leftwards with loud cracking noises, River for the afternoon. I had brought along an ice-axe right across the top of the ski field. The whole surface of and crampons, intending to have a look around the the basin, to a depth of up to two metres or more skifield, which I had never visited before, and then go for thousands of tons of snow and ice came sliding down a wander along the range up the back. The other three the hillside towards the lodge where we were standing, had carried skies in to go skiing. As fate would have it, rumbling like a jumbo jet taking off. Although it must however, we spent that afternoon in a very different way have been moving very fast, to me, watching from from what we had expected. below, the flow had a curiously slow-motion feel to it, like a carpet slowly sliding down a slope and crumpling up at the bottom. But at the same time there was an of that side of the field but had luckily been able to inexorable force about it, a feeling that nothing could escape up the hillside above the top of the slide. Over on stand in the way of this seething, writhing mass of snow the other side of the field, the snow groomer had been and ice, that anything (or anyone) caught up in its path buried under the snow, but one corner had fortunately would be bowled over and broken like So many remained sticking out and the occupants had been able to matchsticks, an image of a giant bulldozer grinding break the window and escape unharmed. implacably and unstoppably through all before it. Soon skifield officials produced avalanche probes and a Most people retreated inside the Lodge, but I stood where large number of us set off over into the middle of the I was outside, watching, ready to run for the shelter of debris to look for the missing person. The debris was the Lodge if necessary, but aware that if the avalanche composed of a vast, crazy, confused jumble of huge reached that far it could well crush the lodge in its path. blocks of snow and ice, which it was necessary to The flow formed two separate tongues, separated by a clamber over and around. Lyndsay, Anita and Paul came slight rise in the ground immediately in front of the up and joined in the search. They had had a good view lodge. This rise is probably all that saved the lodge from from the bottom of the access tow of where Neville had destruction. The smaller tongue, coming from the right been buried, while most of the people up at the lodge had hand side of the basin where the avalanche originally been watching the snow groomer. Lyndsay's extensive started, ground to a stop a hundred yards short of the search and rescue experience also proved valuable, and he lodge. The larger tongue, fed by the main part of the was able to help control the rescue effort until the local field, continued on right to the edge of the basin, a Canterbury search and rescue organisation could swing hundred yards to the left of the lodge, and spilled over into action. into the bush below. I had never done any avalanche snow probing before, and The avalanche seemed to continue for a long time, but in I hope I never have to again. The novelty soon wore off, fact it was probably only a minute or so. When it stopped and it became just hard work. We worked in a line, everything suddenly seemed very still and quiet. The advancing slowly up the slope probing every foot or so, scene before us, however, had changed completely. trying to detect any object buried under the snow. Often Stretching right around the top of the basin, not far below it was hard to drive the probe into the snow, and when the ridge line, a two-metre head-wall marked the line you seemed to hit something it was hard to decide where the slope had broken away. Below this, the upper whether it was just a lump of ice. I hoped continually that part of the field had been scraped clean of its surface I didn't miss anything, and thought how awful it would layers of snow, as if some gigantic rake had been at be to be still alive and conscious, buried under the snow, work, while the lower part of the field was now a vast and be hit by a snow probe, only to have the searchers jumbled sea of avalanche debris. The depression which mistake you for a lump of ice and continue on their way. I'm told existed in the middle of the field was gone, But really I think we all felt that the task was hopeless, completely filled with debris tens of metres deep, while a that the area of the debris was just too big and too deep, large trench with steep ice walls had been scoured out and that no-one could have been hit by all that rubble and down the hillside in the middle of the field, exposing the still be alive. bare tussock grass underneath. At first we seemed to be picking up strong avalanche After the avalanche had stopped, ski field officials transceiver signals in the area that we were searching, but assembled all the skiers together into their ski lodge we weren't able to find anything by probing. There groups, and counted off names. My first thoughts were seemed to be some confusion over whether Neville had with Anita and Lyndsay and Paul. I had left them at the been wearing a transceiver or not, and I heard bottom of the access tow to put on their skis and fit suggestions that the signals might have been coming from themselves out with nutcrackers. Where were they now? a transceiver worn by one of the rescuers. I'm not sure If they had already come up the access tow they might whether this confusion was ever cleared up. Anita and have been in the middle of the ski field, right in the path Paul dug a huge trench where the signal had seemed of the avalanche. Looking down the hillside, I saw with strongest, in the deepest part of the debris, but they relief that they were still down at the bottom of the tow. found nothing. Although the trench was a good three metres deep it barely scratched the surface, and three Meanwhile, it had been established that only one person metre snow probes in the bottom of it could still not was unaccounted for. Neville Ryde, a long standing reach the ground underneath. member of the Broken River Ski Club and the Head Custodian at the field for the season, had been working at All that afternoon helicopters were flying in and out, the top of the main rope tow on the left hand side of the bringing in search and rescue personnel and equipment. field and had been seen being swept down and buried by A tracker dog was brought in to comb the slope but the avalanche. The rope tow itself had been totally without any luck. Portable generators and lights were demolished. The tow shed was a crumpled heap of also brought in so that the rescue operation could broken wood and metal in the middle of the avalanche continue into the night. As time went by the search debris, and the rope stretched out up the hillside, half became more organised, and people were signed on and buried in the snow. Two other people had been up the top off the site in shifts.

Late in the afternoon the four of us retired back to the that even the most experienced and prepared can be lodge for a cup of tea and a rest. We had done our part, caught out by the unexpected. Neville Ryde just had the and there were now more than enough volunteers to bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But continue the task. As night fell we headed back down to despite this, perhaps the most amazing thing about this the car, picking our way down the track in the dark. The avalanche was just how lucky it was that no-one else was search continued all that night under generator lights but killed. If it had happened an hour later, in the middle of nothing was found, and late the next day it was the afternoon instead of at lunch time, most of the skiers eventually called off. at the field would have been out on the slopes instead of down at the lodge, and dozens would probably have been I never knew Neville Ryde, but he must have been well buried. And if the four of us had got away from Arthur's known to many members of the Tongue and Meats who Pass a little bit earlier that morning, we would probably have visited Broken River over the years. By all accounts have been in the middle of the field when it happened. he was a well-liked and highly respected person, and I'm sure he will be sadly missed by all who knew him. I Overall this experience serves as yet another reminder to believe that when the Broken River Ski Club rebuild their those of us who enjoy the mountains that there is always tow, they intend to name it in his memory. a danger present which we must accept whenever we go out into the hills. I used to think at one time that only fools got killed in the mountains, but events like this show that this isn't true, Photo courtesy of Peter Simpson, Department of Conservation, Arthurs Pass