The Inside Story of Squaw Patroller’s Fatal Avalanche

UPDATED: On March 3, we reported that Squaw ski patroller Andrew Entin died from an avalanche that released when he was ski-cutting the slope during control work prior to the ski area opening. That information, which was provided by the Placer County sheriff, was incorrect: The slide released from an avalanche bomb thrown by his partner. The report that some avalanche charges didn’t explode was also incorrect. Squaw Valley representatives were unavailable until now to correct the sheriff’s report and provide full details, but on March 20 we spoke with patrol director Curtis Crooks. We also spoke with a patroller who was on duty the day of the slide and asked that his name not be used.

Entin was standing in what was considered to be a safe zone as his partner threw hand charges. For some reason, he moved, and when the third of three bombs exploded and the slope released, Entin was carried downhill. Crooks said that changing positions is common—control work is dynamic—but it’s not known why he switched spots.

The revised March 3 story appears below, with the March 20 interviews with the patrollers following.

Sixteen-year Squaw Valley ski patroller Andrew Entin died today during morning avalanche control on Squaw’s Headwall after a large slide swept him through trees. Around 8 a.m., Entin and his partner were throwing hand charges to trigger avalanches before the resort opened to skiers.

The Tahoe region and Sierra Crest have been receiving massive amounts of snow and wind—at one point, more than 100 miles of Interstate 80 were closed. Squaw is reporting a storm total of 36 inches at 8,200 feet, but with wind-loading some slopes have received much more. There have been reports of slides releasing four to six feet deep. This morning’s Sierra Avalanche Center advisory reported two feet of new with another 40 inches on the way. The average wind speed on the Sierra Crest last night was 70 mph and the highest gust was 134 mph. And the avie forecast was rating HIGH on almost all slopes above 35 degrees.

New snow is almost always potentially dangerous, but high winds make it especially so. The wind can drive the snow into a cohesive layer that bonds well to itself but can slide easily on the older snow. Picture two layers of cake with a thick band of frosting between them. Tilt the cake and the top layer slides off. So-called wind slabs of snow are like that top layer of cake.

Entin was found on top of the snow, but suffered multiple fractures and internal trauma. He was driven to a hospital in Truckee and then driven to Reno’s Renown Regional Medical Center, where he died.

Five people have died this week in slides—Entin, three snowmobilers in Wyoming on Friday and another snowmobiler in Idaho, also on Friday. The patroller’s death is the second in-bounds fatality at Squaw this season. A 21-year-old skier was killed Christmas Day near Poulsen’s Gully.

Patroller:
“That day a team of six went into the area—two to C2, two on Headwall, and two to the Slot. We have about 25 to 30 routes on the whole mountain, but we never shoot all in one day…the charges are all hand-thrown, two-pounds.

“Andrew’s partner threw two bombs, which went off, and then a third, which took the slope. The crown got bigger and bigger as you went along the face. It was 30 inches on average, but where it released above Andrew it was eight feet. It’s an area called Hog’s Back, where there’s a lot of wind loading. That’s what took him.

“The most important thing is that we were doing our job. It started as an innocent day of ski patrolling. The patrol was throwing bombs, the bombs went off, and the bombs took the slope 20 feet above Andrew. It’s not normal for it to break that high.”

Crooks:
“It was a full avalanche control day and Andrew and his partner were assigned to the Headwall route. It was like any other day. Any time we do avalanche control it’s either because it has been snowing or is currently snowing. Nobody was standing with Andrew. He probably moved into a shot hole so he could keep better contact with his partner. For some reason, one way or another, he was caught, but we just don’t know for sure where he was. From what his partner said and where the crown was, it’s fairly obvious he moved, but we don’t know what direction he went. We’ll never know. And like I said, where he had been standing continued to be a safe spot even after the result of the slide.

“They were doing the route as they had done it before and as they were trained. We don’t really know why he moved or what was going on in his mind. He was making the decision on his own. He didn’t have anyone to interact with. His partner was putting the shots in. That’s the way it works—you move one at a time so you can make a rescue if you need to, and maybe you join back up.”

Patroller:
“He was swept through the trees and ended up on top of the snow. His partner went to find him and called for a beacon search. He found him immediately, within one or two minutes. The slide was at 7:51 and this was 7:52. Andrew was alert when he got there.

“It was such a blizzard, there was no way a chopper could land. A toboggan was brought down, he was put on a backboard and taken down to a troop carrier, which took him down to an ambulance. He was at the hospital in Truckee almost exactly an hour after it happened, at 8:52.”

Crooks:
“It would have been easier for Andrew to look across to see his partner than for his partner to see Andrew because the partner would be moving away and obviously he would have to stop and keep looking back and keep an eye on Andrew at all times. There’s protection shots for both of them. You’re obviously moving downhill through this whole procedure. Andrew’s job was to keep an eye on his partner, the partner’s job was the keep an eye on the next shot on the face.

“All the shots went off. That’s part of our job—to make sure we hear those detonations…to make sure we’ve tested the snow and if for some reason it doesn’t go off maybe even retrieve it.”

Patroller:
“It was still blowing, and one of the patrollers who came to help fell off the crown where it was six feet and landed on his shoulder. The snow from the slide ran 700, maybe 1,000 feet. It buried this snowmaking house, we call it Little House on the Prairie, three meters deep. Andrew could have been under 15 feet of snow instead of right on top.”

Entin is survived by his wife, Shanna. His family has asked that any donations be made to Squaw Valley Ski Patrol Avalanche Education. Please mail to Squaw Valley Ski Corp, Attn: Ski Patrol, PO Box 2007, Olympic Valley, CA 96146.