First off, let me begin by saying that I did not want to write this article. Unfortunately, I have been put in an unnecessary position to defend my name. I was caught in an avalanche on December 28th and shortly thereafter was approached by many media outlets to tell my story. I agreed to do so, thinking that it would be a great way for me to send a positive message to the general public to get educated, get experience, pay attention to boundaries and to use the resources available to gain important knowledge prior to travelling into the backcountry. Unfortunately some reporters and some people have found it necessary to put me down and paint me in a bad light. I feel obligated to set the record straight.
Thankfulness and Gratitude: Let me say that I feel like the luckiest person on the planet just to be here today. I owe my life to three factors. The first being quite simply a lot of luck, I dare say nothing short of a miracle. The second, I owe to the people directly involved in my rescue. These are the amazing patrol from Kicking Horse Resort and also the group of friends who I was with. Without both of these parties I would not be here today. I felt incredibly lucky and thankful at the time and will continue to feel this way for the rest of my life. The third are the physicians and the medical crew that worked with me the whole way through. I would like to personally thank all of you. I owe you my life and will never be able to give back to you what you've given to me, my life.
I guess there are a few things that have led up to this current situation and I'll try to break them down appropriately.
General Objective Hazards: There are objective hazards in all walks of life, whether in the mountains or driving to work. I accept that being involved in snowsports opens me to a certain level of hazard, and I beleive that everyone involved in this industry and sport is aware of that.
Potential Mistakes made on my part: On the day of the accident, obviously we must have made at least one mistake. This was putting ourselves in the location that we did. Had we not been there, this accident would not have occured. Our group were all aware that the conditions at the time were not very stable. We wanted to get a first hand picture for what was happening. We did so by digging a pit and analysing the snowpack. We were aware of the potential dangers at the time and tried to manage our risk appropriately. Unfortunately no matter what precautions you take, mother nature always is more powerful. Next time, as in most times previously, I would avoid putting myself in the situation until the conditions were much safer.
Getting approached by the media: While I was at the hospital I was approached by CTV,CBC, the Calgary Sun and Global News. I did not solicit this attention, it came to me. I would not have done anything to solicit this attention. I was just happy and still am happy to be alive.
Why did I talk to the media? I thought that speaking with the media would be an amazing opportunity for me to get a good message out to the general public. I told all of the media with whom I spoke to tell the general public that it was dangerous out there right now. I asked them to tell the public to at minimum take a RAC course if they were planning on travelling into the backcountry and to utilize the resources available to them to bolster their knowledge and education. Primarily that resource is the Canadian Avalanche Associations website www.avalanche.ca They wanted me to tell them what had happened to me, which I did. I told them about my experience. I had no control over how they edited their reports or how they reported my experience. Obviously, although they did a reasonably good job, they did miss a few key points, which is one of the reasons why I am writing this today.
Backlash part 1: Two days ago I read an article written by Ryan Starr from the Golden Starr - You can read it yourself right here: www.thegoldenstar.net As you can see, it doesn't paint me in a very positive light. This is unfortunate for a few reasons.
1. I was never contacted by Ryan prior to the publication of this article.
2. It contains information that is innacurate and not necessarily well researched or well rounded.
3. It uses misleading words and sentences that help paint me in a not so bright light.
Backlash part 2: Today I was told of a CBC radio interview with a person whom I've never met or spoken with. Now I can't say first hand what was said, because I did not hear the interview myself. The feedback that I've been given is far from positive. I feel obligated as a journalist not to publish second hand views based on snippets of information. It appears that the person in this interview alluded to me in various negative statements. To my knowledge, this person was not directly involved with my incident. I'd just like to say to this person that if you want to speak with me, or contact me, please feel free to do so. I am always available to discuss this with you. My phone number is 403 668 1282 or you can email me, robin@biglines.com
Avalanche awareness and its personal importance to me: I have long been an advocate of avalanche awareness. Through this website I have personally published numerous articles and videos relating directly to avalanche knowledge, training and awareness. I have always felt that it is my job to do what I can to raise general awareness and promote safety in the backcountry. I am friends with a lot of people who have experienced direct losses because of avalanches, and every time a death happens it hits me really close to home. Closer now than ever before.
My Resolve: After my accident, avalanche awareness is more important to me than ever before. Once I am physically able, I will be volunteering my time with ski patrol and will also increase my knowledge of avalanche awareness by getting my Avalanche 1 course. Currently I only have RAC training and hands on experience.
Mistake talking with the Media? Possibly. Hopefully some people got the message that I was trying to get out and a certain level of awareness was acheived. I would have been more than happy to remain anonymous.
Resources and Links for Avalanche Awareness: Please be safe out there. I don't want any one else to experience what I did, or even worse. Here are some useful links that can help you get educated and gain experience. You should also visit the Avalanche Awareness Section on Biglines.com for useful articles and videos:
I'd like to personally thank everyone who helped saved my life and have been supporting me. I sincerely appreciate all of your efforts and support. It means a lot to me.
Sincerely,
Robin Scrimger
Found 12 comments.
1
by lili__ilil on Jan 18, 2006
Hey Scrim, I'm far, far away from my days playing around Whistler but reading your story brings back some pretty strong memories--especially hearing the comments from Junior.
I've been in your shoes before, recovering in the hospital and having to deal with the comments of many others who were nowhere near the incident. In hindsight it's pretty easy to see that I made a bad choice but at the time it felt so right!! Big slide, 190 foot cliff, lots of rocks and fortunately no memory of the event. 2 medevacs later I was in the ICU.
I spent 4 days in ICU intubated with a serious head injury, fractured C7 vertebrae and multiple other injuries. Fortunately nobody else was injured as the result of my choice.
I knew better (I also have my CAA II), but powder is a strong drug. I lost my job, several months of my life and damaged my reputation.
My point is, good on you Scrim for sharing your story. Glad you are feeling better and keeping positive. I know it sucks to be missing out on good turns, but you'll be back and better than ever with another experience under your belt.
Lovin' Biglines but only gettin' Smalllines out here on the rock.
2
by Teamdirt on Jan 18, 2006
It's unfortunate, but news stations are in the business of making news. If the story isn't going to sell then they twist it just enough to make it more interesting to the consumer.
3
by amym on Jan 18, 2006
It's unfortunate, Scrim, that you were forced to write an article such as this. Someone was talking yesterday about how all the news these days is negative, about disasters and murders and so on, and that when we see good news, we just want to see more of the bad. Newspeople are always looking to put a negative spin on things so that they'll be seen as hardcore journalists, not caring about the innocent reputations that they destroy. At least you know that people within the ski industry care about you and know the true story, and hopefully there will be no more avalanche fatalities this winter, nor negative feedback toward you.
4
by danny on Jan 18, 2006
Glad to hear you're on the mend, posts like this are an awesome read.
Open discussions about avalanches are a great thing to provide more knowledge for everyone that spends time in the backcountry.
5
by crashidy on Jan 17, 2006
WOW, just reading your recount of events leaves me stunned. I'm not sure anyone can fully understand your event with out actually having partaken in it. Agreeing with what was said above, addressing the facts, relaying your message, and keeping a positive out look will only help in your recovery as well as those who do understand the risks. Thank you for your positive outlook towards everything, it is easy to see how sincere you are in your posts.
Take care and best wishes!
6
by Junior on Jan 17, 2006
[quote:d0220969af="scrim"] I've never been so grateful and thankful in my life. [/quote:d0220969af]
Sounds like a few similarities between your accident and one I had about 8 years ago when I broke my femur and shattered my pelvis. I'll never forget seeing that helicopter and falling apart. I had held it together until then. I knew then that I wasn't going to have to spend any more time in the woods bleeding internally. I got 6 litres when I got to the hospital.
Anyhow, I'm glad you are okay. Thanks for the details. Those sorts of descriptions beat the hell out of any "official" report. Do the hard work and you'll be ripping again before you know it. If you have internal aids, get them out as soon as you can. Trust me on that one.
Physio is your friend.
EDIT: If I thought a bit more about the interview Scrim, I would say that the guide interviewed suggested that you do everything that you are doing already. Getting involved with patrol/avalanche personnel, relating your story accurately and honestly and having a large appreciation for the people who helped you get where you are today, on the mend. He was just kind of a snooty turd about it.
I love what you and I do for fun. Skiing rules. Being in the mountains in the winter is number one. I think it is important that people get to see both sides of the story. Yah, it rocks......... but sometimes it bites you in the ass too. You can be as careful as you want but, sometimes................... reality bites and so do you.
7
by buddyholly on Jan 17, 2006
Hey Robin,
I heard the news a couple weeks ago...
just wanted to say "I'm happy you're alive!!"
You rock and keep up the positive attitude!
Don't let the man get you down.
Now we just have to find you a hot ski bunny to take care of you until you are back to sharing the mountains with us.
Take care,
Holly
8
by scrim on Jan 17, 2006
Wow, thanks for all of the replies, I'll try to address each question and comment appropriately.
In this instance a short rope would have made a difference had we set up an anchor far enough back from the cornice. I've used this technique before and it has been useful.
The terrain that we were in was dangerous and has always scared me to a certain degree. As stated the main mistake that we made was putting ourselves there in the first place, because like you said jr. I'd be skiing now instead of mending.
I've definitely learned from this incident. Thanks for clarifying what was touched on in the interview, I'm glad to hear that you didn't think it was negative. As stated, I didn't hear it, but the feedback I received wasnt positive, so I felt obligated to post a statement. I fully agree with the age/level of risk factor. It may not even be age, but certain people have different comfort levels as far as risk is concerned. I would consider myself a 'moderate' risk taker.
As for digging a pit - I know that pits are far from the be all and end of of snowpack analysis. Results can vary completely within a few meters, but I like to get a picture for whats happening and feel that this helps give me a little bit more information. I fully agree that all other factors must be taken into consideration, temps, wind effects and just general reactivity in different terrain.
Recapping what happened.
A group of us made the short hike to the back sid of O-zone. At the time our group was aware that there were persistent instabilities in the snowpack and we had not yet made a decision as to whether we would ski. One member of the group dropped down onto a flat spine feature and triggered a top layer of slab, it was contained and did not propagate the full top layer. Myself and another member of the group dropped down and commenced digging a pit. Our results were bad. There were about 6 weak layers the strongest of which required an easy 3 tap compression(if my memory serves correct, I may be wrong) After these results, one member of our group climbed the 6 feet back on top of the ridge. I was beginning to climb back on top of the ridge and said "its nice to play safe, so that we can keep playing" At that same moment the entire cornice collapsed areound me. I yelled FUCK FUCK FUCK and tried to run to get on top of the break, I looked beside me and the other group member who was beside me was doing the same. I could not get above the break and started to go for my ride. I can remember thinking to myself, "I can't beleive I'm going to die right now, I can't fucking believe I'm going to die right now. If I had my helmet on I might have a chance, but I'm going to die right now" The ride continued. I bounced off some rocks and over a 20-30 foot drop, I think that this is where my leg hit and shattered my femur. I could see again for a split second and then got swept up and taken over a second drop. By some miracle I did not smack my head on the rocks, If I had, I would have been KO'd and would be dead today. The slope started to mellow out and I was swimming for my life. My head was above the snow and I tried to stand up, my leg collapsed and I got hit with another wave of snow from behind. I was travelling down the slope on my stomach and swimming like hell to stay above the snow. The slide started to slow and I remember thinking to myself, "as it stops, I'll pull myself out in one final thrust. No such luck, the slide stopped and I was stuck. By a miracle my head and my right arm were not buried. I whimpered to myself more than a few times "Im alive, I'm alive" I've never been so happy. I started to yell, but at first heard no reply. I wasnt' sure the extent of the slide, or if perhaps I was the only one who did not get fully buried. I continued to yell and eventually heard a reply from the top of the ridge. At that point I knew that help would be coming and was quite releived. I began to slowly move the snow from on top of me with my free arm and then was able to free my left arm. I saw the helicopter flying in, but due to the weather it could not land. I kept digging and after about an hour was able to get myslef free, freeing my broken leg was pretty painful but it was nice to get the blood flowing back towards my feet. At that point the heli reappeared and I was treated by the rescue crew. I've never been so grateful and thankful in my life. They flew me to the hospital in golden and then on to calgary.
I'll be forever indebted to the the people who saved my life. There is no way that I can fully repay them for what they've given me, but I'm sure going to try.
Thanks and feel free to ask any more questions.
9
by Junior on Jan 17, 2006
I heard that interview on CBC yesterday morning with some guide from Golden getting all high and mighty on you Scrim. Honestly I didn't think he was all that negative. He was righteous for sure, but that is typical of 90% of guides I know. Pompous asses.
I think that age plays a huge roll in what we ski and how we ski it. As a younger skier, we generally ski different terrain that we do as older skiers. I guess it comes from the process of maturing, losing a few good buddies and having a few close calls. "Run away, run away, live to ski another day" comes to mind. Personally, I want to be in it for the long run so I choose my terrain carefully. As we get older we have less to prove to ourselves or anyone else so we are not willing to take any unneccesary risks for skiings sake.
I know you know this but in the end Scrim, you might have thought it was a good call and want to defend it all the way. Unfortunately, your accident proves otherwise. If it had been a good call, you would not be on the mend right now, you'd be out skiing. I'm not saying it was stupid, I'm just saying that circumstances proved you wrong. Been there, done that. It's okay to be wrong as long as you learn from the situation which I am sure you have.
One thing that I hear a lot of talk about everywhere is "But I dug a pit?" If you know how to pick good terrain, you never have to dig pits unless you want to. The ability to select good terrain, observe natural occurances and weather patterns is far more important than any snow profile you will ever dig. Does that mean profiles are meaningless? No. It simply means that they are one piece of the puzzle. When I did my level II CAA course, one of the Instructors, Herb Bleuer, said that some guys can tell you more about the snowpack after their morning trip to the outhouse than others can after digging 10 pits. Why is that? Awareness!!! Putting all the pieces together so they fit. Observing trends, temperatures, wind directions, in conjunction with snow profile knowledge is what it takes.
Hero lines kill heroes..................Eventually. Plain and simple.
I am glad you are okay and that you can take something positive from this accident. That is a really cool thing. I know you will do your best to spread the word to others and that is also cool. Make sure you include the terrain part of the equation as you spread the word. I have lost too many pals to want to see anyone else die in an avalanche. That really hurts..............for a long time.
10
by Bambi on Jan 17, 2006
Scrim,
First off I just want to wish you all the best for a speedy recovery. I don’t know you but I think that a lot of us here on Biglines feel like we do from reading your articles and posts over the years and I am very relieved to hear that you are doing well.
Secondly, for what it’s worth I think that you did the right thing in speaking to the media. It’s very unfortunate that the facts did not get reported as accurately as they should have but I hope that you don’t let that discourage you too much. It’s very difficult because the average person out there whether they are a member of the media or someone watching the news simply does not understand the risks that we take and certain lifestyle choices that we make. On the other hand, they also don’t know how amazing it can be to travel in the backcountry with good friends and to gain a deep respect and love for our surroundings that can only be experienced by taking certain risks and by making some difficult decisions.
The point is that the average person will never have the opportunity to understand if people like you do not share their experiences like the way you did.
I really respect you for being so positive and for putting yourself out there in order to turn your experience in to a positive message for others. You survived a horrible ordeal and whether or not it was the result of an error in judgement, you deserve to be treated with respect and not to be judged by the media and others. At one time or another we are all faced with difficult decisions whether in the backcountry or just life in general. Sometimes the outcome can be fatal but sometimes we are given a chance to make a different choice next time and to help others make good choices.
Thank you for sharing your story, and reminding me of the possible consequences of the decisions that I am making. Just know that while some people may not understand where you are coming from, there are a lot of us who do. So keep on truckin’!
Get well soon!
11
by shazam on Jan 17, 2006
hey.
good on you for writing the article and for accepting the publicity.
Sucks that you got slammed, but suck it up for the good of the community.
What I mean to say is this: the bad publicity may hurt you, but those of us who know what the risks really are know that you always get a biased/bullshit story from the media, so we don't hold it against you, but those who are new to the BC may be scared into taking a course, or at least being more aware.
Adds insult to injury for you, but you can take it, and maybe it will save someone else in the long run.
Having said all that, can you repost what actually happened (or a link to it) in the story?
Were you really hit while digging a pit?
Any other particulars?
Thanks.
12
by Toby on Jan 17, 2006
Hey scrim,
Great article. FWIW I think anyone with 1/2 a clue would applaud your intentions. I've read reports of people who made much worse mistakes than you did and gotten away much lighter. Sad that someone tried to twist the situation for whatever reason.
I've had a question I've been itching to ask - I recently got a short 30m rope with the specific intention of tying up when digging pits on exposed terrain, cutting cornices, ski cutting, etc. Would the specific situation of your slide have allowed a belay (off either a partner or two or an anchor) and if so, do you think it would've helped arrest you?
