In addition, Mountain Graphix took video of the entire route from the Lakeview Express Chair to the “Cable Tree” near where the skier had entered the bowl, demonstrating that the traverse was not trivial but a intentional act. We also created animation to show the volume of warning signs that were present at the time of the incident.
Mountain Graphix recreated the mountain using GIS maps and satellite images. We place trees on a 3D terrain, based on the ortho images, and added all of trail signs and avalanche warning signs related to The Chutes based on a Mt Rose survey.
That morning, a long-time skier purchased a ticket, passed several signs notifying the public that the Chutes were closed, and proceeded to the Lakeview Express Chair. At the top, he doggedly traversed the mountain, through forest and across multiple tails to reach The Chutes, between Jackpot and Cutthroat. He ducked under the roped, past warning signs and his body was found near the Tailing in a pile of avalanche debris.
The Sierra Nevada’s received days of snow. The patrol manager at Mt Rose decided it wasn’t safe to open “The Chutes”, due to avalanche risk. In an abundance of caution, the Northwest Express was to remain closed to prevent skiers from getting close to that portion of the mountain.
