GLEN PLAKE SURVIVESHIMALAYAN AVALANCHEWITH 11 DEAD & MORECLIMBERS MISSING FROMEXPEDITIONGlen Plake (right) has survived adeadly avalanche in the Himalayasduring a climbing expedition Sunday.Photos: The <strong>Ski</strong> Channel/Shannon QuirkAn injured victim is rescued after the avalanche at Mount Manasluin northern Nepal.A deadly avalanche has taken the livesof 11 people with more climbers missing in theHimalayas in Northern Nepal. Shortly before5 a.m. on Sunday, September 23rd, the Manaslupeak of 26,758 ft (8,156 meters) camerushing down over a climbing expeditiongone-wrong. Many of the dead are Germanand French, with a detailed report out shortlyby authorities in the region.Glen Plake, world renown freestyle skierand pioneer, was a survivor of the avalanche.Plake was swept nearly a thousand feet in histent, with an eye injury, minor wounds andmissing teeth as a result. The freeskiing pioneerand ski mountaineers Rémy Lécluse andGreg Costa, have been attempting to becomethe first team to ski the world’s eighth highestpeak without oxygen. While Plake is confirmedalive, Lécluse and Costa are still missing.The Mansalu peak is a treacherousclimb. In 2008 alone, there were 297 summitsand 52 deaths on this dangerous mountain, reportedAdventure Journal.29 <strong>Far</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Ski</strong>er’s Guide / Digital Edition Insert 2O12 - 2O13Revelstoke’s Greg Hill survived thetragedy and reported on his Facebook page,“A huge avalanche swept through Camp 3 at4:45am on Manaslu, catching lots of people intheir sleeping bags, many dead, and injured. Luckilyour team is fine, and helped with the rescue.Glen Plake is also fine but my heart goes out toall the others…”“There are up to 14 people missing. Therewere 25 tents at Camp 3 (6,800 meters) and allof them were destroyed,” said Glen Plake.“Twelve tents at Camp 2 (6300m) were banged
up and moved around. Greg (Costa) and I werein a tent together, Rémy was in another,” Plaketold the press. “I was swept 300 meters over aserac and down the mountain and came to a stopstill in my sleeping bag, still inside the tent… Ipunched my way out of the tent and startedsearching”.“I found everything that was in my tent …but there was no sign of Greg. Rémy and his tentare nowhere to be found.… The Dynafit crew(Canadian skier Greg Hill’s team) were sleepingat a high Camp 2 and were immediately on siteto rescue people.… We’ve done three searches butwhen the fog rolled in we had to call it off. It wasa massive serac fall, probably 600 to 700 metersacross. It’s a war zone up here.”Plake said he went looking for the rest ofthe people in the camp, all of whom were supposedto be wearing avalanche transceivers —electronic devices that can signal other similarreceivers — as he was.“We are really happy to announce that ourathlete Glen Plake survived the avalanche in Manaslu,”posted Glen Plake’s official Facebookpage. “Our condolences to the friends and familyof the lost skiers.” ▲▲Posted By: Shannon Marie QuirkThe <strong>Ski</strong> Channel/September 23, 2012Glen Plake is a a three-time WorldHot Dog Champion and probably one ofthe most recognizable skiers in the world.He was born in California, growing up inLake Tahoe and was one of the pioneersof extreme skiing in America. Glen hasappeared in many ski movies, includingWarren Miller films.Glen was a Snowsports CelebrityGuest at the 73rd Annual <strong>Far</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Association</strong> Convention held at the <strong>West</strong>inin Long Beach, California in 2005. ThisConvention was the 75th AnniversaryCelebration of the founding of the <strong>Far</strong><strong>West</strong> <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Association</strong>. Glen mingled withthe delegates and industry representativesattending the Convention, and many tookhome pictures with Glen, sporting his signatureMohawk. He participated in a varietyof Convention events, including theSharing of History Panel “World of Free<strong>Ski</strong>ing."Members of the FWSA are thankfulthat Glen survived this tragic event andour condolences are extended to the friendsand families of those who perished.Arapahoe Basin First in the Nationto Open for the 2012/2013 SeasonDenver, Colo. – Oct. 17, 2012 – Colorado <strong>Ski</strong> CountryUSA (CSCUSA) member resort Arapahoe Basinlaunched Colorado’s ski season at 9 a.m. this morningamidst blowing snow and energetic whooping and hollering.The resort opened with lift served skiing andsnowboarding, making it the first ski resort in theUnited States and Colorado to officially open for the2012/13 season. photo / Colorado <strong>Ski</strong> CountryThe News from Nepal is Tragicby Richard Lubin, DCThe Snowboarding Chiropractor, FWSA Safety ChairEven people with lots of experience are in harms way, especially when it comes to beingoutside of the ski area boundaries. The resorts make sure the dangers are minimized. In thelast few years, there have been a proliferation of thrill seeking skiers and snowboarders whodo skiing outside of ski resorts into the backcountry for bigger adventures. The statistics arepretty compelling that the danger increases logarithmically even with expert skills, good funding,and seemingly painstaking preparations. Whether it’s the 'Roof of the World’ or the backcountryin the Cascades, Sierras, or the Wasatch, danger is prevalent when it comes to hugeamounts of snowfall and extreme weather conditions. We are so pleased that Glen Plakemade it out safely when so many others with him were not as fortunate.Entertaining films like Warren Miller or Teton Gravity Research wow us with heli-skiingand fabulous ski feats. This has sparked a great deal of interest among non-professional advancedskiers and boarders to venture further into potentially hazardous scenarios. The disturbingtrend of even amateurs going into the backcountry will likely continue and there willbe increasing number of injuries and deaths as a result. Safety never goes out of style. Safetyis thinking first. ▲▲GlitterSequinTrimmedNewsboy & BaseballCapsNEWSBOY Style16 Colors: Beige, Black, Brown,Fuchsia, Green, Light Blue, LimeGreen, Navy, Orange, Pink, Purple,Red, Turquoise, White, Wine andYellow. Brim measures 2.5” fromhat. Elastic back.Perfect fora Club orOrganizationSignature CapOr, accent youroutfit with thesefashion caps madefrom ruffled, mattefinished cottonadorned withglitter sequins.One size fits all.For moreinformationelle56@cox.netBASEBALL Style21 Colors: Beige, Black, Brown,Fuchsia, Gold, Emerald Green,Ivory, Light Blue, Lime Green,Navy, Olive, Orange, Pink,Purple, Red, Royal Blue, Silver,Turquoise, White, Wine andYellow. Brim measures 3” fromhat. Adjustable Velcro back.$12.95 each**Discount for quantityorders, plus shipping& sales tax forArizona residents<strong>Far</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Ski</strong>er’s Guide / Digital Edition Insert 2O12 - 2O13 30
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