Today, the sad news that two young US Ski Team hopefuls have died in an avalanche accident has brought home the importance of staying safe on the mountains. It takes tragic events like this to remind everyone that no matter how good or experienced you are as a skier, the snow will always be a more powerful force than you.
Ronnie Berlack, 20, and 19 year old Bryce Astle were caught in a slide whilst on a US Ski Team development training camp in Austria. They were skiing with four others, on the Gaislachkogl Mountain near Solden, and it is believed the avalanche happened after they left the prepared slope.
At 3,058m, The Gaislachkogl, is the highest cable-car accessed peak in the region. According to an avalanche report by Lawinenwarndienst Tirol, the regional avalanche warning service, the slab avalanche was 30cm deep, broke 20 meters across and ran 360 meters down a steep slope. It was big. Austrian news outlet The Local reported that Berlack and Astle were found buried under 3-4 metres of snow and it took a team of 60 search and rescuers to locate them. Neither of the men were wearing avalanche beacons so rescuers were reliant on probes to find them.
The area’s avalanche danger had been heightened, since a storm that began on Saturday 3rd January carried strong winds and up to 30cm of snow to parts of the Austrian Alps. After the storm, the avalanche danger above 2,200m was rated considerable, at Level 3 because of the wind.
The pair were talented prospects on the team, both at the beginning of what was predicted to be very long, successful ski team careers for them. Their talent was often compared to that of Bode Miller, a world cup alpine skier, and Ted Ligety, two time Olympic alpine racing gold medalist. They were on their way up, with the Junior World Championships in March and much potential to compete in both the World Cup and the next Winter Olympics.
Berlack and Astle have been described as motivated, talented and genuine athletes, who were destined for success and died doing what they love. Tom Kelly wrote for US Ski Team.com “They were young men who were motivated to a goal. They didn’t have a plan B- they didn’t need one.”