84 Tragedy on the Slopes

CHAPTER 1 Happy New Year! Sam Kavanagh and Blake Morstad were great skiers and even better friends. They met at Montana State University. In 2002, Sam earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering, and Blake graduated in mechanical engineering. Blake was an excellent-student, and was given the Gold Medal award from the Montana Society of Engineers. After graduating, Sam went to work for the Montana Department of Transportation, while his friend Blake continued his university studies. Because Blake loved to ski, it seemed natural for him to want to learn more about snow. Understanding how snow is formed and changed by weather conditions helps to predict when avalanches may happen. In 2004, Blake received his Master's degree in mechanical engineering.

During these busy years, Sam and Blake always took time to enjoy the outdoors together. They both loved nature and had many adventurous hobbies. For example, Sam was a keen cyclist and was on the university cycling team. He also liked to hunt and to ride horses. His friend Blake loved rock-climbing and other extreme sports. During their summer vacation, they often did these activities together while on camping trips in the rough "back country" of Montana. And of course, during the winter, they loved going skiing and camping in the mountains. Sam and Blake were experienced skiers, and they knew about the dangers of the sport. As a safety measure, they always told friends and family where they were going. They knew that nobody should ever go skiing alone. They always brought reliable equipment. They checked the weather reports and, of course, they knew about the risk of avalanches. Blake even wrote magazine articles about avalanche awareness.

Late in December 2004, Sam and Blake went on a special skiing and camping trip with three old friends: Matt Schuyler, Jason Thompson, and Chris Maki. Since they had graduated from university, these five friends' lives had gone in separate directions, following different careers. Some of them were now married. In fact, Blake, who had gotten married in 2002, had some special news to share. His wife, Addie, was expecting their first child. He was also going to start a new job in Los Alamos, New Mexico. These five friends wanted to spend some time together before Blake became a father and had to move away with his family. They were all looking forward to the chance to have fun together, like in the "good old days" of their university years. They also wanted to celebrate Blake's exciting future.

They decided to go to Nemesis Mountain, a 2,846-meter mountain in the Centennial Mountain range. It is a remote area near the border with Wyoming, not far from Yellowstone National Park. To get to their campsite, the young men first drove to a small town. From there, they traveled by snowmobile. Then they had to hike in the deep snow for several more kilometers. They had to carry all their equipment, including their skis, on their backs. It was hard work, but these five friends were strong young men in their early twenties. Sam, Blake, Matt, Jason, and Chris were all athletes and were familiar with the location. They were experienced skiers, and two of them had certificates in emergency medical training. They thought nothing could go wrong, but if it did, they would be prepared.

During the day, the five friends skied across broad hills and snowy fields. They avoided steep slopes. It snowed a lot during this time. This added fresh layers of powdery new snow to the thick white blanket that had been waiting for them when they first arrived at Nemesis Mountain. This is what they all loved and what they had been hoping for. At night, they partied together in their big tent, which they had reserved at the campsite. The tent was owned by an adventure camping company and was equipped with a wood-burning stove. It was a simple place, but for these five friends, there was no better way to celebrate New Year's Eve. It was a night they would never forget.

The morning of New Year's Day, 2005, was the last day of their ski trip. It was a perfect day to be out on the slopes, and a perfect way to start the new year. They had discussed the possibility of avalanches, but the soft, powdery snow felt safe. They decided to continue skiing all day. By the end of the afternoon, all the skiers were happy but quite tired. The wind had gotten stronger, but they had not noticed. They had also skied into an area where the slopes were steeper than on previous days. Finally, it was time to return to their lives and obligations in the city. Someone suggested going back to the tent to start packing up. But then, at the last minute, Blake said he wanted to go for one last run.