2 NY THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012

Snow Fall ♦ THE AVALANCHE AT TUNNEL CREEK ♦

Chris Rudolph skiing Tunnel Creek in January, a month before the avalanche.

SUNDAY, FEB. 19, 2012 IAN COBLE The Talent at the Top

MICHAEL HANSON/AURORA PHOTOS, VIA GETTY IMAGES COURTESY OF LAURIE BRENAN RUTH FREMSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES COURTESY OF ANNE HESSBURG

JIM JACK JOHNNY BRENAN ELYSE SAUGSTAD CHRIS RUDOLPH 46, of Leavenworth, Wash. 41, of Peshastin, Wash. 33, of Squaw Valley, Calif. 30, of Leavenworth, Wash. Head judge, Freeskiing World Tour Home builder and owner, Cascade Contracting Professional skier Director of marketing, ski area

Reared mostly in Redmond, Wash., not far from Reared in Redmond, Wash., he spent several post- Reared in Girdwood, Alaska, near Anchorage. For- Reared in Lafayette, Calif., near San Francisco. Ea- the childhood home of Brenan. Spent most of the college years in Breckenridge, Colo., as a ski pa- mer ski racer turned big-mountain skier. Winner of gle Scout and graduate of the University of Puget 1990s in Alta, Utah, before settling in Leaven- troller and carpenter. Married and moved back to the 2008 Freeride World Tour. Sponsored by sev- Sound in Tacoma. Employed by Stevens Pass ski worth, near the family cabin at Lake Wenatchee. in 1997. Former ski patroller at Ste- eral ski companies, including Salomon. Married to area since 2004. Shared a home with his longtime Former president of the International Freeskiers vens Pass. Skied Tunnel Creek numerous times the extreme skier Cody Townsend. girlfriend, Anne Hessburg. Spent the day before Association. A former extreme-skiing competitor, and lived in the Leavenworth area since 1997. the avalanche guiding expert female skiers around CONNECTION TO GROUP Was visiting Stevens Pass he became a judge and well-known advocate of the Married, to Laurie, with two daughters, Josie, 10, Stevens Pass. Often took friends, journalists and ski area for a women’s event sponsored by Salo- movement. Shared a home with his longtime girl- and Nina, 7. ski industry leaders to Tunnel Creek. mon and co-hosted by Rudolph. She knew about friend, Tiffany Abraham. CONNECTION TO GROUP Knew about half of the CONNECTION TO GROUP The only one in the group half of the members in the Tunnel Creek group, CONNECTION TO GROUP A Tunnel Creek regular, he members of the group who went to Tunnel Creek, who knew everyone. He floated the idea of skiing mostly those established in the broader industry, learned of the plan the night before, over beers and including Jack and Castillo, his longtime friends. Tunnel Creek the day before the avalanche. The including Jack, Michelson, Abrams and Stifter. while being photographed for a Powder magazine Skied under the lights the night before the ava- assembled group, larger than he had envisioned, article on . He knew almost everyone in lanche with family, friends and two journalists from Skied Tunnel Creek a few times, including in Janu- waited for him to finish a meeting before starting the Tunnel Creek group. Powder magazine. ary with Rudolph. what was expected to be an hourlong expedition.

KEITH CARLSEN JOHN STIFTER TIM WESLEY RON PANKEY TIM CARLSON 38, of Salt Lake City 29, of San Clemente, Calif. 39, of Leavenworth, Wash. 37, of 37, of Monroe, Wash. Photographer Editor, Powder magazine Owner, Shark Snowsurf, custom snowboards Freeskiing World Tour competition director Professional snowboarder

Former editor of Pow- Grew up skiing most- A carpenter known as Born in Louisiana, he Reared in Vermont, der magazine and a ly at Schweitzer Tall Tim. A frequent became a ski racer where he was child- mentor to Stifter. Lat- Mountain Resort in backcountry snow- after his father be- hood friends with er worked for Moun- Idaho. Attended boarder, he often came a college pro- Pankey. Moved to tain Sports Interna- Montana State Uni- rode powder on one fessor in Vermont. At- Colorado for college tional, a marketing versity. An internship of his wood creations, tended college in and became a com- company with roots with Powder in 2004 without bindings, but Colorado. Former petitive snowboarder. in extreme sports, led to his ascent he was not on a bind- competitive freeskier. One of three snow- through the magazine’s ranks. Traveled Worked as a competition director for the and as a professional photographer. ingless board the day of the avalanche. boarders among the group of 16. Made the world on ski adventures as a journal- Freeskiing World Tour, where he knew CONNECTION TO GROUP Married, with a 5-year-old daughter. his living for years waiting tables at a Se- At Stevens Pass ist for Powder. Jack. Moved to Seattle in 2010. to take pictures for Stifter’s article about CONNECTION TO GROUP Once rented a attle restaurant. CONNECTION TO GROUP Stifter and Carl- CONNECTION TO GROUP He and Tim Carl- CONNECTION TO GROUP night skiing. Spent the previous few days sen were at Stevens Pass ski area to re- house from Brenan and worked for Bre- son were friends since childhood in Ver- Came to Stevens at Crystal Mountain in Washington to port and photograph an article about nan’s construction company. He was mont. He and Jack were friends since the Pass on Sunday morning with Pankey. create a Webcast for a snowboarding night skiing. Rudolph, a friend of Stifter’s, snowboarding with Carlson when they 1990s. He knew Saugstad and several Later snowboarded inbounds, off Cow- event. Jack, Pankey and Carlson were arranged for them to stay in a slope-side found a group assembled at the base of others, including Hammond and Abrams. boy Mountain, with Wesley. During a there. Carlsen and Stifter stayed in a cabin. Stifter also knew Michelson, Stevens Pass waiting for Rudolph to go to Rudolph invited him to Tunnel Creek on break, Pankey told Carlson and Wesley slope-side cabin arranged by Rudolph. Abrams, Saugstad and Jack. Tunnel Creek. the morning of the avalanche. about plans to ski Tunnel Creek.

MEGAN MICHELSON WENZEL PEIKERT ROB CASTILLO 30, of Seattle 29, of Seattle 40, of Seattle Journalist, ESPN.com Sales for Microsurgical Technology Clothing model, stay-at-home father

From near Lake Tahoe, she has written From Seattle. At age Reared in Armonk, extensively about freeskiing. Engaged to 6, he left East Berlin N.Y. He attended col- Dan Abrams, far right. with his mother be- lege in Colorado and CONNECTION TO GROUP At Stevens Pass fore the wall fell in worked at Alta resort for the Salomon promotional event. Fea- 1989. Sales repre- in Utah, where he tured Jack in an article for Backcountry sentative for a maker met and lived with magazine that was published in February. of eye surgery tools. A Jack. Moved to Leav- part-time ski instruc- enworth, where he DAN ABRAMS tor at Stevens Pass, he taught a course worked for Brenan, then to Seattle. For- 34, of Seattle for teenagers called Introduction to Back- mer sponsored big-mountain skier. Skied President and a founder of Flylow apparel country. Married, with an 8-month-old Tunnel Creek dozens of times. Married, From Denver, he started Flylow with a daughter. with two young children. friend to fill a niche between resort wear CONNECTION TO GROUP Ran into Rudolph CONNECTION TO GROUP Came with his and mountaineering apparel. on Saturday evening at the Foggy Goggle family to Stevens Pass on Sunday morn- CONNECTION TO GROUP Accompanied Mi- bar and spent the evening with a group ing, hoping to ski a few runs with Jack chelson. Skied Saturday with Jack and that included Jack, Brenan, Wangen, and Brenan. Learned about the trip to others. Stayed at Rudolph’s house in Stifter and Carlsen. He previously knew Tunnel Creek, where he frequently skied, Leavenworth on Saturday. RUTH FREMSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES only Rudolph and Wangen. through a text message from Jack.

TIM WANGEN JOEL HAMMOND ERIN DESSERT 53, of Leavenworth, Wash. 37, of Bellevue, Wash. 35, of Plain, Wash. Owner of a landscaping business Sales, Salomon ski/sports equipment Graphic designer, chairlift operator On the Web nytimes.com/avalanche An experienced back- From suburban Se- An expert snow- country skier, he attle. Covered the boarder from the Se- In addition to this article: grew up not far from Northwest, including attle area, she was a ♦ VIDEO Deep, fluffy snow beck- Stevens Pass. Lived Alaska, as a repre- regular at Tunnel oned them to the backcountry. at nearby Lake We- sentative for Salo- Creek until several natchee. Former mon. Skied Stevens friends were caught They encountered disaster. commercial diver in Pass frequently and in an avalanche (all ♦ PHOTOGRAPHY The skiers, the Seattle area skied Tunnel Creek survived). Worked at their families, Tunnel Creek working on bridges and docks before several times. Stevens Pass as a lift operator. and the Cascades. opening a landscaping business near CONNECTION TO GROUP Worked with Ru- CONNECTION TO GROUP Was early for her Stevens Pass. Began skiing Tunnel Creek dolph to coordinate a women’s ski day at shift and invited by Wesley to Cowboy ♦ INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS as a boy 40 years ago. Stevens Pass on Saturday, Feb. 18. He Mountain. Not realizing they were headed A simulation of the avalanche, CONNECTION TO GROUP Skied with Jack, and Rudolph skied with the group, then out of bounds, she did not have her back- an examination of the condi- Brenan and journalists from Powder held a dinner for the women. Knew country gear: a beacon, shovel and probe. tions, a flyover tour of Cowboy magazine the night before the ava- about half of the Tunnel Creek group, a Mountain and more. lanche. His camper was parked in the mix of industry insiders and Stevens Pass All ages, hometowns and occupations as RUTH FREMSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES Stevens Pass R.V. lot next to Jack’s. locals. of the time of the avalanche.