2 dead in Hokkaido avalanche identified as New Zealanders

Were they carrying beacons, probes, and shovels?

These back country tours if aimed at foreign visitors, should be charging an additional insurance fee to cover the costs of search and rescue and helicopters. The locals and resident foreigners are footing this bill.

RIP

Getting caught in an avalanche means skiing the wrong place on the wrong day. Much of the time you will get away with this, but the stakes are very high if you don't. I hope people with dependents in particular can make sensible decisions. No wife deserves to be widowed or children left fatherless just because Dad wanted a bit of excitement.

These back country tours if aimed at foreign visitors, should be charging an additional insurance fee to cover the costs of search and rescue and helicopters. The locals and resident foreigners are footing this bill.

Are you speaking generally or about this incident specifically? Generally, I'm for mandatory insurance to cover SAR if you plan to do activities such as this while traveling internationally. If specifically, then how do you know they didn't opt for, or weren't charged for extra insurance?

Personally, when I'm planning on doing risky activities, such as snowboarding or biking on my vacations, I add that cover in my travel insurance. I

Also personally, if part of my taxes go toward rescuing people caught in such circumstances and potentially saving their lives, then so be it. The alternative, beyond compulsory insurance, is leaving them there to die.

A lot of people who don't ski or snowboard making posts here.

I'm happy with snowboarding on the main slopes and have never been off-piste.

But all around the world there are back-country tours. People are free to do what they like. Sounds like this was a legit tour, so will be adhering to national rules etc. It's an accident. Sure, if you weren't out back-country, it wouldn't happen.

But if you think like that, then nobody should climb a mountain. Nobody should skydive. You shouldn't skateboard. Shouldn't swim in the sea or go surfing. Shouldn't race cars or fly planes for sport. How about we all just stay home and do nothing?

Live your life to the fullest doing what you love and if something bad happens, at least it happened while you were doing something you love!

RIP

anonymouseToday  01:19 pm JST

OssanAmericaToday  12:55 pm JST

These back country tours if aimed at foreign visitors, should be charging an additional insurance fee to cover the costs of search and rescue and helicopters. The locals and resident foreigners are footing this bill.

One of the dead was a local working resident (a skiing guide) and paying taxes.

Satisfied?

No. Onl;y 50%.

sad to hear this tragic news..RIP

kiwiboyToday  03:58 pm JST

But if you think like that, then nobody should climb a mountain. Nobody should skydive. You shouldn't skateboard. Shouldn't swim in the sea or go surfing. Shouldn't race cars or fly planes for sport. How about we all just stay home and do nothing?

You're combining extreme sports with regular sports. If you swim at the ocean in marked off areas with lifeguards, the risks are minimal. However if you decide to swim alone where ever you want with nobody monitoring, then the risks increase significantly. Same for skiing. Skiing on designated runs and skiing backcountry aren't the same.

Yeah, this looks like a very unfortunate accident that caught an experienced skier off guard. Especially tragic for the people he was leading.

if you think like that, then nobody should climb a mountain. Nobody should skydive. You shouldn't skateboard. Shouldn't swim in the sea or go surfing. Shouldn't race cars or fly planes for sport. How about we all just stay home and do nothing?

Extreme sports and doing nothing are not our only two choices in life.

There‘s a whole lot in between those two.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/japan-avalanche-isabella-bolton-named-as-one-of-the-new-zealanders-killed-in-tragic-incident/BL5MRTM6UNDDZPSOYU6UKJLBJM/

Damn sorry to hear, RIP to the departed and everybody else caught up in this. However, it's time to stop back country skiing at least in Japan regardless of whether people want to do extreme sports or not.

Japanese people as the norm do not like back country skiing - it is more of a tourist activity - and the price for when it goes wrong is too high in the cost of human lives and rescue operations. Especially with climate change resulting in reduced snowfall and conditions more likely to spark avalanches.

CaptDingleheimer

Were they carrying beacons, probes, and shovels?

Yes.

Sad to hear of this!

Its always a awful tragedy to lose lives in an avalanche. Kinda horrible to hear others assigning blame and all that.

They were not hurting anyone else.

Japanese people as the norm do not like back country skiing - it is more of a tourist activity

You're so wrong about that. The are lots of Japanese companies offering backcountry asking across Hokkaido, Tohoku and Nagano, geared towards Japanese people and they do enjoy it quite much. So no, it's not a tourists activity at all. Last week a 26 Japanese male snowmobiler also sadly lost his life in another avalanche close to Yotei.

It's not time to stop backcountry skiing. It's time to level up the game and improve the avalanche network and snow science. In north America alongside the report of an avalanche incident, an avalanche report is released with the right information like type of snow, layers, aspect, conditions, cornice break or not, etc.

Yes, it's a dangerous sport. That is why we study snow science and train hard so situations like this happen less often. And when they did happen, we could react and decide on an action plan. You don't stop driving just because and stay home just because car crashes could happen.

There is zero wrong in stating that back country skiing is mostly a tourist sport - Garthgoyle just admitted that 'There are lots of Japanese companies offering back country skiing across Hokkaido, Tohoku and Nagano, geared towards Japanese people....' So we are talking about tourists here whether they are Japanese or foreigners.

I said back country skiing is not the norm for Japanese snow sports enthusiasts and remember unless they are natives of those areas, they are tourists therre. and it Most Japanese skiiers and snowboarders stay on the set pistes and areas.

Back country skiing is a minority thrill seeking sport and needs to be done away with. If a minority of snow sports tourists are still willing to risk their lives and staggering amounts of money in rescue operations and they are being enabled by Japanese companies, then the authorities need to enforce special insurance contracts whereby participants pay 100 percent of the costs in the case of accidents etc.

As for comparing dangerous thrill-seeking sports that a minority of people do for their own perceived benefit while involving the public when things go wrong, Garthgoyle's comparison of these extreme sports that are extremely optional under all circumstances to driving a car is just about one of the least smart assertions anybody can make.

Illogical just like the idea that when you get into trouble for doing something that most people won't do for good reasons, then everybody else has to provide the resources and support to get you out of it. Most of us can't go for that.

Sad to see so many heartless responses to this tragedy. Risk is inherent in everything we do, and it's up to each adult to decide what level of risk they want to take. Assuming one makes an informed decision, there is nothing to criticize. One's personal conservative idea of risk should not apply to everyone in the world.

Moreover, complaining about the cost of the rescue even before the bodies have been recovered is heartlessly stingy. Much more money is wasted hourly by government for drinks and kickbacks than on the relatively minor cost of a rescue. Recovering the body of a young woman is hardly an expense anyone should complain about.