Missing hiker found dead in the Whites

[Mike Henrick]

The Globe article said her face was bashed up a bit, so it sounds like she was injured from being picked up and dropped by the wind; unable to move. I don't think the conjecture on a snow cave or getting to the hut is relevant in her case (but would be helpful if she weren't injured). Assuming you can move at all, why not just get below treeline and hunker down there?

A 0 to -20 degree sleeping bag plus her insulating clothes, winter pad and maybe a bivy (not much snow melting going on in those temps so maybe not needed) would probably have saved her life but is unthinkable for the typical fast and light winter peakbagging types we have in NH.

[Jeremy and Angela]

My take on helmets is that the inexpensive models (e.g. thicker ABS shell with foam liner at the crown) don't offer much side protection, but the lighter models higher on the price range (e.g. thin polycarbonate shell over a full foam structure) are very close to bike or ski helmets in terms of protection to the front, sides, and back.

If there's a significant risk of falling on rock (or getting hit by rockfall), a modern lightweight helmet seems a reasonable addition. I'm curious what the injury stats for falling look like for the White Mountains, as most (all?) pictures I've seen of people climbing them don't include helmets.

-J

[Seth R]

Falling rock is not an issue in the Whites. Not saying it can't happen but I've not seen any falling rock injuries reported on any of the hiking forums ever. Usually its people falling off rocks they shouldn't have ascended.

[jimmy b]

Greg, you were interested in seeing a type 1 locator a page back. Didn't see your post until now. I think an example would be in the Defender Boating supplies below.

http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1|135|2028709|2028728&id=1105844

5.05 lbs.

jimmyb

[Greg Mihalik]

Thanks –

The boating environment seems to have a few.
They are not common.

OTOH, since SPOT and inReach aren't bound by COSPAS-SARSAT rules, and don't have to reach as far for a communications satellite, their power profile is different and apparently able to function in -20F temperatures versus -4F for a traditional PLB.

[Seth R]

Sectionhiker.com said she was using a SPOT.

[Greg Mihalik]

Seth –
The only reference to I found to SPOT on SectionHiker was a comment by Philip Werner ("… which I believe she used …"), following a link to The Boston Globe, which said –

"Matrosova had pushed the button on a personal locator beacon. That triggered an instantaneous alert at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla., where emergency satellite signals from all such devices are monitored."

Other news articles also contain this reference to Tyndal AFB.

From NOAA –
"Rescue Coordination Centers (RCCs) in the United States are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Air Force. RCCs receive Cospas-Sarsat distress alerts sent by the USMCC and are responsible for coordinating the rescue response to the distress. Each service takes a slightly different approach to Search and Rescue…

"The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) at Tyndall AFB, FL coordinates all inland SAR activities in the continental U.S. …"

SPOT is monitored by the commercial operations center, GEOS, in Houston Texas, not the COSPAS-SARSAT system.

I'd like to know where reader Werner got his information.

[Bob Moulder]

Here's a recent list:

http://www.geosalliance.com/category/sar-flash-reports/

It ain't there.

[Jeremy and Angela]

Rick Wilcox in the earlier-linked Conway Daily Sun article was quoted as saying "The first lesson involves technology: Did she have a false sense of security, having a spot device on her and probably a cellphone?"

I suspect he was using "spot device" as a catch-all phrase for any sort of locator beacon, but I think many took it at face value as meaning a SPOT device. (Details like the mention of Tyndall AFB rather than GEOS would likely not have been noticed by many.)

-J

[David Thomas]

>Here's a recent list:

> http://www.geosalliance.com/category/sar-flash-reports/

Those selected summaries seem a bit of self-promotion by GEOS. I only see "activation – dispatch SAR – save injured/lost person" type stories there. Not any "activation – dispatch – found SPOT owner at his desk testing the unit" or "activation – dispatch SAR – find car with flat tire – dispatch Auto Club" or "activation – dispatch Air Force SAR – find hungry hiker – call Domino's for a delivery" type calls. Nor were there any, "activation – dispatch – darn! they're already dead" type stories there.

[Bob Moulder]

Good point; there are gaps in the serial numbers. In between, probably moron/meathead/not-so-happy-ending incidents such as you mention.

But the alerted agency being the USAF in Panama City, FL suggests it isn't a GEOS-linked product.

Edit: 'alerting' to 'alerted'

[Seth R]

Got it. Just passing along what I read. Sorry for the inaccuracy.

You guys lawyers during the daytime? ;)

[Greg Mihalik]

Nah.

Just like "fact checking".

And I think it is good to understand how a SEND device (SPOT, inReach, etc) differs from a PLB (COSPAS-SARSAT).

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