MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H. (Reuter) - An avalanche on New England's tallest mountain killed a Canadian hiker, injured three others and touched off a rescue effort hampered by extreme cold and high winds, a newspaper reported Saturday. The hikers, French-speakers who may not have been able to read several signs warning in English that conditions were ripe for avalanche, were in a closed area on Mount Washington Friday when disaster struck, Rick Wilcox of International Mountain Rescue, told the Boston Globe. ``This occurred because the guys didn't read the signs all the way up and went ahead onto a closed trail,'' Wilcox said. ''They either ignored or didn't understand those signs.'' The temperature Friday on the mountain summit, which is 6,288 feet above sea level, was 20 degrees below zero and winds gusted up to 100 mph. Since recordkeeping began in 1849, 115 people have lost their lives on Mount Washington, including five who died in 1994 when heavy snows and extreme cold caused conditions similar to this winter's. The White Mountains are a popular attraction among Canadian hikers and U.S. National Forest Service officials have made special efforts in recent years to warn the Canadian hiking community of hazards. Submitted by Dale Atkins, Colorado Avalanche Information Center ================================================== French-Canadian Hiker Killed in Avalanche Four French-Canadian hikers were caught in an avalanche in Tuckerman Ravine on Mt. Washington. One of the hikers, 19 year old Alexandre Cassan, was killed. The hikers were on the closed winter Lion Head trail. Wash-outs on the trail during the late fall prompted the National Forest Service to close the trail due to the resulting extreme avalanche hazard. The hikers went past several signs alerting them to the trail closure, the dangers present, and directions to the newly cut alternate route. The hikers also reportedly continued on after an AMC worker told them to go back and use the new trail. In a furthur display of ignorance, the 3 surviving hikers went to get help after the avalanche instead of searching for Cassan immediately. When a ranger returned to the scene of the accident, he quickly found Cassen's body: a hand was sticking up through the snow. Had the surviving hikers searched instead of going for help, Cassen probably would have lived. Avalanche Danger is Extreme The avalanche danger in Tuckermans and Huntington Ravines and along the summer Lion's Head trail is considered extreme due to recent heavy snows. Avalanches on steep slopes are probable. Travel in these areas is very dangerous. New Lion's Head Winter Trail The NEW Lion's Head Winter Route is now open. It is located about 50' beyond the jct. of the Raymond Path and the Huntington Ravine Winter Snowcat Trail. The Snowcat Trail begins 1.7 miles up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail from Pinkham Notch. The Lion's Head Winter Trail joins the Lion's Head Trail at treeline. This new winter route has orange signs with black letters and is blazed with red reflectors and blue squares. The Winter Trail offers the safest route to avoid avalanche paths in the Lion's Head area. The Lion's Head Winter Trail is very steep. Hikers need to have good mountaineering skills. Ice axe and crampons are strongly recommended. ================================================== Date: Tue, 09 Jan 1996 22:42:18 -0500 From: Scott Miller This is a summary of the info I obtained from the Globe article combined with my own knowledge and experience on Mt. Washington. None of it is word for word from the article. TUCKERMAN RAVINE, N.H.- Inexperience, inability to understand english, and ignorance may have all been factors in a tragic avalanche death on the Northeast's highest peak Friday. Mt. Washington towers over New England at 6,288 ft. with over 2000 vertical feet extending above treeline. The mountain is well known for having the worst weather in the country. Fridays weather was typical for winter; 100 mph winds and sub zero temps made for a wind chill in the range of 129 degrees below zero. Worse than the extreme cold were the whiteout conditions which certainly played a factor in the 4 French speaking Quebecois men straying off trail and onto an avalanche starting zone. The men, who did not all know each other prior to the incident, signed in as a foursome at the Pinkham Notch mountain HQ. The extreme avalanche danger above was very clearly indicated at the sign-in, as was the fact that the trail they were ultimately to follow was permanentally closed 3 months earlier by the USFS due to landslides which created new slide paths in the vicinity. Tuckerman Ravine is a steep glacial cirque located on the east side of the mountain. It is a well known and legendary spring skiing site, and also one of the more dangerous places to be on Mt. Washington in the winter. The approach to the cirque is a steep and narrow canyon, with dozens of gullies feeding down from above treeline on either side. Every winter and spring, it is the site of several fatalities, primarily people who lack the equipment, experience, and judgement to function safely in one of the only true alpine areas in New England. As the men began their ascent, they made their first error by following the closed Lions Head Trail up the north wall of the canyon. Along the way, they passed several signs indicating that they were on the wrong trail, as well as a ranger who warned them verbally to go back down and use the new trail. As they got close to treeline, visibility dropped to zero, and they strayed off the trail onto a wind loaded slope. Unable to see the fracture lines which were surely emanating from their footsteps, they continued blindly away from the trail until the inevitable occured and the slab let go. Alexandre Cassan was buried completely with the exception of one hand, while his friend Paul LaChance was injured. The other two men immediately headed back to the bottom of the ravine to seek help. Whether or not they looked, seeing Cassan's hand in the white out conditions may have been impossible. By the time help arrived from below approximately one hour later, Cassan had died of suffucation. ==================================================