GIRDWOOD: Joel Schihl died, a friend was not injured descending Raggedtop.
By MEGAN HOLLAND
Anchorage Daily News
Published: January 4, 2006
An avalanche near Girdwood killed one experienced backcountry skier while his partner escaped uninjured Tuesday afternoon, Alaska State Troopers said.
Joel Schihl, 30, died when a sheet of snow 100 feet across collapsed under his skis, tumbling him 1,600 feet down Raggedtop Mountain and burying him in 5 feet of snow. Friend Bradley Cosgrove, 28, was able to avoid getting trapped and was not injured, troopers said."
I'm saddened to hear this news. I worked with Joel in McCarthy in the Summer of '98. And I saw him on occasion when we both lived in Anchorage. It's a tragic story.
from his hometown paper:
Joel Schihl grew up in the Charlestown Lakes section of Virginia Beach and graduated from Tallwood High School.
He attended the University of Alaska Anchorage where he met his wife, Jeannie. They got married this summer, and were expecting their first child.
Joel Schihl cooked in a restaurant owned by his wife’s family in Anchorage, but his father said he spent as much time as possible outdoors.
“He would go skiing in the morning, then go work in the restaurant,’’ Schihl said. “He died doing what he loved.’’
Here is a picture of the avalanche.
From the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center
No comments:
Post a Comment