Teen skier lost nine hours at Mt. Bachelor

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Teen skier lost for nine hours in deep powder at Mt. Bachelor

"I Wanted to Live My Life"
Hard Lessons Learned by Mt. Bachelor Skier
By Alicia Inns, KTVZ.COM
January 2, 2011

Jake Denham’s independent nature and survival instincts -- and lessons from his favorite TV show -- came in handy in life-saving fashion when the Portland 14-year-old built a snow shelter
after becoming lost in deep powder and sub-zero cold while skiing on Mt. Bachelor

Rescuers’ nine-hour search in frigid temperatures led to a happy ending very early on New Year’s Eve, when Denham was found, cold but in good shape, considering the ordeal.

On Saturday, Denham and his mom, Becky Denham, were back at the ski resort, talking to NewsChannel 21 about those long hours on the slopes -- and for his mom, waiting, hoping and praying for the good news
that finally came.

"My whole clothes were like ice,” Jake recalled, “and I couldn't stretch it. And my gloves had frozen shut, and I tried to pull them off, but I couldn't -- so I ripped them off."

Some might call it a New Year’s miracle. But hearing his story, you soon learn he’s one teen with some superior survival instincts.

After becoming lost on the back side of the mountain in temperatures that dropped to -17, Jake is now warming up, recovering and recounting the rescue.

"I wanted to live my life and not go die,” he said. “So I got up, and I found some ski tracks, and I followed those."

Jake followed them all the way down to where search teams were looking, meeting up with them around midnight.

He was soon reunited with his mother, who after nine hours said she’d never lost hope.

“I started deciding that I was going to the send him the warmest thoughts I can,” Becky Denham said.

“And I kept sending him messages of like, warm balls of fire, to keep him warm. And calling him, you know, in my mind. And saying, ‘Just come -- you know they are coming. They are coming to get you.’"

Described as an independent soul, Jake has built a log cabin and his very own tepee. So it came as no surprise that he created his own snow shelter, something he learned from watching his favorite show, “Man vs.
Wild.”

"I built, like, a hole in the ground, and I laid in it,” he recalled. “So then there’s a little ridge, so the wind and ice would blow over me."

Jake said he does not own a cell phone, and admits he never skiied that part of the mountain.

He said he was lagging behind his mom and family friends. But Denham also said his mom usually lets him go down the slopes alone.

The teen said he wasn't worried, until he encountered moguls (hard bumps or pounds of snow) and got stuck. Then he went down the wrong way, ended up in some trees -- and away from the ski run.

The family and friends all had agreed to meet back at the lodge at 4 p.m. -- and when Jake didn't show, that's when his mother knew something was wrong.

Jake says the key thing he learned is to always ride with a "buddy," and also to eat a big meal before heading out onto the mountain.

Jake says he isn't ready to hit the slopes again quite yet. And for now, the Denham family is simply counting their blessings.

"I could not possibly believe that he could be out there in minus-17 for 10 hours, nine hours -- and still be walking and talking and warm enough to function,” his mother said. “It was just phenomenal. It was better than anything I could have ever have thought of."

Phenomenal, and perhaps a miracle after all.

Jake Denham also said he wants to start a foundation for the Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team, to show his deep appreciation for their recovery efforts.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/26342304/detail.html

What can be learned from this interesting incident?

We have been unable to talk to Jake Denham. Federal HIPPA privacy laws prevent medical personnel, including SAR Units, from providing contact information for patients. If Jake Denham and his parents will contact us, we will correct any inaccuracies in our analysis. This is not a 'could-a, would-a, should-a exercise', but a traditional effort to help others learn valuable lessons from the experiences of others.

Young Jake Denham is to be commended for using mature common sense - when he found it impossible to climb back up hill, he removed his skis and slogged down hill, following deep powder snow ski tracks and snowmobile tracks to the bottom of the ski lift line. At one point he sheltered next to a bank of snow, out of the wind and blowing snow. He hoped to "rest and warm up" but experience tells us that he soon grew cold, lying un-insulated in the snow and not generating body heat from exercise. He stated he thought he might die if he stayed lying on the snow. (He did not "build a snow cave" as erroneously reported in one newspaper.)

Three years experience as a chair lift operator at Mt. Bachelor tell me that as a typical lift resort downhill skier, Jake was not dressed to survive a stranding. Insulation that keeps you warm enough to ride the lifts and
then energetically ski to the bottom of the hill without being drenched with sweat is not enough insulation to prevent hypothermia if stranded and forced to sit or lie on the snow. He was not wearing a waterproof
breathable Gore Tex hard shell jacket and pants, so his clothing became covered with ice.

By slogging through the deep powder snow, Jake kept warm enough by using his muscles to avoid deadly hypothermia and frost bite damage. His youth and vitality undoubtedly helped in this regard.

Of course, Jake did some things wrong: He skied without companions and no one knew he had dropped over the edge, skiing beyond his experience. He took off his skis and later abandoned them.

He did not carry an ordinary cell phone (protected in a warm pants pocket). Barney Lerten of Z21, has for ten years noted each time that a cell phone call resulted in a good outcome. Mt. Bachelor's summit contains many "cell towers". With a cell phone call to 911, Jake would have been in contact with the Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol coordinator and Deschutes County SAR if necessary. What 14 year old today does not have access a Cell phone? The news report above states that this young man did not have a cell phone.

The problem in these "special" news stories and the sympathetic comments from regular folks supporting this young man, is that clear facts for others are not learned from his lucky experience.

He did not "build a snow cave". No, you cannot build a "snug warm snow cave" without tools and knowledge. You cannot sit or lie on snow for long without thick insulation between your clothing and the snow. You cannot build a "warming fire" in drifting powder snow without "tools and skills" and experience, and perhaps never in a snow storm. Fingers, feet and lives have been lost at ski resorts because "becoming lost and stranded never crossed their minds". Snow caves are dangerous. Snowmobiler unable to start a fire in snow storm, dies from hypothermia. Lost skier looses legs.

Read the following Op-Ed for "how to prevent, recognize and treat hypothermia": http://traditionalmountaineering.org/FAQ_Hypothermia.htm

Here are some Basic suggestions for all outdoors people

1. Practice the Four Basic Responsibilities of the Backcountry Traveler. They work! Basic Responsibilities

2. Carry the new Ten Essential Systems, sized for the forecast weather and the adventure in a light day pack. This includes a map, compass and GPS and the skills to use them. In the winter, this includes enough extra insulation and waterproof clothing to keep you dry and warm if you become stranded. In snow, you must have a shovel and insulating pad and the skills to make a shelter in the snow to avoid hypothermia and frost bite damage. It works! Essential Systems

3. Carry a fully charged digital cell phone and periodically check where it can communicate with any cell towers to assist authorities to triangulate your position from cell tower pings. (Most cell providers do not use cell phone GPS signals to locate customers under FCC E911 regulations - they use triangulation). Cold disables batteries. If the weather is cold, carry the cell phone in a pants pocket near your femoral artery. Report your UTM NAD27 coordinates, your condition, the conditions where you are and discuss your plans with SAR. Ordinary Cell Phones If you may be out of cell tower range, carry a SPOT. SPOT-2 Satellite Messenger

4. Always stay found on your topo map and be aware of major land features. If visibility starts to wane, reconfirm your bearings with your map, compass and GPS and quickly return to a known location. A GPS is the only practical way for a trained individual to navigate in a whiteout or blowing snow. Lost Mt Hood Climbers

5. Always ski with others unless you are very fit and experienced and have skied here before.

A suggested minimum standard news advisory for all backcountry travelers!

"We would like to take this opportunity to ask our visitors to the backcountry of Oregon to plan for the unexpected. Each person should dress for the forecast weather and take minimum extra clothing protection from a drop in temperature and possible rain or snow storm or an unexpected cold wet night out, insulation from the wet ground or snow, high carbohydrate snacks, two quarts of water or Gatorade, a map and compass and optional inexpensive GPS and the skills to use them, and a charged cell phone from a Provider that has the best coverage of the area and possibly, a SPOT-2 GPS Satellite Communicator. Each person should carry the traditional personal "Ten Essentials Systems" in a day pack sized for the individual, the trip, the season and the forecast weather.

Visitors are reminded to tell a Responsible Person where they are going, where they plan to park, when they will be back and to make sure that person understands that they are relied upon to call 911 at a certain time if the backcountry traveler has not returned. If you become lost or stranded, mark your location and stay still or move around your marked location to stay warm. Do not try to find your way until you are exhausted, or worse yet - wet. Wait for rescuers.

THE MISSION of TraditionalMountaineering.org

"To provide information and instruction about world-wide basic to advanced alpine mountain climbing safety skills and gear, on and off trail hiking, scrambling and light and fast Leave No Trace backpacking techniques based on the foundation of an appreciation for the Stewardship of the Land, all illustrated through photographs and accounts of actual shared mountaineering adventures."

TraditionalMountaineering is founded on the premise that "He who knows naught, knows not that he knows naught", that exploring the hills and summitting peaks have dangers that are hidden to the un-informed and that these inherent risks can be in part, identified and mitigated by mentoring: information, training, wonderful gear, and knowledge gained through the experiences of others.

The value of TraditionalMountaineering to our Friends is the selectivity of the information we provide, and its relevance to introducing folks to informed hiking on the trail, exploring off the trail, mountain travel and Leave-no-Trace light-weight bivy and backpacking, technical travel over steep snow, rock and ice, technical glacier travel and a little technical rock climbing on the way to the summit. Whatever your capabilities and interests, there is a place for everyone in traditional alpine mountaineering.

WARNING - *DISCLAIMER!*
Mountain climbing has inherent dangers that can, only in part, be mitigated

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