Majestic but Harsh Mountains

This weekend, while we were cleaning up from a big breakfast just eaten by our group of weekend house guests, there was an avalanche on Horseshoe Mountain behind the house.  The majestic cirques, which locals call the "big shoe" and "little shoe", are massive chutes that fill with pristine powder.  You can see the Little Horseshoe to the right in this photo taken a month ago.  The snow melts sometime in August and it goes without saying that the chutes are steep and dangerous, especially in the winter.  We have received 140% of our average snowfall already this year.  Add to the scenario one storm after another, nonstop, for several weeks now, with more lined up in the weeks ahead.  We are grateful for the snowpack/water but avalanches and flooding are a continuous concern.
The snow had stopped for us in the valley but we could see the storm raging on the mountain above us.  Little did we suspect that on the ridge above the Big Shoe, a friend from home from our daughters swimming days, her husband and their five companions, all experienced back country skiers, were evaluating the Big Horseshoe in hopes of skiing down the face into the bowl.  After digging exploratory holes (which apparently is what responsible, experienced back country skiers should do), they deemed it unsafe and were leaving the ridge when the avalanche occurred; sweeping three of them 1,000 feet down the chutes and into the bowl.  Three of the skiers, including the buried skier's wife, attempted to reach the injured skiers and they too became stranded, unable to get out of the bowl.  One skier was able to ski out for help.  After a long trek to the avalanche site by snowshoe, the rescue/technical climbing teams plucked the skiers off the mountain in a brave and treacherous rope rescue (there is no place to land a helicopter). Tragically, Molly's husband did not survive.  Although they were following protocol, were prepared with beacons and shovels, and knew and administered CPR, a young man died.  
Locals know how treacherous the terrain is.  Our beautiful mountains are unpredictable.  The weather is unpredictable.  There were calculated risks taken in the name of sport and sadly those risks didn't pay off.  Express your love to those close to you.  Hug your friends and family when you part.  Life is fragile and precious, and sadly sometimes way too short.