Buried the Alpine Meadows Avalanche Movie Now Showing

[Tricia]

This movie is playing until Thursday evening at Tahoe City Art Haus

5:00 PM and 7:30 PM showings

Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche | Tahoe Art Haus and Cinema

In March of 1982, a massive avalanche descended on Alpine Meadows Ski Resort that triggered a desperate five-day search for eight missing people. Buried chronicles the third deadliest avalanche in U.S. history, and the deadliest at a U.S. ski resort, the miraculous rescue efforts and the trauma...

tahoearthauscinema.com

You can read more about it here:

The 38th anniversary of massive avalanche at Alpine Meadows

With posts on Pugski and from a friend on FB, I am reminded of the massive avalanche at Alpine Meadows which took out several buildings, the Summit Chairlift Terminal building, and buried 12 people. This avalanche has always seems like a big deal to me, but more recently Ziggy's vet came to us...

www.skitalk.com

 

[Tricia]

This is kind of crazy.
From FB:
With this massive storm currently hitting Tahoe, it’s no surprise that avalanche control work on Alpine Meadows Road resulted in a slide hitting co-director Steven Siig’s house. Luckily the house did not sustain major damage, and these purging procedures help minimize destructive avalanches. Siig and his family were not home at the time.

 

[jgiddyup]

I'll help shovel it out for a season pass and 1st row parking spot

 

[Tricia]

Buried is out on Amazon for rent or to purchase.

 

[skibum4ever]

Buried is out on Amazon for rent or to purchase.

Riveting movie

 

[Pequenita]

I watched it in November? December? last year, through Amazon, and really enjoyed it. By sheer coincidence, I was at Alpine with @Near Nyquist, @Rainbow Jenny, and @luliski this past spring when survivors returned for a commemoration of the event on the deck, and that was very moving. I do wonder, wrt the film, whether I appreciated it because of my familiarity with the resort and snowsports, or if it's appealing to the general public, too.

 

[Dougb]

I watched this with the kids last month. Really good documentary telling a horrible story.

 

[luliski]

I watched it in November? December? last year, through Amazon, and really enjoyed it. By sheer coincidence, I was at Alpine with @Near Nyquist, @Rainbow Jenny, and @luliski this past spring when survivors returned for a commemoration of the event on the deck, and that was very moving. I do wonder, wrt the film, whether I appreciated it because of my familiarity with the resort and snowsports, or if it's appealing to the general public, too.

I wish I had been aware of the commemoration when I was there. I probably left early due to work the next day or something. I watched Buried this past summer (?). I’m sure my history at Alpine added to my enjoyment of the film, good question about it being appealing to general public. I’m guessing it’s more appealing to a niche audience.

 

[Rainbow Jenny]

I watched it in November? December? last year, through Amazon, and really enjoyed it. By sheer coincidence, I was at Alpine with @Near Nyquist, @Rainbow Jenny, and @luliski this past spring when survivors returned for a commemoration of the event on the deck, and that was very moving. I do wonder, wrt the film, whether I appreciated it because of my familiarity with the resort and snowsports, or if it's appealing to the general public, too.

That was a memorable day of skiing, enjoying ahi poke bowl on the sunny deck, and stumbling upon the touching event. @Near Nyquist and I returned for the evening to watch the documentary in the lodge. It was surreal, disorienting, and remarkable to bear witness on the 40th anniversary. The term PTSD didn’t exist then, but I sure hope the day helped heal and find some closure for those involved.

 

[Eric267]

Just released on Netflix

 

[no edge]

I just watched and it was emotionally tough at times... and often. Even though there was no avalanche at Whistler when I was there in 1980, the personalities were very similar. Work hard, play hard and take your job seriously. It brought me back. The loss of the sole survival's boyfriend was really sad. She'll remember him forever.

 

[cragginshred]

Anyone recall this? I know there are many Tahoe skiers here. My question is we have had many more winters that big like last year with as much percip -how has this not happened again since Alpine has such a high risk terrain?

 

[Philpug]

Discussion here..

Buried the Alpine Meadows Avalanche Movie Now Showing

This movie is playing until Thursday evening at Tahoe City Art Haus 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM showings https://tahoearthauscinema.com/show/buried-the-1982-alpine-meadows-avalanche/ You can read more about it here...

www.skitalk.com

 

[cragginshred]

Just watched it last night, and a point that came up was how was there not a slide last year since it had to have been a bigger winter?
Also in the documentary they questioned how effective the avi control was at the time. what is different today?

 

[raytseng]

As far as what is different, the biggest visible change is the gazex units have been installed and used. The first act of the doc had multiple scenes on different teams that were not able to complete their bomb routes. The doc did say the control plan though that Jim developed is still the core of the program so no real change in approach.

I think the difference is lessons learned, though. They pointed out the hubris of the time that they didn't evacuate or lockdown the road as they might do now. So even if the slide didn't change, if it was only structures and no loss of life, this would just be a footnote.

As far as what is the same, they still have avalanches at AM that killed people since 1982, so that hasn't changed.

 

[Tricia]

Just watched it last night, and a point that came up was how was there not a slide last year since it had to have been a bigger winter?
Also in the documentary they questioned how effective the avi control was at the time. what is different today?

In simple terms...because they learned from that experience.

But really...They approach avalanches much differently in many ways, even though some of the basics will never change.
Kingery, the head of ski patrol at the time had military experience and was using howitzers as well as hand charges.
I talked to his daughter who said she remembers hearing her mom on the phone with him that morning and how adamant he was that NO one be at Alpine that day exept the patrollers who were doing the dangerous work.
He really was doing everything right with the information and capabilities they had at the time.

Avalanche forecasters and experts have so much more information and so many more tools these days.
Sadly many of those are because of tragedies like this one.

 

[BC.]

Very good….

 

[graham418]

I just saw this on netfix and watched it tonight. Wow. Quite a story. Still a lot of emotion from these people even after 40 years

 

[Tony S]

I watched this the other day. Wendy was sucked in. After it was over she was like, "You guys never go to anyplace like that for gatherings, right?"

 

[cantunamunch]

After it was over she was like, "You guys never go to anyplace like that for gatherings, right?"

Heh.