Mid-Atlantic Bellayre Avalanche

[Erik Timmerman]

Yes, that's right, Bellayre NY had an avalanche yesterday. They got 6.5" of rain from the Christmas storm which fell on top of the snow from last week. This saturated the whole snowpack and sent it down into the lodge. I'd have left a link but everything I found had so many pop-ups that I couldn't do that to you.

 

[Dave Marshak]

There are pictures of it at the www.nyskiblog.com forum.

dm

 

[Scruffy]

Oh no, that was such a beautiful lodge. Hope they repair it back to original.

Belleayre Conditions

Just heard a mountain ops guy got caught up in one at Mt Snow on a snowmobile. Luckily he’s OK, the sled not so much

nyskiblog.com

 

[KevinF]

How do you even begin to clean that amount of snow out from inside a building?

I saw other pictures of the damage that indicated that the building is structurally damaged as well; do you even try to repair damage like that or just tear it down and start over?

 

[Jilly]

Love the hydro's still on....The whole place will need to come down. Probably be able to keep the fireplace.

Reminds me of the one a Alpine Meadows many many years ago. Glad no one got caught in this one.

 

[Jersey Skier]

How do you even begin to clean that amount of snow out from inside a building?

I saw other pictures of the damage that indicated that the building is structurally damaged as well; do you even try to repair damage like that or just tear it down and start over?

And they are planning on reopening tomorrow. I guess they will just use the lower lodge for now.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Probably were barely using the lodge anyway.

 

[BS Slarver]

It’s the Catskills, flooding is a way of life there.
When hurricane Irene hit us we got 13”+ inches of rain in 12 hours a similar total given the existing snow pack.

During Irene, Margaretville was underwater, some buildings shifted worse than the damage shown. IMO - they could rebuild it and probably wil need to try given the current economic climate in NY, but that’s another topic all together

 

[raisingarizona]

It’s the Catskills, flooding is a way of life there.
When hurricane Irene hit us we got 13”+ inches of rain in 12 hours a similar total given the existing snow pack.

During Irene, Margaretville was underwater, some buildings shifted worse than the damage shown. IMO - they could rebuild it and probably wil need to try given the current economic climate in NY, but that’s another topic all together

hopefully they would use concrete on the side facing the ski run where the slide came through.

 

[Uncle-A]

Some of that has to be water and snow mix. It had to be moving faster than just a snow avalanche with the extra water weight.

 

[GB_Ski]

Belleayre was going to build Tomahawk Lodge, maybe they’ll use the fund to do that? I heard some families were evacuated due to flooding. Man, it’s one rough year and Christmas for everyone.

 

[Jim Kenney]

Wow. That's crazy. Years ago I saw the effects of a smaller avalanche like that at Wisp Ski Area, Maryland about a week after it happened. A chunk of snowpack about half the size of a football field slid down the hill.

 

[raisingarizona]

Some of that has to be water and snow mix. It had to be moving faster than just a snow avalanche with the extra water weight.

The snow was heavily saturated by 6 inches of rain so this isn’t unlike a wet slide in the spring in the Rockies as temps saturate the snow into the afternoon. Wet slides don’t move fast like a slab does. They can actually move really slowly but still have very destructive power.

 

[Roundturns]

Wow. That's crazy. Years ago I saw the effects of a smaller avalanche like that at Wisp Ski Area, Maryland about a week after it happened. A chunk of snowpack about half the size of a football field slid down the hill.

Happened years back on Stowe slope at Seven Springs right after opening of season. Couple feet of snow was made and a good part of the top of the slope slid. There was talk that maybe the grass underneath wasn’t maintained correctly or something.

 

[Dave Marshak]

It’s the Catskills, flooding is a way of life there.
When hurricane Irene hit us we got 13”+ inches of rain in 12 hours a similar total given the existing snow pack.

During Irene, Margaretville was underwater, some buildings shifted worse than the damage shown. IMO - they could rebuild it and probably wil need to try given the current economic climate in NY, but that’s another topic all together

I was in Margaretville a week after Irene. There are 3 little streams that run trhough town but the water rose to at least7 feet in the village, and the flooding extended to the farms upstrean from town. Further east on Rt 28 I saw a whole row houses off their foundations stacked up against each other. A friend's house was knocked off it's foundation all the way up in Albany county too. The whole thing was unbeliveable.

dm

 

[Uncle-A]

It’s the Catskills, flooding is a way of life there.
When hurricane Irene hit us we got 13”+ inches of rain in 12 hours a similar total given the existing snow pack.

During Irene, Margaretville was underwater, some buildings shifted worse than the damage shown. IMO - they could rebuild it and probably wil need to try given the current economic climate in NY, but that’s another topic all together

A friend of mine told me that the flooding wiped out part of Rt 214 and took a bridge out. I am guessing you have used Rt 214 a few times when living in that neck of the woods.

 

[cantunamunch]

Some of that has to be water and snow mix. It had to be moving faster than just a snow avalanche with the extra water weight.

Water-free avalanches move much faster than water logged ones - the entrained air makes a very low friction environment, kinda like an air hockey table.

 

[SBrown]

The snow was heavily saturated by 6 inches of rain so this isn’t unlike a wet slide in the spring in the Rockies as temps saturate the snow into the afternoon. Wet slides don’t move fast like a slab does. They can actually move really slowly but still have very destructive power.

And can slide at lower pitches (ie less than 30 degrees).

 

[Uncle-A]

Water-free avalanches move much faster than water logged ones - the entrained air makes a very low friction environment, kinda like an air hockey table.

I was just thinking that flowing water with snow in it might move faster.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Probably were barely using the lodge anyway.

Upside: it's more COVID compliant in terms of airflow now....

I'll exit stage right now...