That tragedy was a group of back country skiiers who hike in to their destination. The risk is always higher for that type of activity. Should the guides have known and altered plans? Maybe. Probably. The survivors may have something to say at some point.

But to your topic - I am highly risk averse in most things preferring the known and what feels controllable and safe. However I did repel off a cliff, shaking the entire time, but could not have done it if my son wasn't at my side the entire time. It's that first step..... trusting the harness and ropes. I also jumped through a waterfall into a pool of dark water in a cave, at the urging of the same son. He is my daredevil.

My oldest daughter and her husband live in Truckee and are avid outdoors people. They cross-country ski, downhill ski, kayak, hike, etc. nearly every day. DD told me nobody had any business going out that day. Avalanch risk was listed as 4 out of 5. What a tragedy.....

Best, I agree. Things can certainly happen unexpectedly but not so in this case. Maybe they thought they would be through it before it happened?

Lucille, there are certainly people who get thrills from ski diving, zip lining, bungee jumping, and parasailing etc. No thank you.

I don't like the thrill rides either. When DD’s were young, we went on all those rides. I wanted them to get the expetience. They love it.

As Bestyears’ daughter made clear, it was a preventable tragedy.

I did read that this was a multi-day trip and they were on their way back with the guides. That said, I would have assumed weather reports would have indicated an incoming storm within that period of time. Snow after a period of dry creates very unstable conditions and high avalanche risk. Unfortunately, people do still choose to go out in high risk conditions, sometimes because it makes for great skiing (powder!), but I would not. Other winter sports like snowshoeing, snowmobiling, even cross-country skiing can have avalanche risks. I like to snowshoe from time to time. Downhill skiing I stick to resorts. They usually have good avalanche prevention programs, but honestly that's still no guarantee. Even ski resorts have had avalanches before.

I wonder if some of the more recent avalanche technologies (airbags plus beacons) give people a false sense of security. Certainly they can be life savers, but not a guarantee.

Regardless it's quite sad. Sad way to die and even more so for their friends and family left behind.

I hope those who died, died quickly.

I cross posted this to kt.

Such a sad story. My good friends are pro skiers at Mammoth Mountain, also a popular ski destination in the area. They have had a ridiculous amount of snow from this latest storm and storms previous. With the huge accumulations of fresh snow so recently, it was probably unwise to venture into the back country; they should have known things could be unstable under those circumstances. I'm so sorry for the families who lost their loved ones. I am glad no rescuers were harmed trying to get them out safely

I've been skydiving about 10-15 times - which is kinda funny considering that I'm scared of heights! The guy my mom dated for a few years was really into it (= very experienced) - so, I went and trained one day when I was 19 yrs old (his daughter, who was 18 yrs old, also trained with me). It was SCARY and exciting. However, once I became a mom, I never went skydiving again.

I have a friend who used to heli ski because the "groomed" trails weren't exciting enough. However, he always paid attention to avalanche risks. It's really sad that the avalanche risk was a 4 out of 5 and they still went. That seem equal to heading into the ocean when there is a posted shark ban.

I feel terrible for their families - it was a preventable tragedy. 😞

Some people are wired to have much less fear than the average person, down to none at all. . . just like some people are wired to be fearful of a lot of things. In some ways it is rational to never get in a car, but it's so ubiquitous that people rarely think about it.

I have a real problem with those guides — or the company — deciding to make that expedition.

This Pacific storm was predicted to bring heavy rains and flooding in my area in So Cal, so imagine the forecasts for mountains further north in the state.

There was a flash flood warning for flat-as-a-pancake Venice, something that is usually reserved for areas close to, or in the hills, especially burn areas. (No flooding occurred here.)

Right now the wind has picked up as the storm system finally begins its exit. Rained Monday through Thursday this week — feast or famine this rainy season.

I just read a local article about a girl (no age disclosed) skiing out of bounds of one of our local ski resorts caught up in an avalanche that died. Several other middle school aged young people were in the same areas skiing out of bounds and helped probe to find her, but she still didn't survive. The areas have signage indicating that there is no avalanche control or ski patrol and often there are ropes blocking the area. It is not illegal to ski in the area. People duck under them to ski in the powder and don't seem to grasp the danger. To be honest, I think I may done the same in my youth skiing with my brother, and I certainly don't think I understood the risk.

But as nancy mentioned above, the guides and a professional ski company should know the risks.