• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

John Webb

mdskier
Skier
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
5,779
Location
Nevada City CA
We drove past Donner Summit on Tuesday- several hours after this happened coming home from the eclipse in Oregon.

Rained a lot between Susanviille and the turn toward Portola. Off in the distance toward Donner Pass we saw dry lightning - maybe even the bolt that hit Mathias Steinhuber ! :eek:

:huh: While we stopped for food at the Mexican restaurant in Sierraville the storm cleared.

Lucky guy- Trish is phobic about lightning since, as a kid, she saw a whole lot of cattle struck by lightning and killed
 
Last edited:

SSSdave

life is short precious ...don't waste it
Skier
Joined
Sep 12, 2017
Posts
2,516
Location
Silicon Valley
That story had quite a discussion on another board. Very lucky to have others nearby that got a SAR helicopter in quickly.

The below is a snippet from a web feature for one of the 6 High Sierra backpacking trips I did this summer. It relates how when I could see a violent storm imminent, that two groups moving up a trail about a modestly exposed sparse timberline zone, were unconcerned even after I gave each a solid warning. As a decades old backpacker, have seen not a few people continuing up towards dangerous ridge lines and peaks while I was hurriedly escaping in the other direction downhill. My career is in electronics, have a solid physics background, and have read a few books on lightning phenomenon. Obviously there are many ordinary people that are rather clueless about lightning dangers and that includes fair numbers of mountain enthusiasts like peak baggers that ought to make it their business to understand.

-------------------------

About 10am, the strongest thunderstorm of my trip moved over the canyon. Because of the towering canyon walls with storms moving in from the south southeast, it was difficult to see what was coming beyond a few minutes however nearing thunder gave me an earlier warning. As it began to rain lightly, I scurried back towards my camp. At that time I passed a young woman backpacking with a dog moving up the trail and warned them a strong storm as I pointed up south would quickly be on top of us but she seemed unconcerned, set on reaching the pass, about 1.5 miles distant. Just a small ways behind her, I warned a group of 2 couples likewise and they also seemed unimpressed despite the fact heavy rain made views of the south canyon walls blurry a short distance away. Neither group had pack rain covers on their backpacks and all were wearing shorts and t-shirts

About 30 seconds later, I reached my tent and dove in as heavy rain suddenly arrived. Looking out my tent, I could see both those parties only part way up to the knee above camp getting hammered. All of them were suddenly in a panic moving further above out of my sight as monstrous lightning bolts blasted right above. Both groups were obviously novices without much experience but I had to shake my head the way they ignored advice even though it was all so visually obvious. Here in California, thunderstorms are rare in our urban areas so many city people are unfamiliar with what storms look like and how violent they can be with heavy rain that can soak a person in just a few tens of seconds. Upper North Fork of Bishop Creek Canyon with massive towering rock walls is one of the most ideal locations in the Sierra for experiencing thunder echoing loudly and was it impressive! A half hour later after rain stopped, I climbed up the trail and saw the gal and dog stumbling out of some trees where she had managed to put a pack rain cover on her pack but was now hand carrying another clump of something in a large bag, no doubt the result of an emergency digging into her pack for rain gear.
 
Last edited:

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,328
Location
The Bull City
What do you do if you're camping? Just sit in your tent and hope for the best is what we do. More often than not the tents are near or under trees and there's not a lot of other options when we arrive at a designated camp site. Sometimes at group sites there isn't even a bathroom shower building anywhere around either.. The car's 5 miles away so it's the tent or nothing..
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
7,484
Location
Breckenridge, CO
I'd abandon my tent for a safer location if one were available. Most times I've been in a tent and a storm hit, changing location wouldn't have made a difference; it was trees everywhere. I aim to be in the 'cone of protection'; near a tree but not next to its trunk during storms. It is a trade off of hoping the tree gets hit directly and not you but the electricity not jumping from the trunk to you.

If I were camping above treeline (not something I would typically do in the first place), I'd abandon the tent and go for the trees for the 'cone of protection'. I'd rather be wet than fried.
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,328
Location
The Bull City
If I were camping above treeline (not something I would typically do in the first place), I'd abandon the tent and go for the trees for the 'cone of protection'. I'd rather be wet than fried.

Ya, being the only thing in the middle of a small clearing isn't great either.. We abandon the soccer pitch and get in the cars or bathroom building when a storm rolls up under those circumstances. You don't want to be the only thing standing in the middle of a clearing and you don't want to be right next to a tree either.. Doesn't leave much else hahahahaha..
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
7,484
Location
Breckenridge, CO
An interesting place NOT to be is inside an underground reinforced concrete bunker. A group of people on the coast of Maine IIRC 'escaped' from their boat to an old bunker to get out of the open. Unfortunately the strike hit above them, traveled through the rebar and they were the best conductor to the ground below them.

This may or may not be the incident I recall but it is quite similar:
Wallingford Man's Cpr Skills Save 3 Lightning Victims
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,328
Location
The Bull City
Oklahoma is full of steel and concrete/rebar tornado shelters in quite a few back yards all over the state. Surprised that hasn't been happening there on a regular basis.
 

Wilhelmson

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
May 2, 2017
Posts
4,328
First aid, CPR, and Heimlick should be offered, if not mandatory, in high school. I'd bet that many of us have been in a situation where someone was choking on some type of food, if not a worse situation.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top