Meathead Films Skiier dies on Mt. Mansfield

thegreyarea

thegreyarea

Active member
A few days ago a skiier filming with Meathead films out of Burlington, VT died on Mt.

Mansfield after attempting to ski a chute located inside the notch, being hit by a

wet slide, and tumbling off a cliff. Like the rest of you, my sympathy goes out to

Meathead films and the friends

and family of Alec Stall. It's an incredibly sad and horrible event when someone

dies in such a way. I would encourage everyone to send their regards to the Meathead

films.

This sort of tragedy doesn't have to happen. I'm definitely thankful that these guys went out there and it appears as though they knew what they were doing for the most part. The article didn't do them much justice so if anyone knows anything more, please, post it. Jumping up and down on the snow with your skis on is not an adequate slide test and after reading around on the Meathead films web site it seems as though these guys knew that.

Here's a link to the Burlington Free Press article. It's the longest and most content

filled one I've found.

I gotta say one thing to this and it's mostly fueled by my heavy focus on safety. I

don't mean to be at all insensitive to the pain these guys were going through. Also,

I don't mean to assume anything as we all know the best place to get the story is

from the people it happened to and NOT from the paper.

In any case, let this be a lesson to everyone that it doesn't matter how good you

are. Make sure when you go out of bounds you have the correct equipment and

training. I don't personally know any of the Meathead guys. The article listed that

they had peeps, shovels, and probes on them and they were all wearing helmets.

Anyone on the east coast knows that that's not something you typically see on the

east coast. However, for anyone who's ever taken a snow safety class read the

following:

In the 5 days before this tragedy, Mt. Mansfield received +30'-40' of new snow fall

on a mountain that at the time was barely covered. Temperatures during these times

varied between zero and 20 degrees. The two days before this even occurred,

temperatures ranged from 25 to +35 degrees. In addition, the location of this

tragedy was near the middle of the notch. Hiking this place in the summer, I can

tell you the entire area is prone to rock slides and is not something to be taken

lighly. Moreover, the notch is known for it's high speed, circulating winds. This

drops an extra amount of snow all over center of the notch. Rock gardens that would

normally require 6 feet of snow to ski down only need a dump of about a foot to have

enough snow blown into them and be skiable.

The area they were in was dangerous to begin with. The pitch is greater than the

required 35-38 degree pitch it takes for snow to slide. The aforementioned

conditions in a chute are by far some of the most dangerous conditions to be in. If

they were in the area I'm thinking of...there is no skiier left or skiier right to

bail out to if something were to happen.

I'm not saying that this tragedy could've been avoided. I am saying that all the

signs of an extremely dangerous situation were there in bold print. I can completely

understand their urge to ski these areas, however. The east coast season is cracking

up to be crap and this may've been the only time this could've been ridden.

All I'm getting at is this and it's a general statement not directed to the Meathead

guys in anyway b/c I don't know them and they were the ones in the conditions, not

me...

It doesn't matter if you have a shovel, a probe, or a beacon. You won't need them if

you use common knowledge. Always second guess yourself and if you're with friends,

hestitate some more. Only a shovel can help you tell snow conditions. A probe and a

beacon are finding your friend(s) and you should never have to do that. Take a class and know what you're doing and always accept everyone's opinion.

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2 billion dollars...sir, I'd handle my grandpa's balls for 2 billion dollars.
 
Shit. RIP

if shes with a new guy then that means you either have a small penis or you suck at having sex or both so just kill yourself now and end your pain!
-Laterials
 
Yuo never like to hear these stories, RIP Man! Condolences to the family!

Pete is currently sulking around Mt. Hood, shooting with Poor Boyz Productions and hitting on Kristi Leskinen. She hates guys, Pete lamented, so it’s not going good. Apparently Canada isn’t the only thing that’s tough for Pete to get into.

-kamikaze

 
damn i was at stowe yesterday that sucks so bad

_______________________________________________________ ''Anything that makes snow deserves more respect than my mommy''- The one, the only Giray Dadali (bristolrider)

I HATE NY PRODUCTIONS

 
thats terrible. It's always a tragedy when someone in the skiing community or anyone for that matter suffers from an untimely death.

'You look like a strung-out guy in his forties!'
- Mike-O

'all i know is that anyone can make a crappy student film with gay cowboys eating pudding'
-Tony Bakes

 
I hope you copied that whole thing from an email because whoever was typing that obviously didnt know shit about avalanches....only a shovel can help you tell snow conditions? Who was the moron that wrote that?

 
'It doesn't matter if you have a shovel, a probe, or a beacon. You won't need them if you use common knowledge'

 
'The pitch is greater than the required 35-38 degree pitch it takes for snow to slide'

hahaha again stuff below 35 can slide too man..

 
Honestly did you write that antadam??? Whoever does is a fucking gapper. Obviously shows thats you east coasters dont know enough to be skiing real mountains, why dont you stick to the groomers or being park rats for now. You have obviously just proven your ignorance.

 
what the fuck^ your should be the one to fucking die....these guys did know what they were doing, and this article is complete bullshit....i have been filming with meathead this year, and regardless of the name, they are a super professional group of guys, that have done some incredible skiing on the east coast...if you think this is an oppurtunity to make some jab at the east coast, think again.....this guy was a true skier, and had earned respect from the community....there was a tragic event and you fucking think your cool to talk shit on the whole east coast....what the fuck?...your a fucking disgrace man....RIP stall....that guy killed it, and deserves alot more respect than would ever be able to give him

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witty cent is now live on stage!
 
First of all shit head learn to read. Im questioning the guy that wrote the article, I never said 'meathead films' didnt know what they were doing. ANYWHERE. So learn to read before you try to get in an arguement with me. Second of all I never talked shit on the guy who died, only you east coasters ignorance. ANd besides honestly outside of his close family and friends who cares that he died? Hundreds of people die a year skiing sorry but I cant feel bad for all of them. It sucked he died but thats the price you pay for skiing sketchy terrain, if i died skiing I wouldnt expect a bunch of people I have never met to start crying.

 
^ well this kid's an idiot. alec and geoff and whoever else was out there that day knew what they were doing. tragic and unfortunate event, thats it. use it as a learning tool when your in the BC, east or west.

 
Youre like the fifth guy from the east coast to tell me to stop saying bad things about a dead guy but im not talking shit on him, im saying whoever wrote the article(antadam) is a fucking idiot. But dont worry youre still a fucking idiot cause you cant read a post and comprehend it. Go back to school you backwoods hick.

 
Dude how dense are you east coasters, christ learn to fucking read instead of sessioning a rail for one day.

'alec and geoff and whoever else was out there that day knew what they were doing'

Where did I EVER say those kids didnt knwo what they were doing, I said whoever wrote that article didnt know what they were talking about....come on guys its just simple reading skills....learn to use them before you bother replying anymore!

 
im not saying that you were talking shit on stall, but i am saying that it is completely irrelevant to say that we should all stay in the park and on groomers...these guys know what they are doing, and accidents can happen anywhere....also..how shallow are you...alot of people care that he died....he had a passion for our sport, and died while doing it...this is something all of us should relate too, and learn something from...so please stop trying to talk shit on the east coast, and especially not in this context..its not the time to make your point, wether valid or not, you should all be paying your respects to a great guy

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witty cent is now live on stage!
 
There I said the meaningless response that everyone else is going to say in the next few hours from all over the US taht have never meant this guy. Everyone will right RIP and move on with their lives and never think of it again, it sucks teh kid died but he was taking huge chances you have to expect that. I dont really think an online thread is teh best way of honoring him either is it?

 
It really sucks he died, I lost someone very close a few months ago. But sorry I cant feel bad for him and the other 100 people that are going to die the rest of this winter from skiing.

 
''Obviously shows thats you east coasters dont know enough to be skiing real mountains, why dont you stick to the groomers or being park rats for now. You have obviously just proven your ignorance.''

Does this look familiar ass-fuck? In that statement alone you dissed the dude. And showed your ignorance towards what's going on in the east. I'm not trying to start up a coast-to-coast battle, and no I didn't know the guy who died, but I have enough compassion and humanity to feel bad about it. Like Witt said, he died doing something that every one of us loves, and for that fact alone you should feel a little bit bad because it goes to show that it could happen to any of us

Smuggs kicks ass

Fat skis, Tight trees
 
an online thread isnt a good way to honor him?...well your approach was talking shit on the entire east coast, and saying that nobody should care...id say this option is a little more thoughfull wouldnt you?

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witty cent is now live on stage!
 
Im so sick of hearing the 'he died doing what he loved' response.....He still died being swept over a cliff onto jagged ice and rock. Is that what he loved doing? Besides once im dead im dead, if I die skiing or in a plane crash I still wont have any memory of it and will be dead and unable to ski anymore....so what does it matter if I 'died doing what I loved' Thats teh most annoying cliche response ever.

 
All I was trying to say was Antadam or whoever wrote that post is a moron that should stick to skiing groomers....even that might be a little much for the brilliant mind who wrote that..

 
wow...your responses are now amusing...im not saying it makes any difference, but as a person with any decency whatsoever, i would hope that you could get over yourself and stope trying to argue with me...the guy died...alot of people loved him...im not saying you have to, im just saying that you dont need to come in and talk shit...thats all..

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witty cent is now live on stage!
 
Typing RIP online is basically saying 'Im sorry he died but I could care less and wont really think about it ever again in my life, but sorry'

 
Is taht what you are really looking for in your life then? A bunch of people you have never met or will ever meet to type RIP and then get on with their lives and never think or mention it again....thats deep man

 
i see your point for sure, but for those that truly do care like myself, seeing someone say rip is alot more respectfull than hearing that we all should ski groomers and that nobody cares how he died, or that he died at all

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witty cent is now live on stage!
 
Well no one outside his friends or family really does care that he died dude....its the sad and honest truth. A close family member of mine died 3 months ago and Im sure as hell none of you actually care. You have never met them or had any relationship so why would you care? And dont say you do...because you really dont, your life will not be any different now knowing that.

 
You know what, it does suck that a family member of yours died. I am sorry about that. I'm sorry when anyone feels lose from a death. You can say I don't, but guess what, I do. It's called being compassionate and a lot of people have compassion, you on the other hand are the farthest from it. Sounds like you're pretty bitter dude

Smuggs kicks ass

Fat skis, Tight trees
 
im not asking you to care...thats my point...im asking you to be respectfull to those who do...and talking shit is not the way to do that.....if you came on and told me about your family friend who died...your right i wouldnt care...but i defanitely wouldnt start talking shit on where he lived, and everyone there....just show a little respect man

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witty cent is now live on stage!
 
sorry...to whoever said the thing about snow can slide lower than 35 degrees...yeah it can.

but unprovoked snow slides at about 35 degrees. the lower the angle the less of a chance. the closer it gets to wet slide conditions, the lower the angle needs to be. check out the glacier county avalanche center

a japanese climbing crew died in their sleep one night due to a wet slide on a 10 degree slope.

you people are getting all worked up for no reason.

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2 billion dollars...sir, I'd handle my grandpa's balls for 2 billion dollars.
 
Antadam again...youre an idiot. It wasnt a wet slide. Wet slides happen on warm spring days. This sounded like a cold winter day with new snow, so it was either a slab or a sluff.

 
no one told u that u have to type RIP, just dont write anything douchebag. and to say that everyone who reads this is gonna forget it and move on with their lives is wrong. Stuff like this sticks with me cuz he died skiing and when im out skiing its in the back of my mind.

I ski at the crappiest hill ever...

 
on a side note and i'm not claiming to be god on this one, but i've been skiing for the last 18 years (i'm 23, which makes me wonder why i'm even here), racing since i was 6, i went to high school at crested butte, and ski 90% of the time out of bounds unless i get pulled to okemo. there really shouldn't be any comparison between east and west coast skiiers. ESPECIALLY, when more people die at mt washington per year than any one other mountain w/a few exceptions like rainer. calling someone a fuckin' moron doesn't really grant you any respect and what was it suppose to accomplish?

oh and i don't know alec so i don't really qualify as his friend or family...but i cane so i'm sure some other people do, too.

when your cockiness gets the best of you and you end up digging out one of your friends and see your other friend wrapped around a tree dying...you'll understand.

enlighten me...what's a gapper?

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2 billion dollars...sir, I'd handle my grandpa's balls for 2 billion dollars.
 
hey dspin7x, maybe you should shut your mouth earlier rather than later, its hard enough to take anything you post seriously because 99% of it is shit talking. furthermore, I guarantee I have more time in the mountains than you do (granted, for mountaineering, not skiing but avis are avis.) and have lost numerous friends and business associates in avalanches, and most of them were IN the West, FROM the West. I'm from BC just for reference.

so shut your trap unless you have something constructive to say, or at the very least, try not to generalize a whole coast with incorrect shit.

you've got diarrhea of the mouth boy.

east coast vs west coast is so last year......

.

You know what the hardest part about snowblading is? telling your mom you're gay!
 
Osgoode.....I wonder why that is. I wonder why there are more avalanche fatalities in the west as opposed to the east. Hmm lets think critically about this for a minute instead of goign straight to being an idiot like you did.

Could it maybe be because the west produces MANY more avalanches than the east coast and much bigger ones as well. Maybe it could also be that there are many more backcountry skiers in the west coast as compared to the east coast.... Im not argueing that more people die in the east coast, its pretty fucking obvious to anyone other than a monkey that there are going to be more deaths a year in the west coast....Come on now, dont be such an idiot!

 
yup, name calling and ignoring the real point of the message,

classic dspin7x

you got me that time, I think its the impressive use of the word idiot multiple times that did it, now myself and everyone else here surely will respect you and your opinion.

.

You know what the hardest part about snowblading is? telling your mom you're gay!
 
What was your main point then? Because the bulk of your message was talking about how you have had alot of friends in the west die that grew up in the west......So what was your point. The small blurb at the bottom about not saying anything unless you have somethign constructive to say??? That one sentence out of the 100 you just typed was your 'main point'. Hahah fucking give me a break.

 
I called you an idiot twice...which obviously wasnt enough to get it into your thick head that you wont win against me.

 
No dude...im still waiting, whats your point? Youre good at typing prattle but you never seem to haev a point...So what is your point man?

 
its great when the person you're 'debating' with (and I use the term VERY loosely) helps your argument every time he speaks.

.

You know what the hardest part about snowblading is? telling your mom you're gay!
 
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