An unparalleled memoir that grapples with the complex relationships that exist within the mountaineering community. On 20 January 2003, at 10:45 a.m., a massive avalanche released from Tumbledown Mountain in the Selkirk Range of British Columbia. Tonnes of snow carried 13 members of two guided backcountry skiing groups down the 37-degree incline of a run called La Traviata and buried them. After a frantic hour of digging by remaining group members, an unthinkable outcome became reality. Seven people were dead. The tragedy made international news, splashing photos of the seven dead Canadian and us skiers on television screens and the pages of newspapers. The official analysis did not specifically note guide error as a contributing factor in the accident. This interpretation has been insufficient for some of the victims families, the public, and some members of the guiding community. Buried is the assistant guides story. It renders an answerable truth about what happened by delving deep into the human factors that played into putting people in harms way.
Ken Wylie is an internationally certified mountain guide and a member of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations, the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, and the American Mountain Guides Association. He has led expeditions around the world, including Canada, New Zealand, Peru, Denali, and Joshua Tree. He has 30 years of experience as a mountain guide and experiential educator for organizations including Yamnuska Mountain School, Outward Bound Canada, and Outward Bound USA. Ken has also taught courses at the University of Calgary and as a faculty member at Mount Royal University and Thompson Rivers University. He lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
