Guest commentary: Recovering our friend from Crystal River was something we had to do; he would have done the same for us
Source: https://www.aspentimes.com/opinion/guest-commentary-recovering-our-friend-from-crystal-river-was-something-we-had-to-do-he-would-have-done-the-same-for-us/
I’m writing these words in the aftermath of the death of our friend in an attempt to make some sense of the last few days, as well as to tell the details and truths as I know them of the events up to and after Chason Russell’s death on the Crystal River.
Chason was kayaking with his longtime adventure partner Stan Prichard of Carbondale on Thursday night, as well as another man. On the lower half of the Meatgrinder Rapid, Chason flipped over and missed the very narrow window of opportunity to “roll” his kayak upright again before he began dropping into the next rocky section of whitewater.
I assume during this section that he was upside down, Chason took a hard blow to the helmet and felt the need to eject himself from his kayak. Chason has been kayaking for over 25 years and has only “swam” out of his boat once or twice, an incredible fact and a testament to just how good a kayaker he was.
Upon “swimming” out of his boat, Stan was immediately with Chason and attempting to rescue his partner. Chason was never lost. Stan Prichard was by his side the entire time. Stan brought his boat to within Chason’s reach and made contact and began paddling him to shore.
The two went through another “hole” or large rapid, which caused Stan’s boat to flip. The two lost contact at the time and Stan “rolled” his boat back upright to see Chason get flushed over the next river feature and submerge completely. He saw Chason begin to rise and then stop just shy of the surface. We know now that Chason’s leg became stuck in an “entrapment,” or lodged between rocks that held him in place.
Stan whipped his kayak into the “eddy” or slack water just behind Chason and attempted to make contact again. The situation became quite dangerous for Stan, as during the ensuing efforts he lost his paddle while attempting to make contact with Chason and had to paddle to shore by hand. Once on shore he made every effort to get a rope to Chason but too much time had past and Chason remained stuck and had become unresponsive.
The effort that Stan put into saving his friend cannot be overstated. In the end, Chason was lost to kayaking. He had spent the entirety of his life pursuing the sport all over the world. Kayaking and skiing were his passions and nothing made him happier than being on the water in all its forms with his friends and loved ones. He was truly a river otter in human form.
As the news spread Friday morning, his friends from around the state began to travel toward Redstone. We arrived throughout the afternoon to be together and console each other in a time of hardship. Upon arrival it became clear that Chason would not be recovered by any formal entity, Sherrif’s Office, Search and Rescue, or otherwise. It was Stan Prichard’s firm opinion that Chason never became dislodged from his entrapment and was still in the same basic location. Efforts to identify him from drone footage were not positive and so no action was to be taken by local authorities.
Those of us who knew and loved Chason could not stand by without attempting to recover him from the river. So, the assembled group made some calls and rounded up all the necessary equipment to perform a body recovery on our own. The group was comprised of about 30 people: swift water rescue technicians and instructors, ski patrollers, mountain guides, world class kayakers, rock climbers, doctors, EMTs and loved ones. They ranged from Telluride, Silverton, Durango, Ouray, Aspen, Carbondale and Tahoe, and as a group had literally hundreds of years of experience to draw on. This was not a cavalier effort, but a calculated, well thought out and careful mission.
In a five-hour period on Saturday (June 19) the group built a ropes system across the river to guide a raft, controlled from shore, into the area where Chason Russell submerged. We conducted a “grid search” of the roughly 15-by-15 foot space in the lower half of Meatgrinder rapid. As a brief hailstorm rained down, we located his body.
Members of the group were able to get a rope around him — his body was approximately 3 feet below the surface. Again using our ropes system we were able to pull him free. He was still caught by the same entrapment that held his leg and was found within a few feet of his last sighted location. Ultimately, we were able to get our friend out of the river and bring some much needed closure to his family, wife and loved ones.
I would like to thank the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District for the gracious use of the Redstone firehouse, and to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Department for understanding our need to attempt to bring Chason home.
It was hugely cathartic to our group to come together and have a place to focus our grief and energy. Chason would have done the same for any one of us. I would also like to thank everyone who came to lend a hand. No one was asked to come for that purpose, we all just showed up, which in my opinion was the truest act of love.
Lastly, I want to thank Stan Prichard. I have never known a stronger person in all my years of outdoor adventures, as a kayaker, as a climber and as a dedicated friend. Stan led the team in our effort and was in the raft as we recovered our friend. He never gave up trying to bring Chason to shore and we are all very grateful for his efforts.
Like I said before, Chason Russell was never lost, he just moved into our hearts and our paddle strokes, our ski turns and our powders days, and he will remain with us for all river miles of our lives.
Meatgrinder is a Class V+ rapid!!
Crews continue search for missing kayaker on Crystal River near Redstone
Man went under Thursday night; searchers using drones, find man’s boat
News NEWS | June 18, 2021
Jason Auslander
jauslander@aspentimes.com
A kayaker who got caught in a treacherous section of the Crystal River on Thursday night remains missing Friday as crews continue to search for him, an official said. The man — a member of Mountain Rescue Aspen in his early 40s — entered a difficult section of the river called the “Meatgrinder” near the first Highway 133 entrance to Redstone around 8 p.m. Thursday, was pulled under the water and was not seen again, Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo said Friday. The man was kayaking with a friend at the time.
The swift-water search and recovery is being conducted by crews from the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office. Crews used drones Friday to search downstream from the area where he disappeared, he said. “I really think it is far too dangerous to go in (to that section of river Friday morning) and look for him,” DiSalvo said.
By Friday afternoon, crews had recovered the man’s boat, though his body had not yet been found, the sheriff said. Authorities were notifying the man’s next of kin Friday and have not yet released his name.
Crews were hoping the water might go down in the late afternoon and provide an opportunity to better scout the rapid for the man’s body, DiSalvo said. The Meatgrinder is “fast-paced, stout, and full of sieves and undercuts,” according to the nonprofit river group American Whitewater. The section can be a “high consequence run” and is known to have a large amount of wood that gets caught on the rocks, according to the group’s online description.
The river was running at about 800 cubic feet per second Thursday night around 8 p.m. and rising, according to the water station operated by the U.S. Geological Survey located just downriver of the Meatgrinder. The river usually flows between 500 and 1,100 CFS, according to the American Whitewater group, which also says the section of the Crystal “picks up really quick with more flow.”
“From what I understand, this is a pretty dangerous area of rapids on the Crystal,” Jenny Cutright, spokeswoman for Carbondale Fire, said Friday.
DiSalvo also warned boaters to be very cautious in the area of the Meatgrinder. “All river users have to be very careful of that section of river this time of year,” he said. “It’s a very dangerous section of river.”
Emergency vehicles parked near the north entrance to Redstone on Friday. Officials were searching for a kayaker who went missing Thursday in that area on the Crystal River.
Heather Marine / Special to Colorado Mountain News Media
This is a developing story that will be updated.
https://www.aspentimes.com/news/crews-searching-for-missing-kayaker-on-crystal-river-near-redstone/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR05EtyKZDvAyJ7uSgjlh1r7zfQ3YJqLPISHF_ZNQJIf3JpLEkSpPlRbUf4#Echobox=1624036005
Crews suspend search for missing kayaker on Crystal River near Redstone
Man went under Thursday night; searchers find man’s boat using drones
Jason Auslander, Aspen Times
A kayaker is missing on the Crystal River in the "Meatgrinder" section (seen here) near Redstone, officials said Friday morning. Officials have suspended search efforts Friday night for a kayaker who is missing after going into a treacherous section of the Crystal River on Thursday night, an official said Friday evening.
The 41-year-old man — a member of Mountain Rescue Aspen — entered a difficult section of the river called the “Meatgrinder” near the first Highway 133 entrance to Redstone around 8 p.m. Thursday, was pulled under the water and not seen again, Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo said Friday morning.
The man was kayaking with two others at the time and “was released from his kayak,” the Sheriff’s Office said in an update Friday night.
The swift-water search and recovery was conducted all day Friday by crews from the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office. Crews used drones Friday to search downstream from the area where he disappeared, he said. They looked from the section north of Redstone down river to the Penny Hot Springs. “I really think it is far too dangerous to go in (to that section of river Friday morning) and look for him,” DiSalvo said.
By Friday afternoon, crews searching from the riverbank had recovered the man’s boat, though his body had not yet been found, the sheriff said. Authorities were notifying the man’s next of kin Friday and have not yet released his name.
Crews were hoping the water might go down in the late afternoon and provide an opportunity to better scout the rapid for the man’s body, DiSalvo said. The sheriff said just before 6 p.m. that operations were called off for the night and they “will reassess in the morning” the situation and changing conditions.
The Meatgrinder is “fast-paced, stout, and full of sieves and undercuts,” according to the nonprofit river group American Whitewater. The section can be a “high-consequence run” and is known to have a large amount of wood that gets caught on the rocks, according to the group’s online description.
The river was running at about 800 cubic feet per second Thursday night around 8 p.m. and rising, according to the water station operated by the U.S. Geological Survey located just downriver of the Meatgrinder. The river usually flows between 500 and 1,100 Cfs, according to the American Whitewater group, which also says the section of the Crystal “picks up really quick with more flow.”
The Sheriff’s Office update Friday night said the river is running “high and heavy. Conditions in and around the river are dangerous to the public and rescue personnel.” “From what I understand, this is a pretty dangerous area of rapids on the Crystal,” Jenny Cutright, spokeswoman for Carbondale Fire, said Friday.
DiSalvo also warned boaters to be very cautious in the area of the Meatgrinder. “All river users have to be very careful of that section of river this time of year,” he said. “It’s a very dangerous section of river.”
Emergency vehicles parked near the north entrance to Redstone on Friday. Officials were searching for a kayaker who went missing Thursday in that area on the Crystal River.
Experienced kayaker missing in river section dubbed 'Meatgrinder' in Colorado
Spencer McKee, OutThereColorado.com
June 18, 2021
Search and rescue crews continue to search for a local man that went missing on a notably rough stretch of the Crystal River, found north of Redstone, Colorado in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Described as an experienced kayaker, the man went missing while kayaking with a friend on Thursday evening. He went missing around 7:30 PM after becoming pinned in rough waters, soon separated from his kayak.
According to Parker Lathrop, the Chief Deputy of Operations with Aspen Fire Protection District, rising water levels during the evening have complicated the search. After 5 PM, water levels reportedly start to rise and without a dam on the river that can be used to control the flow, this makes search and rescue operations dangerous at this time and into the night.
The identity of the missing man has not been released pending notification of family, though it was stated that he is a well-known, well-connected local in Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley, which includes towns of Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Carbondale, and Basalt.
The section of the river where the kayaker went missing, known as 'Meatgrinder', is notoriously rough. According to American Whitewater, this stretch is rated as class five-plus on a difficult rating system that goes up to six. The 4.1-mile stretch of water is described as "fast-paced, stout, and full of sieves and undercuts."
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but he didn’t make it. It was my dear friend and kayaking mentor Chason Russell. Hell of a boater and an even better man. Huge loss to the community. Pour a river beer out and boof something extra large for him.
P I T K I N C O U N T Y S H E R I F F ’ S O F F I C E
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Body of Missing Kayaker Located on the Crystal River
DATE OF INCIDENT: 6/19/2021
DEPUTY IN CHARGE: Sgt. Dustin Gray
CASE NUMBER: 21P007568
Pitkin County, Colorado – 6/19/2021 – Today, at approximately 3:30 PM, the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center was notified by the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District that the body of the missing 41 year old kayaker had been located and recovered in the general area he was last seen near the Meatgrinder rapid on the Crystal River.
At the time of this press release, there is limited information available regarding the recovery of the missing kayaker. Pitkin County Deputies and a Pitkin County Deputy Coroner are currently en route to the Redstone area to meet with individuals involved in this rescue/recovery and take possession of the deceased kayaker. The Pitkin County Coroner’s Office will release more information regarding this incident and the identity of the deceased kayaker at a later time, pending the completion of the Coroner’s death investigation and notification of the deceased’s family.
MEDIA CONTACT:
pcso.pio@pitkinsheriff.com
(970)920-5300
Pitkin County Coroner’s Office
- Stevens Ayers, MD, ME, Coroner
506 E. Main St. | Aspen, CO 81611 | Ph: 970-920-5310
Date: June 19, 2021
For Immediate Release
The Pitkin County Coroner’s Office has completed its examination regarding the death of Chason P. Russell, a 41 year-old male resident of the Roaring Fork Valley and a volunteer for Mountain Rescue Aspen. On 06/17/2021, Chason Russell was in a group of three kayaking in the Crystal River and became overturned and released from his kayak in the area of the Meatgrinder just north of Redstone, Colorado. The body was located on 06/19/2021 at approximately 3:30 PM in the area where he was last seen. The Cause of Death was drowning and the Manner of Death was Accident.
Thank you,
Audra Keith
Chief Deputy Coroner
Valley local, adventure guide Chason P. Russell dies in Crystal River kayaking accident
Searchers found body two days after he went missing
Kaya Williams, kwilliams@aspentimes.com
Chason P. Russell, a 41-year-old professional adventure guide and Mountain Rescue Aspen volunteer, died June 17 while kayaking the Crystal River, according to the Pitkin County Coroner’s Office.
The Roaring Fork Valley local drowned after his kayak overturned and he was released from the vessel while navigating the fast-paced, difficult “Meatgrinder” section of the river just north of Redstone, according to a news release sent Sunday. Crews spent all day Friday and much of Saturday on the search for Russell before they recovered his body around 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the area he was last seen.
He was a lifelong outdoorsman who began an accomplished guiding and instructing career when he was still a teen in his hometown of Telluride. He worked for nearly 15 years as an outdoor instructor for the Telluride Academy, an experiential outdoor education camp before moving to Aspen in 2011. Here, he worked as “adventure coordinator” and property manager for a family in the area, he told Adventure Journal in 2016.
His experience in adventure sports spans decades, with an accomplished resume of ski mountaineering expeditions, big-mountain competition, whitewater kayaking ventures and other outdoor feats.
He also was an involved member of Mountain Rescue Aspen, part of a team of volunteers who apply an extensive base of outdoor knowledge to local search and rescue efforts. “He was certainly a very skilled member on our team,” said Jordan White, the president of the organization and longtime friend and adventure partner of Russell’s. “He was a guy who was happy jumping into any position that needed to be filled, big or small.”
White remembered Russell as a level-headed member of the Mountain Rescue Aspen team who often served as a mentor and shared his knowledge and respect for the mountains with others. The loss will hit the community hard given Russell’s wide reach in the outdoors community both in Aspen and Telluride, White said.
“He’s leaving behind a large group of people that in some way or another have been influenced by him and how he thought about the mountains. … We lost a pretty good one,” White said.
His influence on adventure education for youth continued here in the Roaring Fork Valley, where for several years he coached skiers at Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club and served as the head coach of the club’s big mountain team when it launched nearly a decade ago, said Freestyle Program Director Eric Knight.
It was there that he introduced the “energy laser,” a circle of pole-tapping, bellowing and positivity that remains a tradition with the club, according to current big mountain head coach Johnny Rossman.
“The spirit of Chason Russell is a radiant beam that strengthens all of those around. He protected and empowered individuals of all ages. On any adventure with Chason, you were guaranteed to learn something and always have a good time,” Rossman wrote in an email.
“His swift and fluid movements through the mountains left you mystified and motivated you to follow. Chason’s mountain knowledge was truly a gift from the heavens,” Rossman wrote. “If you were willing to listen, he would share that knowledge. He was a teacher and our leader. As he loved us, we will always love him.”
Rhianna Borderick, now an assistant coach on the big mountain team, met Russell a decade ago when she joined the team as a 14-year-old competitor. Russell showed her “all the best paths of life,” Borderick wrote in an email.
“Chason really showed me how to love the mountains — how to embrace their beauty along with their risks and come away grateful for the experience. Chason coached by letting you discover the strength and courage within yourself as he stood by in case you needed a little nudge,” Borderick wrote. “Through his constant positivity he taught me that there is no such thing as a bad day on the hill. Regardless of conditions or weather, every day is a gift, and any day in the mountains is a day to be cherished because it gives us a chance to do what we love in the most beautiful places in the world.”
Russell also was an avid photographer; he received his first camera at 14 and spent decades honing the craft. He earned a degree in fine arts and photography from Montana State University in Bozeman in 2004 and interned for the acclaimed Telluride-based skiing photographer T.R. Youngstrom. “Photos are my life journal, they aren’t just art,” he said in a “Behind the Lens” feature for Wagner Skis.
He documented his expeditions in locales as close as the Elk and San Juan mountain ranges and as distant as the Himalayas and the Alps, sometimes sharing that work on an Instagram account dedicated to his pursuits. But even extensive experience in the mountains does not preclude danger, noted White, the Mountain Rescue Aspen president.
“All those decisions we make out there are calculated, right? But you’re never that far from that calculated decision being just slightly off or anything going just slightly wrong,” he said. “You’re living on the edge, and most of us who try to spend any time at an elite level in a sport end up with that possibility.”
He is survived by loved ones and family who requested privacy during the difficult time.
