>I almost posted about this when I first read it in the NY Times Sunday paper a week or two ago. Now in yesterday's paper, the last Sunday sports section of the year reports that it was the most viewed article of the year, so I will go ahead and post the link.
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>http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/#/?part=tunnel-creek
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>When I first opened that paper it was quite puzzling. It was a special section, something they don't do very often. The front page, out of 12-16, consists of the title, "Avalanche," and a full page photo of an avalanche. It is about what happened at a place called Tunnel Creek in the Cascade Mountains. Following a huge snowstorm a group of elite backcountry skiers headed down the mountain, starting from above the course. It is completely captivating. There is a growing sense of foreboding, reminiscent of "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. You just know it is going to end badly for someone. At least for me there was also a sense of "Oh, no, not him/her...."
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>It's quite long but worth it IMO.
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>UPDATE: A follow-up with some more info and reaction to the article/section --
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>http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/27/snow-fall-tells-a-story-about-an-avalanche-and-a-newspapers-reinvention/

I really hope some of you read this. I just reread the whole thing and was floored all over again. It's certainly not a cheerful story but the storytelling is first rate and the multimedia features really enhance it. If you do read it, be sure to click the hyperlinks to the left of the skiers' photos. Most of them are to slide shows of photographs. There are no grisly photos. The pictures show the skiers on Tunnel Creek either skiing or living their lives like anyone else.