And so it begins - Colo Avalanche (no deaths)

EMSC

EMSC

Well-known member
Eagle County man injured in Summit County avalanche

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13690598

Basic Gist: 3 Fully prepared/educated back country skiers, one injured enough to be flown out.

Given the relatively early snowfalls occurring again this winter, one has to wonder if we will see similarly unstable in-bounds snowpacks and in-bounds avalanches/deaths as we did last season.
 
preparedness and education sometimes=a false sense of security which leads to accidents. to me, there's way too much high tech gear and education that focuses too much on the scientific side of snow verses the, "get out there and learn what to watch out for and avoid" form of learning.

whatever

rog
 
Slides occur more often than reported out West. Utah has as many as 10,000 releases per season. I was standing on top of a ridge in Teton Pass about 6 years ago when I heard a muffled thump and felt my legs go out from under me. The crust underneath me dropped straight down and I was about three feet lower than I was one second earlier. We were not on a slope that you would consider a high-risk avy zone. I also know of a few people who have been buried to their knees in smaller slides. All you can do is stay off steep slide prone exposures, dig a pit and study the layers for weak spots, don't ski in tight groups, carry a probe and shovel and wear a beacon underneath your base layer. Other than that.... it's like crossing the street. :ski:
 
Bluebird Day":2fosw1ch said:
All you can do is stay off steep slide prone exposures, dig a pit and study the layers for weak spots, don't ski in tight groups, carry a probe and shovel and wear a beacon underneath your base layer. Other than that.... it's like crossing the street. :ski:
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I'd add: know what the local weather has been for the past few weeks.
Oh, and wearing a beacon "underneath your base layer" might be a little excessive, to say nothing of scratchy!
 
Oh, and wearing a beacon "underneath your base layer" might be a little excessive, to say nothing of scratchy![/quote]


Agreed.... I got a little excited. :oops:
 
I think Ice hit it on the nail. It's funny, but far more people killed by avalanches have AVY training than not, although this is due to their propencity to be in the back country in the first place. That fact shows me that people are either ignoring their training or their knowledge of which terrain to avoid, and how to navigate through it safely is inadaquate.

Avalanches release, although rarely, even when conditions dictate it shouldn't, and therefore training can't help you there. But still something tells me the vast majority of avalanch incidences can be avoided by proper training.

Furthermore, a beacon is only as good as the training and practice a group has at finding one.
 
rfarren":3ntbnts0 said:
I think Ice hit it on the nail. It's funny, but far more people killed by avalanches have AVY training than not, although this is due to their propencity to be in the back country in the first place. That fact shows me that people are either ignoring their training or their knowledge of which terrain to avoid, and how to navigate through it safely is inadaquate.

Avalanches release, although rarely, even when conditions dictate it shouldn't, and therefore training can't help you there. But still something tells me the vast majority of avalanch incidences can be avoided by proper training.

Furthermore, a beacon is only as good as the training and practice a group has at finding one.
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navigation and terrain assessment as well as weather, past and present (as marc c pointed out) are the most important element. typical avi courses with one day spent inside and one day in the field looking at snow crystals and digging pits is a total crock of crap if ya ask me.

i've been on mt washington on more than one occasion when folks near me made their last turns forever. those folks were avi trained, but were just too stoked to ski the line and they paid the ultimate price. i opted to stay below treeline both times. i've also put in some big potentially fatal ski cuts, on purpose, and watched the whole hill side go. i never experienced the same avi $hit when living in utah as i have in new hampshire. wild place and way too many green horns out there that just don't have a clue, and just as many experienced folk that don't give the prezzies the respect that it deserves.

rog
 
don't give the prezzies the respect that it deserves.
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Extreme wind-loading, potential buried layers of sheet ice from rain/freeze events. Yes, I'd suspect those are dangerous mountains
 
I have not seen that many guys climb for 1-2 hrs...dig a pit...and walk/take the easy way down. It's dishonest to think that occurs.

What generally happens - maybe you hug the least likely paths - ridges, scoured areas, trees. However, most terrain funnels into some type of drainage that people eventually just press their luck.

I would just assume - as attitude, epuipment and population expands/improves - more of those natural 10,000 slides will catch people.
 
snowboard247":3p93qx5i said:
GoofyNotFooted":3p93qx5i said:
Did you guys see this video of the making of Shaun White's private half-pipe in Silverton? Lots of avalanche blasting: http://www.shaunwhite.com/projectx/?fbid=kC3Dfe2Wqa4

How much $ do you think that cost?
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I read in transworld snowboarding it cost in the neighborhood of $500k to build.
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That's actually less than I would've guessed. Thanks for the answer!
 
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