near miss avy in golden feb 17 hope creek

this was close, 2 sleds were involved but managed to outrun. scary!

That avy broke off very wide....glad everyone is ok

Glad everyone is ok, but I can't believe there are tracks on that hill given the avy conditions the last few weeks. It's no wonder there are still posts with peeps dying on here. just plain ignorance. sorry if that's harsh, but what's it gonna take to help people learn, besides more fellers on here dying????

I've been in Hope too many times to count and NEVER have climbed that hill. Ignorance is one thing, natural selection is another.

Hope you're signing up for an avy course, or if you've taken one, a refresher.

Good luck...

noob said:

Glad everyone is ok, but I can't believe there are tracks on that hill given the avy conditions the last few weeks. It's no wonder there are still posts with peeps dying on here. just plain ignorance. sorry if that's harsh, but what's it gonna take to help people learn, besides more fellers on here dying????

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yeah that was pretty harsh considering that the end of the hill we were riding you use to go into the back side of hope and the hill was tracked up pretty good before we started to climb it . we had a large group that day and half of the group was out climbing that hill while the other half was having lunch near the entrance . I was in the group having lunch and seeing that avy come down on youre buds was one of the worst feelings in the world , i was just glad that i didnt have to get my shovle out

thanks for the great spirits Noob, you a.h. fortunatly i was just the photographer that raced over from 3km away after watching from a distance. I agree some of the group may have been ignorant climbing that slope , however it was their first time out to Hope Creek and there were tracks from a few older locals that must have given them a false sense of stability. I was only posting to let eveyone on here see what unfortunate situations may happen while out having a good time on a beautiful sunny day. By the way I have 2 avy courses under my belt, one from over 10 yrs ago, and one more recently, do you? Im sure most of the people on here have been guilty of climbing hills that do pose such a risk as this one, hope u understand!

tipyoursledmoregas4me said:

....however it was their first time out to Hope Creek and there were tracks from a few older locals that must have given them a false sense of stability. ..... Im sure most of the people on here have been guilty of climbing hills that do pose such a risk as this one

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I don't think he meant to be mean, but he is right. The older local riders might have known something these guys didn't.....Did anyone dig a snowpit to test the conditions? Avy courses are great but all too often people think that becuz they have taken the course, they are invincible to the threat. I know a lot of guys that have taken the course, wear beacons and have all the gear, never dig snowpits becuz they say the snow conditions change with slope aspect (just an excuse for their laziness) and ride in avy terrain all the time becuz they think they have the knowledge they need and the gear makes them feel safe. Wrong. Your first line of defense is your brain. Avy beacons, floatation bags, probes and shovels are your last line of defense and should not be relied upon as a failsafe that permits you to ride in avy terrain.

Its comparable to the speed increase in cars and all the safety advances we have. People drive far to fast for road conditions now, compared to 20 yrs ago becuz we have side, front, rear airbags, ABS, Traction Control, etc, that cloud people's judgement and perception since they "think" they are much safer for a given speed they are travelling.

Tipyoursled, the individuals in this situation should consider themselves extremely lucky they were not caught. Don't jump down anyone's throat, becuz they did not know the terrain, the area, or the snow conditions or they may have thought twice about climbing that hill. I have ridden Golden lots and have been mountain riding for almost 20 yrs, there is a reason I stay away from any alpine terrain until later in the season. I have known 2 people that have died in avy's, so please believe me that I am speaking from the heart, this is a subject that has hit way to close to home and is such an easy one to prevent. I have seen the aftermath of poor backcountry decisions, its effects on friends, family, people that were there and dug out a corpse that was only 6 inches below the surface but had a broken neck, where all the beacons, shovels and probes in the world wouldn't have helped, and I don't wish them on anyone.

Always be safe out there, and use your head first.

It is very unfortunate that every time someone posts a close call with a avalanche, someone has to come along and be the big shot by shooting off there mouth. Lets remind everyone that we are all human. Listen we have all been in a safety meeting of some kind, they are always telling everyone to report close calls. Most times people will ignore this, but tipyoursled has not. I feel this is a good thing. I personally have never been there but now I know to stay away from this slop. It is like the kid that always gets in trouble from his dad, he will simply stop telling him things that he has done. I have read 3 or 4 avi close calls on this site today and all of them have people spouting off. lets take a second look at this situation and talk about the good things that this close call has provided us. It is simple if close calls upset you that much why are you reading them???

Thanks for the post Tipyoursled...