Over the years I have attended 4 or 5 avy classes. I sit on the avy Center's websites and study photos and stories. I need to share these 3 stories that I was reminded of this weekend at the Avy Seminar in Lewistown, MT.
I wanted to post these 3 stories in particular after reading MtnDoos avy thread from last year. . .
MYTH #1: I ride out west but stay in the meadows. I cannot high mark because my sled is not powerful enough. I live in Minnesota and only ride in the mtns once a year. The meadows are safe...
TRUTH #1: In most instances, meadows are safe. 2 avy stories from recent years, one last year in Cooke City. Huge any propagated 1.4 miles across the top of the ridgeline. One smaller meadow, where a group had just had their lunch, was buried 13 feet deep with snow. (none of the sledders were buried, they had just moved) This meadow was over 1 mile from the trigger point of the slide but the slide ran right into the meadow, carrying almost 100 yeards onto the flats!!!! ALWAYS BE PREPARED. 5 years ago, BUCK CREEK, MT. Guys sitting in a meadow eating lunch, near a creek bottom. Slide occurs almost 1 mile away on a hill they cannot even see. Slide comes right down the creek bottom, blows out the sides and burys 2 people eating lunch. Crystal clear sunny day yet they did not even see it coming because the snow came over the bench above them into the creek bottom and meadow!!
MYTH #2: I do not need a beacon, probe, shovel, training, etc because our biggest hills where we ride are only 100 feet tall, we ride ditches, etc.
TRUTH #2: This was a cross country skier. He was tooling along a gulley about 30 feet deep. No hills in sight. Windloaded side of the ditch broke under his weight, tripped him, buried him face down in only 4 feet of snow. Feet were free. Died of suffocation because he WAS ALONE and felt there was no danger because of the terrain. I actually saw a slide about 4 feet deep at a highway maintenance station on the highway in Idaho. From a pile of gravel (probably 50 feet tall or so) that had about 2 feet of snow on it. A sled track looped up the gravel pile and broke off the slide right next to the highway! Wierd things can happen!
MAXIMIZE KNOWLEDGE, MINIMIZE RISK, PREPARE WITH AND KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT!!
If this helps only one person on here that would be great. . .
JIM
I wanted to post these 3 stories in particular after reading MtnDoos avy thread from last year. . .
MYTH #1: I ride out west but stay in the meadows. I cannot high mark because my sled is not powerful enough. I live in Minnesota and only ride in the mtns once a year. The meadows are safe...
TRUTH #1: In most instances, meadows are safe. 2 avy stories from recent years, one last year in Cooke City. Huge any propagated 1.4 miles across the top of the ridgeline. One smaller meadow, where a group had just had their lunch, was buried 13 feet deep with snow. (none of the sledders were buried, they had just moved) This meadow was over 1 mile from the trigger point of the slide but the slide ran right into the meadow, carrying almost 100 yeards onto the flats!!!! ALWAYS BE PREPARED. 5 years ago, BUCK CREEK, MT. Guys sitting in a meadow eating lunch, near a creek bottom. Slide occurs almost 1 mile away on a hill they cannot even see. Slide comes right down the creek bottom, blows out the sides and burys 2 people eating lunch. Crystal clear sunny day yet they did not even see it coming because the snow came over the bench above them into the creek bottom and meadow!!
MYTH #2: I do not need a beacon, probe, shovel, training, etc because our biggest hills where we ride are only 100 feet tall, we ride ditches, etc.
TRUTH #2: This was a cross country skier. He was tooling along a gulley about 30 feet deep. No hills in sight. Windloaded side of the ditch broke under his weight, tripped him, buried him face down in only 4 feet of snow. Feet were free. Died of suffocation because he WAS ALONE and felt there was no danger because of the terrain. I actually saw a slide about 4 feet deep at a highway maintenance station on the highway in Idaho. From a pile of gravel (probably 50 feet tall or so) that had about 2 feet of snow on it. A sled track looped up the gravel pile and broke off the slide right next to the highway! Wierd things can happen!
MAXIMIZE KNOWLEDGE, MINIMIZE RISK, PREPARE WITH AND KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT!!
If this helps only one person on here that would be great. . .
JIM
