Are you safe from Avy's?

[Mafesto]

My riding buddies & myself are flatlanders, but have been riding the
mountains for 10 years.

Of the group, I am the only one who frequents this site, so I have read more
avy related stuff than them.

We always felt that we do not ever put ourselves in harms way.
Well, between everything I've read here along with attending an avy seminar,
I have realized our comfort zone was not as safe as we like to believe.

I decided (with STRONG support from the wife) to get a beacon. The problem
was the lack of effectiveness if my buddies do not follow suit.

So I prepaired an arguement arming myself with statistics & incidents.
I also shopped around to find a good price to alleviate their "sticker shock".

Well, the point of my longwinded story here....
I did not have to work that hard to convince them. A 5 minute conversation
one night, and the next morning I'm ordering 5 Trackers.
(Thanks Mark @ 1st Place Parts)

So if you find yourself in the same situation, your buddies will not resist as
bad as you think they will, and who knows, it may save a life.

We still need to get probes and better shovels than we currently carry, but
you get my point.

 

[Flit8.0]

I would just say that after y'all recieve them, have a beacon party and KNOW how to use them. Kudos to you for learning them into getting some!!

 

[sledmanhof]

we did the same thing this last summer we had a discussion and all decided to buy beacons as of our increasing ability to access areas that are potential sliding areas. It took a bit of work trying to convice some that the areas we go to still have a considerable chance of sliding. But even if you dont think you are in danger it is still a cheap way to help in your chances of survival compared to a loss of life

 

[skibreeze]

Everybody that rides in the mtns should have avy gear and know how to use it. Just this week there was an avy at Cottonwood pass Co. that washed over the main road going up to the riding area,just happened to bury a guy riding up the road, luckily he survived. This road is used alot by kids as well, so even they need to be wearing beacons.
If you step up, eventually your riding buddies will follow suit. I got an ABS pack this year, and now one of my buddies is getting one, others might do the same.

 

[RMKcowboy]

After all the crud I've read about the avy's this season, I don't think I'll let my wife go out again without one. I (finally) got one this Christmas and we thought we were both getting one, but only ended up with one. I read something on another avy thread where the most common responses after an avy are "we were taking it easy" or "I've never seen this place slide before" and it's just not worth the risk! I'd much rather be the $300 poorer and have the peace of mind knowing that when a situation arises, we're prepared.

 

[SHEFFY40]

300 bucks is pretty cheap considering it can save a buddies life....after all most of us have spent 10k plus on our sleds .The wife and i both have beacons,probes,shovels etc and never ride without them...even if you dont plan on going into the hills you never know when youll come across a group that needs your help with a search.Get your buds together and practice practice practice.....its one thing to carry it but be sure everyone is confident using it

 

[Tturbo]

Having the beacons is one thing please take the time to practice how to use them. My group doesn't leave without them END OF CONVERSATION!
Just lost a friend last sunday. We miss you SLIM
he was found by 2 of his friends 18+ feet down. It would have took search and rescue atleast a day to get there. When you ride in places like this beacon, shovel and probe are essential

 

[snow_knight]

Our group all rides with them.. but remeber.. just cause you wear one doesnt mean it WILL save your life.. only better your odds of getting out alive

 

[J-Roc]

I'm having a heck of a time with one buddy in our group. He can't wrap his head around the fact that a beacon isn't only for him, but for us (his friends) as well. He keeps saying ignorant things like "Meh, when it's your time, it's your time", etc.

A place in town rents them, so I usually rent one for him, and just MAKE him figure it out.

Any ideas, besides not riding with him? (Which i'm fairly close to doing, by the way)

Kudos to you and your buddies for getting on track with gear!

 

[RGM]

That great that you got some beacons, now take the next step and sign up for a course. So far this year I think most the avy deaths have been from trauma and not suffocation and no beacon will stop ya from dying of trauma

 

[modsledr]

I'm having a heck of a time with one buddy in our group. He can't wrap his head around the fact that a beacon isn't only for him, but for us (his friends) as well. He keeps saying ignorant things like "Meh, when it's your time, it's your time", etc.

A place in town rents them, so I usually rent one for him, and just MAKE him figure it out.

Any ideas, besides not riding with him? (Which i'm fairly close to doing, by the way)

Kudos to you and your buddies for getting on track with gear!

If your buddy doesn't value his life...nothing you can do. But if he doesn't value YOUR life, how much of a friend is he?? Good on you for drawing a line.

modsledr

 

[Mrs Snowrider]

We did the same this year. For Christmas, we purchased each other avy beacons with probes and shovels. I always had the probe and shovel, but no beacon. Best Christmas presents we have purchased for each other yet. Thanks Wyoming T/A! He hooked us up real well.

We ride all over CO and WY and always do our tests before riding and checking the avy hotlines. But that still is no guarantee. This is a prime example of this years fatalities of being careful, not letting your ego's get in the way, and just being smart! But most of all, think of your families at home before doing something stupid!

After all the crud I've read about the avy's this season, I don't think I'll let my wife go out again without one. I (finally) got one this Christmas and we thought we were both getting one, but only ended up with one. I read somethinon another avy thread where the most common responses after an avy are "we were taking it easy" or "I've never seen this place slide before" and it's just not worth the risk! I'd much rather be the $300 poorer and have the peace of mind knowing that when a situation arises, we're prepared.

 

[Fredly]

I'm having a heck of a time with one buddy in our group. He can't wrap his head around the fact that a beacon isn't only for him, but for us (his friends) as well. He keeps saying ignorant things like "Meh, when it's your time, it's your time", etc.

J-roc I'd say when it's your time.. it's your time to find a new riding buddy.
I'd hate to have him standing at the bottom of the hill when it slides
over you, and he says.. oh well it was "j-rocs" time...as he goes home.

Seriously, everyone I've ridden with "in the mountains" always asks...
cause well wouldn't it suck to get stuck in an avy, everyone breaks out
a beacon to find the guy who is buried.. only to find out he's not wearing one.

 

[Cat Kid]

I was in the same boat as you. We're flatlanders and my parents and I have the avy gear discussion/arguemet every year for the last four years. This year I was tried of it and just said I was going to order two sets of gear. I siad I hoped they would own up to their half of the gear, but if they didn't I would pay for theirs too because I feel that strongly about it. They paid.

 

[Fredly]

My Parents when they found out I started riding, ended up getting me a beacon and a tekvest for xmas... they even got a tekvest for my wife..
Better safe than dead.

 

[mac900rmk]

Everyone in our group has been really good about this. Everyone has avy gear and this year everyone took an avy course. I think the fear of an avalanche is in everyone. It's getting people to really look at some of the hills and ride away. I wanted to learn how to identify hills to avoid.

 

[Bubba700]

It took us a bit of talkin to get some of the guys we ride with to buy stuff. 5th ride I ever went on my buddy and another guy were buried, my buddy was lucky but helping to dig a guys lifeless body out after joking with him a few hours before was enough to shock most of us into taking some courses and getting our gear. The few that didn't I always worried about and one of them was buried the begging of the season and got lucky. These 2 incidents pushed the stragglers to make the purchases. I don't think people realize your getting all the avy gear and training to save them also and vise versa. If your friends don't value you enough to be prepared to save you maybe its time to find new ridin partners.