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aebsledder
Well-known member
Have been in too many to count?
I thought I was lucky.
I thought I was lucky.
Avalanche Poll
- Thread starter Gmiller
- Start date
Should add to the poll, how many have deployed their airbag when involved in an avalanche?
Might be good to add two others to the poll as well, have taken level 1 avy course and have taken advanced training, avy 2, ast 2 or above. Would be interested to see those results.
I have been going to Cooke once a year for the last 10 years and have taken the Mike Duffy class twice with riding buddies. We are headed out again in 2 weeks. Reading this stuff really makes me scared to climb anything. When we first started going we were just ignorant and climbed everything but now most of us have to much to loose to risk it. I would like to head to the backcountry with someone with some actual knowledge of what is likely to slide so I have a better idea. It is kind of frustrating going out and just shying away because of uncertainty. I seem to be the leader of the pack alot of the time to so that also adds some pressure on me.
rent a guide for the day!
if you are unfamiliar with the terrain why not rent a guide?
if you are unfamiliar with the terrain why not rent a guide?
I don't really need a guide but just somebody with good avy knowledge to clear up questions on the hill. Basically we pull up to an area and look at it but we now air on the side of caution even though we would like to hit the hills.
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aebsledder
Well-known member
Chances are if you are evaluating a slope and you get that funny feeling, it is probably not safe. This year the snowpack is really scary in most parts of the Rockies due to a persistent weak layer. This layer is most likely not going to go away. Erring on the side of caution is still your safest bet.
What you are describing you want sounds like a level 1 avy course.The on snow portion will give you chances to ask questions from somebody with good avy knowledge. If you want more take a level 2, its well worth it and WAY more in depth. These are life and death decisions, why not know as much as possible about the situation before making them?
Some avalanche instructors will do courses specifically for your group if you have enough guys to make it worth their while...
I assume the mike duffy course you refer to was a classrom session/seminar?
Really??
Maybe I just dont understand this post but please explain something to me?
With a 4-5 foot crown and a obvious prime avalanche location and condition(s) as seen in picture. How is this a "ride smart" moment???
I triggered this dropping in last week.....4-5 foot crown
Going to be a lot this year...be careful out there and ride smart.
Maybe I just dont understand this post but please explain something to me?
With a 4-5 foot crown and a obvious prime avalanche location and condition(s) as seen in picture. How is this a "ride smart" moment???
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smv sledhead
Member
I don't know Tudizzle, or anybody he rides with, and I'm just going by his stats on this site, but I get the general idea that he is not completely stupid. I think too many times when a slide is triggered and somebody narrowly escapes, or is buried and rescued, or God forbid is buried and dies, that we are too quick to judge. We all love to ride, we all love to ride in deep snow, we all like to climb hills, and drop cornices. Nobody deliberately tries to get into a slide. It's everyone's worst nightmare. We all know there are risks- it's a part of being active in life, no matter what you do. It just so happens that as snowmobilers, the biggest risk we face is the avalanche. It will always be that way. In fact, as sleds continue to evolve, it will become even a bigger risk. Fact of the matter is we have probably ALL been in avalanche danger at one point or another. So let's all take this thread for what it's worth and learn together to try and keep the buried/dead stat at a minimum. Just my $.02
I dont know him either and I never called him "completely stupid" and I dont disagree with all of your statement except... isnt there always a chance when you "drop cornices" for a avalanche either large or small??? Last time I checked a cornice is an overhanging edge of snow on a ridge or the crest of a mountain. Just my $.02
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smv sledhead
Member
Touche on the completely stupid line. And sure there's a chance of a cornice following you from the top of a windblown ridge. The thing is that about everywhere you go, sooner or later you'll find a ridge top which will be void of a track between the very top, and somewhere down the hill. There are pictures, videos, etc. everywhere showing people doing it. And sure, every now and then, somebody will trigger a slide. But I'm willing to bet if you asked the person that triggered it if that's what he/she meant to do, that person will say no. However, if that person says yes, then I think that does qualify he/she as stupid.
An avalanche "crown" does not appear until after it has occurred...your statement confuses me?
This hill is a short/shallow slope that runs a small distance into a large open area that we are familiar with. It slides very slowly when it does...almost in slow motion. I believe it looks larger than it is in person.
If you drop it with any speed you are almost into the flats and away from any slide activity.
That being said....I should have avoided the area. I made a mistake and triggered a slide. I took a pic to share.....and encourage others to ride smart.
Pretty straight forward post.
-diz
I can't vote for some reason.
Pulled my bag last year, hope to never do it again.
Life for many of us is about calculated risk. If that weren't the case there would be no need for the avy centers... because nobody would EVER venture into terrain where it could possibly occur.
That said, sometimes you calculate, and you took a risk that was higher than you thought, and a mistake was made. That's why we carry gear, but we hope to never use it.
Pulled my bag last year, hope to never do it again.
Life for many of us is about calculated risk. If that weren't the case there would be no need for the avy centers... because nobody would EVER venture into terrain where it could possibly occur.
That said, sometimes you calculate, and you took a risk that was higher than you thought, and a mistake was made. That's why we carry gear, but we hope to never use it.
I guess a mod can put your vote in for you, Obviously you pulled your trigger to activate, been in an avy and been around or seen plenty of avys. Please add to poll MOD.....
Never been in one. I have triggered cornice breaks but the just fell and rolled to the bottem.
Just this season alone I have seen several slides that occured before we got there, some had even slid just a week before.
Obviously we just had a "local" kid get caught and it ended badly on Buff Pass. The snow is horrible right now. You have a 5" crust on top of a decent layer sitting on a 24-36" layer of sugar. It's not a matter of if this season, it's a matter of when. I have seen hillsides that have never broke in my entire sledding experience and are now unstable as 75 year old dynamite.
Just this season alone I have seen several slides that occured before we got there, some had even slid just a week before.
Obviously we just had a "local" kid get caught and it ended badly on Buff Pass. The snow is horrible right now. You have a 5" crust on top of a decent layer sitting on a 24-36" layer of sugar. It's not a matter of if this season, it's a matter of when. I have seen hillsides that have never broke in my entire sledding experience and are now unstable as 75 year old dynamite.
I couldn't get a vote in for some reason either, but I triggered an avy this weekend on a hill that felt stable and looked good when I dropped in. It is a bowl we are very familiar with, but it goes to show you how the conditions are this year. Luckily I was able to ride out of it, it dang near swallowed me up. We did do most things right though, two people up top watching out of the way and ready to go, all wearing beacons, carrying probes, and shovels.
One thing I can tell you is I am getting an avy bag asap after this scare.
One thing I can tell you is I am getting an avy bag asap after this scare.
After 25 years of climbing I know of 5 people that are dead from avys. My first funeral was when I was 17, good climbing buddy. These were all peeps I had shared a brew with at diferent times of of my life. The current house I live in the previous long term owner died from an avy in South America. It sucks but its part of life. One saying we were taught as young climbers,
( The Mountains Don't Care). I checked been in, seen big ones and have training. Be glad for every day you have.
( The Mountains Don't Care). I checked been in, seen big ones and have training. Be glad for every day you have.
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CatRyder88
Well-known member
Jan. 11, 2009 in riding hassler by chetwynd. We were riding with a group that was a little too big. Triggered a avy about 600 yards wide and 2-3 feet deep in some spots. My brother pulled is avy bag and stayed on top. 5 people were buried. We dug 4 out and didn't make it to my dad I time. It totally changed the way I ride and the people I ride with. Looks like the snow conditions are becoming similar too what we had in 2009.
Play safe guys and use your head.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk when I should be checkin wells!
Play safe guys and use your head.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk when I should be checkin wells!
one thing for certain,the comment you hear "oh well he did die doing what he loved" just don;t hold water...all you hear in survivors of avys either buried or just immediatly recovered is pure fear and panic...there is no "glory"..
But we do have to cross streets...and even that has unknowns..
But we do have to cross streets...and even that has unknowns..
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