CLOSE avalanche call!!!...

[PowderCrew]

Scariest thing I've ever witnessed! Pulled a friend out a few years back... but didnt WATCH him in the avalanche like THIS time. Just ANOTHER heads up for all of you riders who have been hearing (or havent heard yet?) that the avy danger is HIGH in the northwest... IT IS! Almost lost a good friend. He did an AMAZING JOB saving it... but I think he had someone riding with him.

 

[PowderCrew]

This was up outta Afton, WY... and falls right in-line with what we heard outta Cooke and Butte last week. Would just assume Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon are all similiar conditions. Just posting this hoping someone thinks of it before they try getting up on a slope...

 

[Ox]

It looks like you have a video of it. ???

Kant post it?

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[Xrider]

This is what I was talking about in a thread about ABS bags in the avalanche section....people that know the avalanche danger is HIGH and are hillclimbing.

 

[polaris dude]

This is what I was talking about in a thread about ABS bags in the avalanche section....people that know the avalanche danger is HIGH and are hillclimbing.

So whats your solution?? not riding for a year??

 

[Blk88GT]

Would you rather stay off the hills for a month or two and be able to ride another day, or be dead and never ride again?

Pretty simple choice to me, but you may be wired differently.

 

[Racer220]

Glad this isn't a headline in the local paper, and he was able to make it out ok. We were in Alpine and chose not to follow a group that was headed to the bigger bowls. Sure enough, some guy came up at the end of the day making sure we didn't lose anyone in the avy that he saw come down above a rider that was stuck. Haven't heard if anyone was caught in our area, but the warning signs were as loud as a train horn being blown inside your front door.

Weak layers, crusty layers, wind blown layers, extremely low snow packs............The list goes on. If you are climbing big hills in most areas of the lower 48 right now you are asking for trouble.

 

[tudizzle]

lucky indeed

He chose to enter that open bowl....even knowing about the high avy danger?

 

[aebsledder]

So whats your solution?? not riding for a year??

There is way more to mountain riding than climbing chutes.

 

[EagleRiverDee]

This is what I was talking about in a thread about ABS bags in the avalanche section....people that know the avalanche danger is HIGH and are hillclimbing.

We don't know anything about what this rider had in terms of gear or training. You can't assume he had an ABS bag and chose to push the envelope because of that, unless you're privy to more info on this than I see here. There will always be some people willing to take more risks than others, in any situation. I just make it a point not to ride with them.

 

[sledneck434]

wow, that's crazy!!

 

[Scott]

Wow. Lucky to avoid having to dig anyone out.

 

[Xrider]

We don't know anything about what this rider had in terms of gear or training. You can't assume he had an ABS bag and chose to push the envelope because of that, unless you're privy to more info on this than I see here.

I had no intention to connect ABS bag useage to this event, sorry if you took it that way. It was just another opportunity to point out very poor judgement which so easily could have resulted in a far worse outcome. I had just posted in that ABS thread that I continually see people hillclimbing in questionable conditions. Case in point!

 

[tudizzle]

I had no intention to connect ABS bag useage to this event, sorry if you took it that way. It was just another opportunity to point out very poor judgement which so easily could have resulted in a far worse outcome. I had just posted in that ABS thread that I continually see people hillclimbing in questionable conditions. Case in point!

I read it that way...nothing to do with gear...just how knowledge was used or possibly not in this case

 

[James T Kirk]

So whats your solution?? not riding for a year??

This attitude is exactly why people die in slides. Hope you have life insurance bud.

 

[suitcase]

Glad everything was OK!

Your right we have the same problem here also. I triggered on by just riding along the bottom of the slope, last weekend. It will wake you up in a hurry. Don't go our without your gear guys. Be safe!!

 

[aebsledder]

Interesting slide

Anyone else notice the multiple weak layers? If you look at the bed surface after the slide it looks like there are at least 3 distinct weak layers that the slide broke on. That is SCARY.

 

[Gmiller]

Anyone else notice the multiple weak layers? If you look at the bed surface after the slide it looks like there are at least 3 distinct weak layers that the slide broke on. That is SCARY.

I was up on some slopes yesterday, wind blown, multiple layers that slid without any help. They are sliding all on there own, Lots of sluff where we were but the rest was packed out. This is in Colorado where there is snow.

 

[DOOingitUtah]

We were riding the same area just south in Greys River on the Monday after new years. Probably the most dangerous avy conditions I have ever witnessed. Saw multiple natural avy's and on slopes that you wouldn't even consider as a dangerous slope we had shooting cracks and sliding conditions. Saw multiple spots where the snow had just buckled and cracked but not slid down the hill yet...just waiting for a change in temp or someone or something to trigger it. All these were on hills that I would climb in a second on a normal day. We also looked up into the upper bowls and knew that going up meant possibly not coming back. Unless there is a bunch of new snow to pack down and bond the lower layers it will be dangerous the rest of the year. Top 15 inches= heavy wet snow that had set up. Bottom 2-3 feet= PURE SUGAR down to the ground. Here is the video that my bro posted in the Utah section of us riding in Smiths fork.

http://www.snowestonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=293743h

 

[Ox]

Unless there is a bunch of new snow to pack down and bond the lower layers it will be dangerous the rest of the year.

Without the loose stuff comming down, it is still possible for later snows to make it safer somehow?


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