i just want to know if any of you have. i know i have never and i hope it will stay that way!!
how many of you have bben in an avalanche
- Thread starter rmk 700
- Start date
I have not been in one but I was riding in a local area and the hillsides were coming down on the rode after a 3 ft dump, I decided it was to ustable to ride and there were probably 15 people sitting there. my wife had got turned around before it came down but the last guy was not so lucky he was barried up to his shoulders and him and his sled were pushed into a tree and it ended up braking his nose
Never been in an avy, hope to keep it that way!
Yes, and it scared the crap out of me. Snow levels were so low we were picking our way around the rocks. I went up a small sloped area to get around the rocks and the whole works went out from under me. I made a bad decision. Didn't realize the slope had wind loaded about 6 feet deep. Slide was about 100 feet wide and probably about the same in length. Sled went off the front of it without me, and I luckily landed off the side of the slide ready to kiss my *** goodbye. When it all stopped moving it had missed burying me by less than 3 feet. I was laying where my buddy on the left is standing in the pic. Not a large slide relatively speaking, but I sure don't wanna do that again!
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Got into one last year. Broke about 1.5' deep slab 30-40 yds wide. Triggered while I was at the top and luckily enough wasn't too far to the bottom. Worst part was plowing through the pileup at the bottom hoping I didn't get knocked off the sled. Northeast facing slope we decided to go down instead of following the ridge for another 100 yds. Got a little complacent and almost got bit.
07
07
How steep was that slope you were climbing? I'd say you got very lucky that day!
I'm guessing 35 to 40 degrees, going to vertical just out of the picture. Yes I did get lucky. Yes it was my fault. Yes I did make a bad decision. Yes I (and my partners) learned from it. I hope others can learn from my mistake too.
dude thats crazy thanks for sharing
Skiing inbouunds at Keystone last year I set one off. I was being punished for trying to be a greenie lol. It was scary but managed to ride it out and just bit it at the bottom. Within minutes there were 3 groomers in the area, interesting to say the least.
We were a couple feet above from where this one let go can see our tracks in first pic.Not that deep of slab I guess but its alot of snow after it all builds up over a km.One guy in our group rode it out and we turned back on the ridge.There was alot of hill still above us that never came down.Sure was a scary situation.
Been in 2 of them a few years ago, one of them was pretty good size but I managed to stay on my sled the whole time. My best friend was luckyin that, he was completely buried with his head being the exception. We try to ride much smarter than years ago after some close calls, I was even involved in a failed recovery of an avy victim. We always make sure to evaluate the terrain to make sure where terrain traps, runouts, trees, and escape routes are before venturing near the slopes. When the avy danger is high, we make sure that we stay on the smaller slopes and always keep to one person at a time on the hill and make sure that our group has constant awareness of where all of our group is at.
Y
youd47
Member
Two years ago on Lionshead, been a big fan of my ABS pack ever since. It broke with me in the center of it, never had a chance, pulled the cord and walked away from the bottom. This was march 16 th not early season avalanche conditions, I had been watching the avalanche reports and snow was starting to stabalize. But anyone who climbs in the mountains knows theirs always that chance!!!!! Everything turned out fine but I think alot more about what's below the hill I climb, I don't think going through trees or rock sounds like a good day. Keep riding safe!!!!!
I've dug a buddy out in the Alpental backcountry skiing, it was hairy. He was standing above a cliff getting ready to jump as I was standing properly out of the zone spotting when a 4 ft slab broke away above him. I was yelling at him but he couldnt hear me and didnt see it coming. It hit him and he rag dolled off the 30 to 40 foot cliff head first and straight down. Then slab number 2 broke free and followed the other slide right over him.
I skied over to the top of the cliff and turned on my beacon and picked up the signal, jumped off the cliff and landed right next to him. He was just under the surface and I had his head out in less than 2 min. It took about another 30 min to unlock him from the packed snow. Most of the snow went right over his head as he fell straight down.
I've seen and set off around 20 slides including some that took out old growth, all on skis never on the sled but a few sluffs. I'm much smarter now and have a ton of time in the backcountry and learned the hard way.
I skied over to the top of the cliff and turned on my beacon and picked up the signal, jumped off the cliff and landed right next to him. He was just under the surface and I had his head out in less than 2 min. It took about another 30 min to unlock him from the packed snow. Most of the snow went right over his head as he fell straight down.
I've seen and set off around 20 slides including some that took out old growth, all on skis never on the sled but a few sluffs. I'm much smarter now and have a ton of time in the backcountry and learned the hard way.
V
Veedy
Well-known member
Yes. It was in 2005 , I was sledding in Gorman valley at Golden BC. ( actually the slide happened in Lang creek side ). I highmarked and the whole mountainside came down. Flange and his buddies were there, I got lucky. My first born was only 5 months old, and just about didn't have a daddy. I still get creeped out on most hills, I don't think that feeling will ever go away. I thought about quitting sledding over that deal.
last winter in the woodlands Utah
I was following three riders with two behind me I was climbing a 200-300 ft tall hill at about 30 degrees steep when I heard/saw/felt it break below me. Scared the chit out of me as I watched the slabs move below me towards my buddies riding through the trees right into it. All turned out well but scared me.
I was following three riders with two behind me I was climbing a 200-300 ft tall hill at about 30 degrees steep when I heard/saw/felt it break below me. Scared the chit out of me as I watched the slabs move below me towards my buddies riding through the trees right into it. All turned out well but scared me.
I was involved in one 2004 Glacier Creek area springtime two feet of fresh.Having an 800 cc alowed me to stay on a hill longer than my 700 used to so I was able to switch back and forth on the hill when I ran out of momentum I cut a sidehill under a rock face saw it crack about 20 feet above me, no time to think, just react and turned downhill with the slide.I was doing about 50 mph. matching the speed of the slide when I saw ahead of me an eight foot wall which looked to be coming up the hill at me then again reacted and pinned it ,straight into it , jumped about 50 feet bounced once and was just ahead of it and didn't let off until I was clear of the tail out. I still think about it every day and how lucky I was, get the gear and take a class as well as the people that you ride with,live to ride another day.
06 vail pass... dont remember much of it but here is a pic! glad I wasnt buried!
what i do remember is climbin almost over the top and the frontend slaped down and I noticed it broke under me.. then was in the snow with no clue where my sled is...
Im not in the pic that is my buddy.. after we got my sled out!
what i do remember is climbin almost over the top and the frontend slaped down and I noticed it broke under me.. then was in the snow with no clue where my sled is...
Im not in the pic that is my buddy.. after we got my sled out!
I was in a small one a few years back in Whistler and that was the scariest moment of my life. I just remember looking at my dad at the bottom of the hill hoping he doesn't have to dig for his son. I made it through though.
Wow you just about perfectly described the one I rode down a little over ten years ago at Lost Lake in South Central AK. Weird how you make those split second decisions that make the difference between lif and death. I still get weird feelings sometimes over that little ride. I had to quit riding for the rest of that day cause I was sick to my stomach. Sad part was a guy that watched my ride down off the mountain (he was not in my group) was buried and died later that day not far from the same location.
around ones lots, sluffs lots, in one once...
