So all you gus that think he was an unsafe rider for starting an avy, was matt potratz unsafe and stupid when riding in avy conditions?
Man am i glad i had a ABS bag!!!!
- Thread starter ridinm8
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pano-dude
Member
this is the mentallity that needs to stop, just because a few other guys were ripping it up does not mean the hill is safe or that "it's the risk you gotta take cause you like to climb"
Dude, you are lucky. I like to climb but I also like to see my kids every day also. You may have done what is needed when you were out there but you come off as bragging on here.
Maybe you should've posted as Man am I lucky to be alive!
The bag obviously did nothing for you.
lesson #1 taught to people if they are caught in a slide.... get away from your sled/skiis etc. they act like an anchor....
S
snowww1
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing your ABS story with us. One thing to remember with ABS: deploy it as soon as you can. Deploy it as soon as you are caught or as soon as you see it coming towards you. If you are caught in an avalanche, the moving avalanche tends to keep larger objects on the surface, as it slows down, gravity takes over and you can get buried at the last moment. The ABS dvd that comes with the pack explains this.
Another point to know, it's usually an hour into high pointing when the slope is triggered. It usually takes that long for someone to hit the trigger point or the weak spot on the slope. Mike Duffy
Another point to know, it's usually an hour into high pointing when the slope is triggered. It usually takes that long for someone to hit the trigger point or the weak spot on the slope. Mike Duffy
are you kidding me.glad you were there to see it then cuz yes it did.when my sled came to a stop snow kept coming and piled up behind me a bit.avy experts seen these pics and said it for sure saved my life.dont know much but i think they no more than me
Thanks for posting pic and the story. Glad ya made it threw and will ride another day
Thanks for posting. Glad you were okay!
The bags work for sure , as far as the ones telling you your lucky you had a pack on,luck is when you win the lottery, I am pretty sure you bought the pack and you deployed it when a mistake was made.Glad to hear you are here to share your story!
ABS saved me from being buried April 12/2008!
Have a safe WINTER!
Just had a question. In the moment when it happened did it seem pretty natural to grab for the cord. Just kinda curious what goes through your head in that moment and how easy it is to grab it.
Until you've been in or around one, you should wait to pass judgement based on a few pictures and details.
Glad to hear you made it unscathed. I would suggest that probably 90% percent of us have knowingly or unknowingly put ourselves at risk at some point in the mountains. Sometimes you do everthing correctly and it still turns out bad. Sometimes we do stupid $hit.
As for the avy bag I got a few questions for all the naysayers.
Do you wear a beacon and carry a shovel and probe?
Answer is likely yes.
Next question is why do you wear a beacon if you are never at risk?
Answer; In case I'm caught in an avy
Last Question: Why would you cheap out and not wear a bag if the technology is there?
Answer: There is no good answer.....
M5
As for the avy bag I got a few questions for all the naysayers.
Do you wear a beacon and carry a shovel and probe?
Answer is likely yes.
Next question is why do you wear a beacon if you are never at risk?
Answer; In case I'm caught in an avy
Last Question: Why would you cheap out and not wear a bag if the technology is there?
Answer: There is no good answer.....
M5
ya it seemed natural.i though when i got it,will that be the firdt thing that goes through my head to pull it.friends said i had it pulled in seconds,after panicing tryin to find the cord.but ya i seemed natrual to me
nice way to put it m5.and are all correct for sure
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pano-dude
Member
WTF does time have to do with anything? could be the first guy who cuts the slab, could be the tenth nobody knows. To say it takes an hr of riding to cause a slide is out there.
A slab is like water when it's running, heavy items sink. I'm not sure where ABS gets their info from but the courses I've been in say ditch the gear if skiing, get away from the sled. The reason the bags stay up is air volume creates bouyancy.
The only way to be safe is to check the snow pack, if any doubts stay off. Live to ride another day. Words told by the guides I know.
Good post!
You agree that what you did was not that smart so chances are you will learn from it. So will a lot of other guys on here that you share this experience with. Glad you're okay.
Smart thing also that you didn't feel like a true "Sledhead" then set off to "Roll" with your buds and set off to start 3 more.
You agree that what you did was not that smart so chances are you will learn from it. So will a lot of other guys on here that you share this experience with. Glad you're okay.
Smart thing also that you didn't feel like a true "Sledhead" then set off to "Roll" with your buds and set off to start 3 more.
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sled-fiend
Well-known member
Good post!
You agree that what you did was not that smart so chances are you will learn from it. So will a lot of other guys on here that you share this experience with. Glad you're okay.
Smart thing also that you didn't feel like a true "Sledhead" then set off to "Roll" with your buds and set off to start 3 more.
Honestly your going to drag that around the forum with ya
Why don't you pm the guy or post on the thread that concerns him. No point bashing the guy behind his back!
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ahahahahaha!!! Are you kidding? I mean I am really glad your alive but......
I have been more buried after falling in a tree well!!
Avy bags are to drag you up when the snow brings you under. But you never went under... So what purpose did it serve? Stopping some snow from "pushing" against your back? I highly doubt that you held on to your 500 lbs. sled during a massive avalanche and your Avy bag drug you both to the surface. You hear all there stories about guys who are actually buried UNDER the snow and their mouths and nostrils are full of it. THEY almost died. You were just playing on a hill. Not trying to be harsh but don't think that your bag is always gonna "save your life". Better to just watch where you play don't you think?
I have been more buried after falling in a tree well!!
Avy bags are to drag you up when the snow brings you under. But you never went under... So what purpose did it serve? Stopping some snow from "pushing" against your back? I highly doubt that you held on to your 500 lbs. sled during a massive avalanche and your Avy bag drug you both to the surface. You hear all there stories about guys who are actually buried UNDER the snow and their mouths and nostrils are full of it. THEY almost died. You were just playing on a hill. Not trying to be harsh but don't think that your bag is always gonna "save your life". Better to just watch where you play don't you think?
Nice save! Glad to see your going prepared at least.
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snowww1
Well-known member
Pano-dude,
I think you misunderstood the point I was trying to make or I didn't communicate very well. My point of saying it's an hour into highpointing when a slope avalanches is to make the point that just because there are tracks on the hill does not mean it's safe. It can be the first, tenth, or twentieth run up the hill.
When an avalanche is moving, the bigger objects tend to stay on the surface until it slows down. Many riders caught in avalanches have stayed on the surface(away from their sleds) and felt they were safe(and did not deploy their ABS packs), but at the last moment when the avalanche slowed down they got sucked under(this is when your weight takes over and you sink into the snow). Check out the ABS dvd, it's very good and accurate.
If an avalanche airbag pack is deployed you have about a 98% chance of being on the surface or having the bags visible. These statistics are from actual avalanche accidents.
The idea of "Ditch the gear if skiing, get away from the sled", is not always true. Sometimes if you get caught on skis and your head is downhill, you can swing your skis around to a downhill position and get back on your feet. If you are caught in an avalanche with nonreleasable bindings, you tend to get buried deeper and sustain greater leg injuries. I would suggest staying on the snowmobile for as long as you can. The newer sleds have the flotation and power to stay on top of an avalanche and get out to the side. Use the power and flotation to your advantage to try to escape.
Your idea of "Only way to be safe is to check the snowpack, if any doubts stay off". I wish it were that easy. If you do a stability test and then do another one 20' away, you can get very different results. This is due to spatial variability in the snowpack. Avalanches are not 100% predictable. How many times has it happened this year where a ski area bombed a slope, determined it was stable and then opened it up to skiing only to have it avalanche? I recommend stability tests, but also treat any slope as if it would slide. Around 80% of the fatalities happen at the rating of considerable and below. Everyone has different levels of risk they are willing to take, not everyone is willing to wait until the danger level is low to ride. 90% of the accidents are "people problems" not stability analysis problems. I wish everyone would alter their riding according to the danger. Avalanche education is changing all the time as more is learned about avalanches. If you have any questions, please email me and I'll try to answer them. Mike Duffy
I think you misunderstood the point I was trying to make or I didn't communicate very well. My point of saying it's an hour into highpointing when a slope avalanches is to make the point that just because there are tracks on the hill does not mean it's safe. It can be the first, tenth, or twentieth run up the hill.
When an avalanche is moving, the bigger objects tend to stay on the surface until it slows down. Many riders caught in avalanches have stayed on the surface(away from their sleds) and felt they were safe(and did not deploy their ABS packs), but at the last moment when the avalanche slowed down they got sucked under(this is when your weight takes over and you sink into the snow). Check out the ABS dvd, it's very good and accurate.
If an avalanche airbag pack is deployed you have about a 98% chance of being on the surface or having the bags visible. These statistics are from actual avalanche accidents.
The idea of "Ditch the gear if skiing, get away from the sled", is not always true. Sometimes if you get caught on skis and your head is downhill, you can swing your skis around to a downhill position and get back on your feet. If you are caught in an avalanche with nonreleasable bindings, you tend to get buried deeper and sustain greater leg injuries. I would suggest staying on the snowmobile for as long as you can. The newer sleds have the flotation and power to stay on top of an avalanche and get out to the side. Use the power and flotation to your advantage to try to escape.
Your idea of "Only way to be safe is to check the snowpack, if any doubts stay off". I wish it were that easy. If you do a stability test and then do another one 20' away, you can get very different results. This is due to spatial variability in the snowpack. Avalanches are not 100% predictable. How many times has it happened this year where a ski area bombed a slope, determined it was stable and then opened it up to skiing only to have it avalanche? I recommend stability tests, but also treat any slope as if it would slide. Around 80% of the fatalities happen at the rating of considerable and below. Everyone has different levels of risk they are willing to take, not everyone is willing to wait until the danger level is low to ride. 90% of the accidents are "people problems" not stability analysis problems. I wish everyone would alter their riding according to the danger. Avalanche education is changing all the time as more is learned about avalanches. If you have any questions, please email me and I'll try to answer them. Mike Duffy
Glad you are ok, I can't tell by the pictures because I'm looking at them on a BlackBerry, but do you know how steep the hill is toward the top, and how deep and wide was the propagation, if that's the right term. Thanks. Or does anybody have a guess as to how steep it is.
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