No more Deaths from Avy's

[suitcase]

Please! Please! Let us all stop and think for a minute........................
This does not have to happen, there are alot of us on here including myself that have sleds and the ability to go into bad places. We do this because we love it, but lets put our ( I can make it ) attitude aside when we know the danger is there above us.
Take a look at all the people that we are missing to date, ones that you know, ones that you may not of known. The list is getting to long, I'm not saying we should not do what we love. Because I know I'm not going to, I'm just saying lets use our heads. Buy the proper gear to start with, learn to use it, stay out of harms way. In my area that I ride in, here at home there are lots of other places to ride when it is unsafe. I'm sure your area is the same. We all have loved ones at home, that know how much we enjoy going into the backcountry, and they love it more, when we come home every night.
All this comes down to is, an attitude of us riders.

Don't let your ego be on your head stone!!!

 

[mr.deeds]

I'm not trying to disagree with you at all..... but where do you suggest riding? I've seen videos of people getting buried this year riding down the trail! I've seen little hills go that even in an avalanche class they wouldn't consider dangerous. I agree that we all need to be smart out there- but i had a buddy get in a slide and he was being smart, happened so fast he couldn't even deploy his bag (ended up on top anyway).

I think that lots of times people figure that if you are in an avalanche then you are doing something dumb.... and this year that's just not the case.

 

[suitcase]

Your so right, I just don't want to hear of any more. Be safe, wear your gear.
We enjoy a sport of unpredictability, that is for sure.

 

[RidewithChrisBrown]

I suggest you ride low angle terrain...not a start zone, slide path or runout and nothing over 20 degrees when the danger is high. I ride everyday...even when the danger is high or extreme. I just stay away from anything that has the potential to slide when the ratings are high. That said, I have been riding in the backcountry for 16 years 100-150 days a year, I was caught in two different slides over 10 years ago, I have been involved with a few avy search and rescues, I now have 150 hours of professional avalanche training and I teach avy courses...so it may come more natural to me.

My point is there are PLENTY of SAFE places to ride even when the avy danger is high. Low angle is the place to be.

The slide on the trail was on a steep slope...just as the one that just killed the skier near Snowmass. Short...but STEEP.

If you don't have any avy training go get some and then apply what you learn to your riding and you should have no problem coming home everyday.

I will also stress the importance of carrying your probe and shovel in your pack on your back. Nobody rides with me without a pack, shovel, probe and working tranciever on them. You shouldn't let anyone in your group ride with you if they don't carry their shovel and probe in their pack on their back either. Don't forget to check everyone's tranceivers in tge parking lot for 3 things: 1) does everyone have one? 2) are they all turned on? 3) are they all sending and receiving? And hide a beacon or 2 and search for it once in a while so everyone is good at it in the case of a real emergency.

Chris