Tips on what to do if your group is involved in an Avalanche (Add your tips here)
- Thread starter racingpit
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#2 Get off the snow slab if you can. (If you are in an avy)
#3 If you cannot get off the snow slab, then grab a tree. (If you are in an avy)
#4 Swim before you start to sink, before you stop, cup your hands around your mouth to make an air pocket. (If you are in an avy)
#5 Do not go for help- you can lose critical time if you leave to find help.
#6 Look for clues
#7 The victim is usually just uphill of their snowmobile.
(#2-7, http://www.nilesema.com/avalanchetips.htm)
#8 Relax your breathing, particularly if you cannot dig yourself out.
#9 Try to watch the victim as they are carried down the slope, paying particular attention to the point you last saw them. After the avalanche appears to have finished and settled, wait a minute or two and observe the slope carefully to make sure there is no further avalanche danger. If some danger does still exist, post one member of your party in a safe location away from the avalanche path to alert you if another avalanche falls.
#10 Begin looking for clues on the surface (a hand or foot, piece of clothing, ski pole, etc.), beginning with the point where they were last seen. As you move down the slope, kick over any large chunks of snow that may reveal clues. Since equipment and items of clothing may be pulled away from a victim during an avalanche, they may not indicate their exact location, but can help determine the direction the avalanche carried them. Mark these spots as you come across them. Be sure that all rescuers leave their packs, extra clothing, etc., away from the search area so as not to clutter or confuse search efforts.
#11 If you lost sight of the victim early during the avalanche, or if there are no visible clues on the surface, mark where the victim was last seen. Look at the path of the snow and try to imagine where they might have ended up. For those wearing avalanche transceivers, switch them to "receive" and try to locate a signal.
#12 For those using probes, begin at the point the victim was last seen at. Or if you have a good idea of where they were buried, begin in that area. Stand in a straight line across the slope, standing shoulder to shoulder. Repeatedly insert the probes as you move down slope in a line. Pay particular attention to shallow depressions in the slope and the uphill sides of rocks and trees, since these are terrain traps where they may have been buried.
(#9-12 http://nsidc.org/snow/avalanche/)
#3 If you cannot get off the snow slab, then grab a tree. (If you are in an avy)
#4 Swim before you start to sink, before you stop, cup your hands around your mouth to make an air pocket. (If you are in an avy)
#5 Do not go for help- you can lose critical time if you leave to find help.
#6 Look for clues
#7 The victim is usually just uphill of their snowmobile.
(#2-7, http://www.nilesema.com/avalanchetips.htm)
#8 Relax your breathing, particularly if you cannot dig yourself out.
#9 Try to watch the victim as they are carried down the slope, paying particular attention to the point you last saw them. After the avalanche appears to have finished and settled, wait a minute or two and observe the slope carefully to make sure there is no further avalanche danger. If some danger does still exist, post one member of your party in a safe location away from the avalanche path to alert you if another avalanche falls.
#10 Begin looking for clues on the surface (a hand or foot, piece of clothing, ski pole, etc.), beginning with the point where they were last seen. As you move down the slope, kick over any large chunks of snow that may reveal clues. Since equipment and items of clothing may be pulled away from a victim during an avalanche, they may not indicate their exact location, but can help determine the direction the avalanche carried them. Mark these spots as you come across them. Be sure that all rescuers leave their packs, extra clothing, etc., away from the search area so as not to clutter or confuse search efforts.
#11 If you lost sight of the victim early during the avalanche, or if there are no visible clues on the surface, mark where the victim was last seen. Look at the path of the snow and try to imagine where they might have ended up. For those wearing avalanche transceivers, switch them to "receive" and try to locate a signal.
#12 For those using probes, begin at the point the victim was last seen at. Or if you have a good idea of where they were buried, begin in that area. Stand in a straight line across the slope, standing shoulder to shoulder. Repeatedly insert the probes as you move down slope in a line. Pay particular attention to shallow depressions in the slope and the uphill sides of rocks and trees, since these are terrain traps where they may have been buried.
(#9-12 http://nsidc.org/snow/avalanche/)
Last edited:
J
jholer
Member
#0 If one slide has already occurred, chances are other slopes in the area are also just as unstable. Approach the victim/slide area cautiously so you don't endanger more of your party or yourself, creating much larger problems. Two rescuing one is already bad, one rescuing two separate victims is infinitely worse. Often the path that already slid is the safest, but not always.... take an avy class everybody!
Most people are found withing 10 feet of their sled. If you are the rescuer then you need to know your roles. DON'T PANIC!
J
JKF
New member
Great Thread
All great tips so far. One of the best things you can do to protect yourself and your buddies is to PRACTICE with your equipment. Practice deploying you probe and shovel. Before the ride starts check everyones beacon in send and recieve, then do a practice buriel-one beacon and then do a multi-buriel scenerio. Have a plan before you go and tell someone about it. Know the numbers for your local Avy Center and check the reports and plan your trip around the safety rating for the day. Spend some time each trip trying to learn more about the avy conditions and learning to recognize when the avy danger is increasing during the ride/day and be able/willing to change your plan accordingly. Sorry for rant but I think a more pro-active approach to avy awareness could go a long ways in keeping people safe in the backcountry.
Jeremy
All great tips so far. One of the best things you can do to protect yourself and your buddies is to PRACTICE with your equipment. Practice deploying you probe and shovel. Before the ride starts check everyones beacon in send and recieve, then do a practice buriel-one beacon and then do a multi-buriel scenerio. Have a plan before you go and tell someone about it. Know the numbers for your local Avy Center and check the reports and plan your trip around the safety rating for the day. Spend some time each trip trying to learn more about the avy conditions and learning to recognize when the avy danger is increasing during the ride/day and be able/willing to change your plan accordingly. Sorry for rant but I think a more pro-active approach to avy awareness could go a long ways in keeping people safe in the backcountry.
Jeremy
Never under estimate the conditions, if you really look at how you approach an area, if the "pow is killer" it just might kill you or your family or friends. The point I am making is the decision to not go into an area that looks awesome is not a popular one. But a Smart one.....!!!!! BE SAFE !!!! LISTEN TO THE WARNINGS AND ABIDE BY THEM!!!!
9
900rider
New member
If you have a cell phone on you, call 911 imidiatly...most phones will go into "emergancy mode" and will work almost anywhere. My phone called out on a 911 call around cooke city(normaly would nto work)..call went through and search and rescue was at the scene about the time we got our friend out of the avy. Everyone was ok 
You can mention rescue tips until the cow comes home, but to diagnose what is a safe day, snowpack, and terrain to reduce your chances of getting involved in one takes training. That is your best defence.
Take an Avalanche training course.
Take an Avalanche training course.
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