Video of Race Bowl Fairview the week after the Shootout

[Yamadoo04]

Here is video of Racebowl in Fairview the week after the Shootout. Wish the conditions were this good during the shootout. It had snowed 2 feet the two days before, and we had perfect blue skies that saturday. My brother Brent is on the XP and I am on my REV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnyja54kOoo

 

[mattymac]

looks alot better than the shootout conditions, but still for the weekend of the shootout it was WAY better than previous years!

 

[tudizzle]

Do you draw straws to see who should be dug out first when the an avy hits or do you just leave it up to the discretion of the camera guy?

 

[sledhead ut]

No kidding, I was sweatin just watching. Really cool stuff but dangerous.

 

[snengineer]

That was a great weekend to be riding Fairview, Its weird riding 2' of powder in the morning and then riding in 60 degree weather after lunch

 

[Extreme-One]

I was thinking the same thing when I watched it... two guys on the hill cutting across at the same time. With the 2' of new snow and conditions changing throughout the day... looked like an accident waiting to happen... at least you could have caught it on tape.

 

[turboman1]

thats why people get killed DONT CUT ACROSS THE HILL

 

[Kevco]

Did you see haw many time it was done? Looked pretty good to me. Test the snow go bigger a little at a time. It looks like they did that to me? Years ago (Icant remember who was there) we were cutting small slides in race bowl on purpose. We never had two sleds on the hill at the same time though.
I would have issues with that but to make it sound like ya cant ever sidehill? Thats not right I love sidehilling. Im all about going home to the wife and kids at the end of the day. I would bet that our sport is safer than say football. There will always be a risk of some sort, driving to our favorite spots is probably alot more dangerous, especially if you live in Salt lake and love to ride Fairview.
I dont mean to highjack the thread but other than the two sleds on the fresh snow I dont see a problem? We Phatty WFO I did that on the spring concrete but dynamite couldnt get that stuff to slide. Have fun and be carefull...Maybe not in that order.

 

[tudizzle]

Did you see haw many time it was done? Looked pretty good to me. Test the snow go bigger a little at a time.

This is by far the worse in backcountry advice I have seen on Snowest. Read a book, take a class but whatever you do figure out some things before you get on the snow this year!


Sidehilling is a great part of the sport but those wise in the ways minimize the risk by doing it one at a time.

Doesn't matter how many times a hill has already been tracked, that has nothing to do with if it's going to slide or not.

 

[Yamadoo04]

You know I am all for the 1 person at a time thing. We do that all the time. We did start that way before the camera was on and the snow seemed pretty safe. Almost all the tracks you see there were our tracks.

But, it was ok for 20 guys to line up at the bottom of the hill the week before and all race up at the same time. I understand conditions were different, but seriously what is the difference? An avy can break loose at any time. Even durring the shoot out. How many people would that take out?

I'm not saying it isn't dangerous, I'm just saying that we tested before we did that, and we concluded that it would be safe enough for us to do that.

 

[Yamadoo04]

This is by far the worse in backcountry advice I have seen on Snowest. Read a book, take a class but whatever you do figure out some things before you get on the snow this year!


Sidehilling is a great part of the sport but those wise in the ways minimize the risk by doing it one at a time.

Doesn't matter how many times a hill has already been tracked, that has nothing to do with if it's going to slide or not.

I undertand that an avy can go at any time. I guess that means that all future shootouts are to be canceled due to the fact that there can only be on guy on the hill at a time, even if they are not sidehilling accross the hill but just going straight up turning around and coming back down. There is still going to be guys above the other one and could trigger an avy on the lower ones.

 

[tudizzle]

Yes events can be cancelled if it is determined that the avy danger is too high.

Event organizers minimize the risk by planning these "shootouts" later in the year when the snow tends to be more stable. They will also breakloose snow before events to further stabilze the snow and minimize the risk to participants.

I was just curious what "tests" you guys did to determine the stabliity of the snow?

 

[Yamadoo04]

Yes events can be cancelled if it is determined that the avy danger is too high.

Event organizers minimize the risk by planning these "shootouts" later in the year when the snow tends to be more stable. They will also breakloose snow before events to further stabilze the snow and minimize the risk to participants.

I was just curious what "tests" you guys did to determine the stabliity of the snow?

Well for one this was done later in the year when the snow "tends to be more stable." see bold in your quote

We also had cut accross smaller smilar slopes like a skier would to test the snow. As you can see in the video we also did shorter runs lower on the hill 1 at a time to test the snow. If this was January - March we would not have done what we did. Snow is way too unstable at that time of the year. Since it was mid April and tempuratures had remained quite cold and the snow had not really melted and frozen time after time we concluded that it would be safe enough to do this. At this time of year the biggest thing we have to worry about is the cornis breaking off. It wasn't warm enough for a big wet slab to happen that day. It may look warm but it was still quite cold on that day.

 

[tudizzle]

Way to pick and choose info......but whatever it takes to make yourself feel happy.





Have a great winter and good luck!

 

[Yamadoo04]

So I guess the shootout guys pick and choose which info to follow as well huh. I fail to see how it is ok for 20 guys to go up a hill because the "organizers" deem it safe to do so, but when I go ride without them I can't make the same call for us. Hey maybe I can hire one of these organizers to come ride with me and make sure it is ok for me to ride on that hill, because apparently then know when a slide is going to occur and when it is not.

You have a good winter too.

 

[Kevco]

Yami there is no way Diz will cave. Although Ill bet many guys on have done and will do it (sidehill in the fresh). I have been to avy classes the guys I ride with are all "safe" riders. You take whatever precautions you can avoid wind loaded hills look for signs of natural slides. Do it all but if you use all the latest avy criteria you can find solely to determine whether you ride or not you would never unload your goat.
Ask anyone on here I am all about safety, I think there is alot of hypocrites on here that say " I would never do this or that" BS I do think the awareness level (thanks in great part to the 4M) is way up, which breeds discussions such as this. It has been a long summer and most of us mountain guys have seen some early snow. I think this may have something to do with it. I do not want peeps who dont know me or have never rode with me to think Im some kind of careless slob, I probably error more to the side of caution then risk.

 

[Yamadoo04]

Yeah I know it is dangerous to do what we did, but for the conditions we didn't think the danger level was very high. And it turned out that nothing ever slid while we were there. Lucky for us. Anyway, I guess I should put some sort of warning about the clip to warn others that watch that aren't familiar with the avy classes to never attempt this and it is very dangerous to do so. I agree though if we really use all the criteria for an avy we would never hillclimb at all. Avy's can happen even if we have done all the tests there are to do and taken every precaution out there. Everyone is always taking a risk every time they climb any sort of hills. Sometimes the risk is higher than others, but it is always there. But then again I am risking my life everyday that I travel down I15 (or any other road for that matter) to work. Doesn't mean I am never going to work again.