What would you do? Avy safety and reluctant group

[mtnpull]

During my Avy refresher course this year they were talking about an experiment where they dug 10 avy pits 10 feet apart on the same hill. Each told a completely different story. "Dig a pit" seems to be a kinda go to answer to peoples avy questions but in reality they are not as telling as once thought.


Sure they can give you a basic understanding of recent snow activity and the different layers that have been put down...but the results could be completely different 50 feet to the left. A shear test in one spot could provide you with a false sense of security for the rest of that slope.

just say'n

I agree with you to a point. For example there are a lot of factors that determine where surface hoar grows and that can change greatly in short areas. For example surface hoar does not grow well in areas with heavy pines, but 15 feet away on the open slope it can grow very quickly with the right conditions.

From my experience, I have seen differently than what you described. I worked ski patrol for 6 years and did avy control work, dug dozens of pits, and went to numerous in class on on the mountain classes. In digging pits I have noticed that similar aspect and elevation provide similar results.

Who taught your class? Where did they do this experiment? Did they really say 10' apart? That seems very hard to believe to me. I am not saying it didn't happen or arguing it, I just would like to see some data to back it up.

 

[tudizzle]

I may have gotten some of the specifics wrong, but the general idea would still apply. I am not saying do not dig a pit because they have no value. Just that there are alot of factors to consider and because you dug one pit at the beginning of the day doesn't mean you know what it going on 3 hours later 5 miles away.


mtnpull-sent ya a pm