Look at the BiG BrAiNs on APD and Trackhead!

so....met up at Alta today for day 3 and 1st day of field work in Avie 1 (run through wasatch touring). We meet in the community center at alta and 3 more instructors show up to talk about terrain, beacons, etc.

So, in talking about terrain and making smart choices, one of our instructors brought up an incident where two tracks were seen down the south side of superior just after a storm. He said they looked like bold tracks and would not have been up there himself. BUT, he says, come to find out it was AltaPowderDaze and Trackhead from TelemarkTips who were able to explain the decisions they made, and why they were valid, and why they were actually quite smart about what they did that day.

Just thought i'd share. you guys are like avy savvy celebs :) dont let that shit go to your head now, ya hear?

Which day Lynx?

January 9th, or December 7th? Cause we put tracks down it both days. The January 9th day had less snow, warmer temps, and more sluffing. The December 7th day had perhaps a foot more but was MUCH colder and less dense. And therefor locked in place and not heavy enough to do much of anything. I would not want to have skied either day much later than we did. Gramps also skied it under similar conditions on the 12th. But we all know he is a rockstar, and could out run any avalanche that mother nature could muster.

i think he was refrencing the december one? I remember mention of earlier season snow pack and less snow on the south face, and then the new snow that you guys obviously skiied

lynx,

who was the instructor?


i have to admit i was expecting something else when i opened the thread. quite a few people out trolling on both boards lately.

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

Which day Lynx?

January 9th, or December 7th? .....................

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Great photos, it blew me away when I saw the path with skier and the base of the ski area below you. I was there years ago (like 20) so my recollections are a bit sketchy. Heh. So............I wonder what happens if you start an avalanche that takes everything out? Beyond the obvious of course.

Where I tour, there sure aren't small villages at the base of major slide paths. Highways, yes. I guess that might be bacause they learned their lessons in the late 1800s and early 1900's by wiping out entire communties, and countless mines and miners around here. Who knows. Could just be lucky.

Great shots.

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Originally Posted by JR

So............I wonder what happens if you start an avalanche that takes everything out?

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In America, they'd probably sue you for every penny you and every generation of your family ever had. But it's public land in the end.

so - out of curiosity - what was it the guide or instructor was worried about, and what in return made it still a smart decision to ski those runs?

(remember - you've always got to ask questions... ;) )

APD: the instructor was Tom Kimbrough (i hope i spelled that right)

Greg: If i remember correct, Tom commented on it being skiied so soon after a new snowfall. But the point of his story was about decision making, and taking in the factors, and not focused on the exact decisions so I don't remember every detail.

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Originally Posted by JR

So............I wonder what happens if you start an avalanche that takes everything out? Beyond the obvious of course.

Where I tour, there sure aren't small villages at the base of major slide paths. Highways, yes. I guess that might be bacause they learned their lessons in the late 1800s and early 1900's by wiping out entire communties, and countless mines and miners around here. Who knows. Could just be lucky.

Great shots.

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we actually talked about this a bit this weekend in the course. There have certainly been buildings taken out around Alta and some of the newer sctructures are built with avalanches in mind, such as having a flat roof or shutters on the uphill side. They also do control work.

ALSO, UDOT does control work for the highway on a regular basis. So while a skier may still trigger a slide, it is not likely to run down to the road*.

*And as a special side note, UDOT control work should NOT be confused with resort avie control work for anyone playing along at home because their goals are different from a ski resort. UDOT wants to prevent slides from running to the road, so they may wait longer to do control work if the current danger is not large enough to run to the road, even though it is high enough to run far shorter than road and still have the capacity to eFF shit up.



and i promise i don't think i know everything now, just some interesting facts i learned this weekend. ;)

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Originally Posted by Lynx

APD: the instructor was Tom Kimbrough (i hope i spelled that right)

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tom is one of the nicest and most knowledgeable instructors out there. as humble as he is, don't let him fool you. he really knows his stuff and is aware how hard it is to judge correctly all the time. you can learn more from his stories than most lectures.