airbag effectiveness/accident in LCC

at the risk of shooting myself in the foot, I'm gonna answer a Rog rhetorical question-
would've I rode that line without the airbag? yes, the airbag didnt influence my decision making at all, IMHO.

what did influence my decision making was being out with 'experienced' partners. I ski a lot solo, and have a decent protocol of how to stay safe when solo in the backcountry. I left the trailhead solo that morning, but ended up joining with a couple on the skin track.

Had I remained solo, I never would have skied the shot that I did, and likely wouldn't have been involved in an avalanche. Take that for what it's worth, if you will.
I blew it, I succamb to others' judgement about what was appropriate terrain choices. I'll always speak up from here on out. Life is too precious to let others decide what's safe.

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Originally Posted by ate'em

at the risk of shooting myself in the foot, I'm gonna answer a Rog rhetorical question-
would've I rode that line without the airbag? yes, the airbag didnt influence my decision making at all, IMHO.

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thank you.

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what did influence my decision making was being out with 'experienced' partners. I ski a lot solo, and have a decent protocol of how to stay safe when solo in the backcountry. I left the trailhead solo that morning, but ended up joining with a couple on the skin track.

Had I remained solo, I never would have skied the shot that I did, and likely wouldn't have been involved in an avalanche. Take that for what it's worth, if you will.
I blew it, I succamb to others' judgement about what was appropriate terrain choices. I'll always speak up from here on out. Life is too precious to let others decide what's safe.

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thank you again. and folks think i'm nuts for thinking solo is oftentimes the safer way to go. i stick to that. more people=more problems.

rog

IME, solo means making uber conservative decisions. I can almost get the same level of adrenaline going skiing low angle trees solo than skiing some gnar with a group of buddies because I know that any small mistake could be catastrophic. So in this regard skiing solo could prove safer in the long run.

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Originally Posted by Two06

IME, solo means making uber conservative decisions. I can almost get the same level of adrenaline going skiing low angle trees solo than skiing some gnar with a group of buddies because I know that any small mistake could be catastrophic. So in this regard skiing solo could prove safer in the long run.

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oui oui

rog

Reinhold Messner doesn't think your nuts! Skill and conservatism win the day every time!!!

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Originally Posted by icelanticskier

thank you.



thank you again. and folks think i'm nuts for thinking solo is oftentimes the safer way to go. i stick to that. more people=more problems.

rog

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Originally Posted by icelanticskier

heaven forbid someone that has spent about twice as long and then some more than you have out there that actually skis they way he skis unlike no other with a style and approach all his own.

you can pick out his tracks anywhere, quarter lap or not. he wastes no space and keeps his feet in the best snow possible. his obs and reports have saved many many lives over the years.

why the fuck do you care how he chooses to ski a slope anyways? i'm sure he doesn't give a rats ass that you tour with groups of dozens and pivot skid that modified power wedge of yours all over wasangelas. LOL!!!

to ate'em, you carry far more than i do in that lil pack of yours. maybe i should downsize to a fanny pack:)

rog

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WTF are you talking about?

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Originally Posted by sfotex

WTF are you talking about?

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fanny packs, you know, you've heard of em right? wicked light way to travel and whatnot.....

rog

that was quite the quaterlappin bobblehead e-oral happy ender.
Hope he didn't read it in the tanning booth while going for the oompa loompa look that could get sticky.
Ate em there's a tools of the trade whats in your pack thread in here
sure rog has cunted er up but like every slide zone thread some good
info mixed in with rojos desire to read his own drivel.
Your pack carry or don't carry whatcha want.
Practice beacon drills or pullin the oh shit cord.
Buy a high dollar beacon that tells ya slope angles or a high dollar blow up pack.
A fully loaded smartphone with every avvy ap ever created or a plb or spot device or nothing
meadow skip fully geared with the daily avvy report memorized or high mark gearless and clueless or somewhere in btween
Joe Strummer sums er up best
the one mans missionary in the dark is anothers autoeroticasphication in public only more elequant
Blessed are the friendless as they ski alone without the need for companion rescue skills or the hassles of sharing bc experiences with trusted partners
eh ROJ????

Ate’em,

We notice that when you described your accident you felt that the airbag seemed to help keep you above the moving debris, and to keep you upright and allow the heavier avalanche debris to flow out from beneath you.

We do a lot of avalanche airbag testing in British Columbia and we usually place our crash test dummies in the start zone. We can see the bright red airbags quite easily in the slides, and the avalanches almost invariably immediately begin to outrun the airbags.

We also notice that the airbags tend to slide toward the flanks of the avalanches, and we usually find our equipment within a few feet of the edge of the debris field. This tends to be the case even in larger class 2 and 3 avalanches.

Overall, in approximately 50 avalanche tests, airbags seek the uphill avalanche flank as the avalanche outruns them.