Take a breath, dude.
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Take a breath, dude.
every avy book and course i've seen has said to ditch your pack and skis if caught in a slide. when travelling thru potentially dangerous zones, you should always unbuckle your pack as prep to ditch it in an emergency.Quote:
Originally posted by SummitCo 1776
YOU SHOULD NEVER DITCH YOUR PACK IN AN AVALACHE! EVER!
ALL OF YOUR GEAR IS IN THERE!
Shovel and probe to find your buddies incase you aren't fulyl burried...
medical, clothing, food, and water to sustain you until help arrives if you or your buddy are hurt. commo gear to summon help
The pack also provides spine protection!!!
Example: "Remove any and all cumbersome items such as your backpack, ski's, and ski poles. The extra weight of these items is not only cumbersome but can also weigh you down when trying to swim and stay above the snow."
http://vava.essortment.com/howdoisurvive_rgmv.htm
i can see your point about wanting to have the gear in your pack for your buddies' rescue, but the idea is that <i> you are the one in the slide </i> and you need to do everything possible to keep yourself on top. there are an infinite number of possible avalanche scenarios. these are all just general guidelines. we can all come up with specific situations where one or the other may or may not be correct.
regarding recco, i'm not dissing it completely. for $25 it serves its purpose. the real question is how fast someone with the receiver gear can get to you. for inbounds avys, this may be possible. out-of-bounds this is probably questionable. i think the real push should be to get beacons to be commonplace. you have much more chance of survival if the people you are with can perform a near instant recovery mission instead of waiting X minutes for the recco team to show up.
$.02
Some dude from Recco was walking around at Alf's Restaurant deck yesterday scanning the crowd. He said they're stationing the hand-held locators all over the mountain at most major resorts.
Hey, for $20, why not? Nearly weightless and you'll never know they're there until you need them He said all Killy gear has them in the lining...
Ripzalot... I agree beacons are the best route... as I said... a recco reflector is no subistute for a beacon... only a suppliment. For a near weightless nonbattery powered $25 sytem, eveyone should have one of those too!
Poles and skis? Ditch em! Pack?
-The Avalanche Handbook by David McClung & Peter Schaerer, page 178Quote:
"Whether or not a pack should be discarded is an open question. A bckpack limits maneuverability in flowing snow (particularly if heavy), but it prevents back injuries if obstacles are hit. Dropping a pack results in loss of rescue and first-aid equipment and clothing that might be needed later."
Survival Stratey Strategy when Caught Unprotected
(The Avalanche Handbook is pretty much the endall textbook on the subject)
-Snow Sense by Jill Fredston & Doug Fesler, page 104 revised editionQuote:
"If Possible discard cumbersome gear such as skis, ski poles, and pack (if it is heavy) although this is much easier said than done... You might, however want to keep a light pack with you as it may help protect your back and the gear in it will probably be helpfull in an emergency situation."
Rescue Plan - As a Victim
-The Avalanche Handbook by David McClung & Peter Schaerer, page 175Quote:
"4. Do not wear ski safety straps and ski pole wrist loops; skis and poles attatched to a person hold a body down in an avalanche. In addition, atatched skis and poles can cause injury by snagging trees and rocks or hitting their owner during descent in an avalacnhe. All skis used in potential avalanche terrain (including telemark and cross-country skis) should have release bindings"
Precautions When Traveling - Backcountry Travel
Those airbag packs would have all your gear in em too...
Many resorts have Recco detectors including Vail, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Loveland, Aspen, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, Alpental, Wolf Creek, and many more throughout Colorado... I don't kjnow what their deployment plans are for their recco detectors in the case of a slide.