Busted Beacon...and a Good Choice

Its 6:00 a.m. and Iskibc, John and myself are ready to climb and ski a 13,000 footer. Moments from skinning away from the turck, John does a quick beacon check. Mine ain't beeping. The battery contact is mysteriously broken off. After 15 minutes of denial, a pop-tart wrapper ghetto fix (that didn't work), and some rattling inside the device, I make the call,

"I can't go up :cussing: :cussing: "

At first it was tough decision not to ski. But, as the day went on it became even more clear that there really is no other choice to make. One choice could lead down a sketchy one way road. The other decision really has no consequence.



Just sharing because I'm proud of my choice not to ski, even though I missed a killer day. :nonono2: :biggrin:

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Originally Posted by Kya

, a pop-tart wrapper ghetto fix (that didn't work),
:

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Good thing that didn't work. That could have been a disasterous false sense of security.

tough call indeed, but likely the right one. No sense in rolling the dice more than you need to. MHO

Props to you.

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Originally Posted by Dr. Gaper

Good thing that didn't work. That could have been a disasterous false sense of security.

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Yeah no doubt. Those were the final stages of denial for sure.

what did you do instead, wait at the bottom?

What 13 footer was it? Oh.. Good choice!!

Or watch your route finding & slope angles & ski all day.

Folks skied the backcountry safely for years without beacons.

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Originally Posted by Shredgar

Or watch your route finding & slope angles & ski all day.

Folks skied the backcountry safely for years without beacons.

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People had sex with hookers for centuries before condoms too! :tdo13:

hazard a guess..... Ortovox????? m1 or m2?????

People used to drive for years without seatbelts or airbags..... just watch where you are going and drive all day.

Heh.

Can't measure hooker safety with a clinometer.

"She's windloaded with whoomping, shooting cracks & right at the 38deg critical angle, don't put it in!"

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Originally Posted by yooper

People used to drive for years without seatbelts or airbags..... just watch where you are going and drive all day.

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What about the other people who are not watching where they are going?

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Originally Posted by Shredgar

Or watch your route finding & slope angles & ski all day.

Folks skied the backcountry safely for years without beacons.

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Of course these thoughts raced around my head, but I think you miss the point.

I don't see how I could have really enjoyed myself that day with all the "What if...?" Would you really make that choice knowing Colorado's snowpack, and knowing you were going to a 13,000 foot summit? Seems very amature and reckless to me.

Climb2Ski: Iskibc will surely provide a kick ass TR.

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Originally Posted by Bunion

hazard a guess..... Ortovox????? m1 or m2?????

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Yep. Ortovox m2, and this is after I replaced the battery cover through recall. Kind of bummed about the quality.

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Originally Posted by climb2ski

What 13 footer was it? Oh.. Good choice!!

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Jacque Peak.


Kya, all the respect in the world for making that tough choice yesterday morning. Good on you! Waking up at 3AM, driving 2 hours, gearing up, and then finding out your beacon is broken seconds before leaving the trailhead is a heart breaker. Props on putting safety before pleasure and making that choice.

You didn't miss out on all that much ;) ;) :biggrin: :

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...s/jacque15.jpg


http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...s/jacque13.jpg

iski wtf happened to fish creek? with all that new snow i thought you guys would have gone there fo' sho'.

kya, tough but good choice.

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Originally Posted by Crinkle

iski wtf happened to fish creek? with all that new snow i thought you guys would have gone there fo' sho'.

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Yeah, was pissed when I saw the Steamboat snow report last night. The forecasted 2-4" turned into 16" overnight:cussing: . We went off the forecast and decided it would be prime to get up high and ski something big.

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Originally Posted by iskibc

We went off the forecast and decided it would be prime to get up high and ski something big.

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well done, looks like you guys succeded, but thowoing salt in kya's wound with the pics. :D

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Originally Posted by Kya

Yep. Ortovox m2, and this is after I replaced the battery cover through recall. Kind of bummed about the quality.

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Yikes. Legoskier has the same model - he replaced the battery cover as well.

Anyway, good choice on your part. Don't let the fools up above this post sway you.

Doing the right thing really sucks sometimes but it sure beats a pine box.

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Originally Posted by JR

Doing the right thing really sucks sometimes but it sure beats a pine box.

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Are we back to talking about the hookers again?

Maybe you should get a backup beacon. I don't have one, but I know Bruce Tremper does. If the fancy Ortovox beacon works out, I'll probably buy one so that would make my Barryvox a backup. Add that to the list of avy safety devices which seem like good ideas but cost money: ABS pack, avalung...

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Originally Posted by skinnyskier

Maybe you should get a backup beacon. I don't have one, but I know Bruce Tremper does. If the fancy Ortovox beacon works out, I'll probably buy one so that would make my Barryvox a backup. Add that to the list of avy safety devices which seem like good ideas but cost money: ABS pack, avalung...

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Just did. When I went into the shop and found out I was lookng at 3-6 weeks for warranty, I basically freaked out. 3-6 weeks without skiing pow in the BC. Yikes! So I bought DTS and will have a back up to keep in my truck or something.

Kya,
Good choice.
Cheers,
Halsted

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Originally Posted by frozenwater

Are we back to talking about the hookers again?

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Yes, and JR is on the money.

Someday somebody's going to die because of that crappy beacon and Ortovox's cheap and ineffectual fix. Twice while doing a beacon check my partner's m1 or m2 didn't work, ruining a tour, but at least we checked. I can't imagine what it would feel like to switch to receive after a burial and get NOTHING because your buddy's beacon has a short in the battery compartment and isn't sending a signal. Ortovox needs to do a full recall and replace those things before it's too late.

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Originally Posted by iskibc

Jacque Peak.

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Cool. did you guys approach from Tucker Gulch? I'm planning on doing this at some point this season.

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Originally Posted by HikeforTurns

Cool. did you guys approach from Tucker Gulch? I'm planning on doing this at some point this season.

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Yeah, sort of. The plan was to skirt up Tucker gulch and then obtain the prominent south-east ridge to the summit. Ended up climbing the looker's left side of Tucker Mountain and then skirted along the Copper Mountain area boundary to the northeast ridge. Good climb. Some very nice ski lines in and around Tucker gulch. Would like to get back there sometime soon. Watch out for the Sulfuric Acid around the mines though:biggrin:

I think the real props here go to you for making a choice on your own...one that YOU were most comfortable with. You clearly have two excellent partners who can be supportive of your decision not to go. Far too often in these cases we are swayed by what others would think/do.

Wonder what would have happened if it was just you and one partner (i.e., does your non-functional beacon cancel the whole trip?). Just interesting from a psychological perspective.

Giving up a great day in the BC but living to ride many more days is priceless.

My mentor taught me to always think "Would I ski this slope if I had no beacon, no shovel/probe, no partner, etc?" I wouldn't go out without the tools, but having that mindset is always a good reality check for me.