soloing in the backcountry

**AltaPowderDaze** · 10-25-2004, 04:53 PM

This thread was moved and retitled to more accuratly reflect the thread drift and its contents. none of the text has been changed, well atleast not mine.

another sick day. once again, the lightest and deepest day for me of the year. breaking trail was calf to knee deep in areas at low elevation. up at the top, if you steped off your skis w/o packing down you'd be hip deep. packed you sunk to just past the knee.

entering snowbird:

i headed into the bird cautiously since i was solo again. this pic shows my pole in the fresh layers (not ramming it in).

i dug a few quick pits as i went. this one was just above the key hole itself. it showed a less dense layer about 1.5-2' down. just a little upside down, but it didn't worry me since it all felt good.

now i turned my attention down the key hole. it was tight, steep in areas, but well filled in. it wasn't truely skiable two januarys ago and now it is stuffed with the white stuff instead of the rock ledges.

in some areas the slough was running pretty good. i skied from safe zone to safe zone while checking things all the way down. it doesn't look like it because of the funny angle, but i am actually quite safe right here. the fall line banks pretty hard right there and my skis are nearly butted up against the trees.

i hit one localized pocket on the way down, but it only fractured and did not move.

this is looking back up at the key hole. it is hard to see, but it goes up and to the right on an angle.

the day was great. don't be suprised to see a tr from the snowbird side of baldy tomorrow if things stay this good. i looked for skiingbear's friend who was supposed to be looking for his ski on collins face, but did not see him on the way up or out. hopefully he found it. i also saw on another post that two got buried on east baldy today, but cannot confirm. i hope everyone is ok.

round trip from ,alta and back to alta, with time to dig pits and take in the scenery was just over an hour and a half. it was a good way to start the day before work.

**flingle** · 10-25-2004, 05:04 PM

Nice, wish we had snow like that right now. It has just started raining to 3500m (something like 11,400 feet) over here.

Phil

**splat** · 10-25-2004, 05:26 PM

You wildman, APD. can't wait to ship you some Bros.

**AltaPowderDaze** · 10-25-2004, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by splat

You wildman, APD. can't wait to ship you some Bros.

you think you can't wait

i'll get on those #'s soon.

**glademaster** · 10-25-2004, 05:58 PM

Wow. You have posted a record amount of stoke on here in the past week APD. I love it! Todays looks particularly nice, I must hit the KeyHole while I'm out there, hopefully on the Spatulas, I see some features that would be amazing to play with on those bad boys. [atnijinx]

Great pics dude.

**Dromond** · 10-25-2004, 06:02 PM

No seriously fuck you

**boarderline** · 10-25-2004, 06:41 PM

Nice. I wonder how Little Cloud bowl is shaping up with all this new snow.

**Karl Stall** · 10-25-2004, 06:48 PM

Definitely a lot of stoke - I am super jealous. Looking forward to skiing with you in a few weeks!

**gravitylover** · 10-25-2004, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by AltaPowderDaze

don't be suprised to see a tr from the snowbird side of baldy tomorrow if things stay this good.

NoNoNoNoNoNoNo!!! Please don't. You guys are killing me...........

**Blurred** · 10-25-2004, 07:05 PM

APD-I love the pics and all the stoke, I'm jealous. However, it doesn't seem like a good idea to be skiing by yourself in those areas, especially when shit is sliding all around you. You really should ski with a partner/beacon, I'm sure there's a maggot around SLC willing to go with ya. [/safetyBobSpeech]

**AltaPowderDaze** · 10-25-2004, 07:13 PM

yeah blurred i enjoy touring with groups but most of my old ski partners are now married or perpetually stoned. neither type is a good touring partner. ideally a group of three works best, but it is hard to get scheduals to line up. so usually i just adjust my travel and skiing to good solo practices. a tight chute isn't the best place to solo at, but i did enough tests to feel confident that i could make it down without incident. hopefully things will settle out soon.

**truth** · 10-25-2004, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by BlurredElevens

when shit is sliding all around you. [/safetyBobSpeech]

Front range is makin' you soft old man...

actually, skiing alone is pretty dumb in that scenario.

**Blurred** · 10-25-2004, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by AltaPowderDaze

yeah blurred i enjoy touring with groups but most of my old ski partners are now married or perpetually stoned.

Better married or stoned then dead....Seriously, get a partner, don't be dumb, I'd like to ski with ya this winter, not read your obituary on TGR.

Originally Posted by Truth

Front range is makin' you soft old man...

That's why they invented Viagra.

**ak_powder_monkey** · 10-25-2004, 08:31 PM

Applause to blurred!!

APD seriously I got ripped for skiing 6 inches of solid ice with about a .05% of sliding alone, that shit is breaking don't become a statistic, ski low angle stuff with a partner untill the snow pack consolidates naturally or explosive induced, seriously

that being said FKNA I hate everybody in Utah

**AltaPowderDaze** · 10-25-2004, 09:16 PM

when at all possible i will travel with people, but i will not stop skiing the backcountry just because no one is available. going with the wrong partner can be worse than going solo in certain situations. two people under the snow can be just as dead as one. i take offense to being called dumb just because people don't understand the circumstances. it is not like a crap shoot where you are blindly playing the odds. you learn as much about the conditions as you can before you go and you gain emperical data as you climb. the up route i took is near avalanche free. i dug 3 representative pits along the way and slope cut the chute. i traveled from safe zone to safe zone so i could check the conditions as the aspect and elevation changed. i felt very confident of the conditions or i would have skinned/booted back out. i would be dumb if i were ignorant of the conditions and i went anyway, with or without a partner.

**splat** · 10-25-2004, 09:23 PM

I totally understand where you're coming from, APD. Shit, Bullet got buried skiing inbounds with a partner. Looks like you're doing all the right things, and, wtf, we still have the right to live free or die as we choose last time I checked. I dieheartedly support free choice. Take care, bro.

**ak_powder_monkey** · 10-25-2004, 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by splat

I totally understand where you're coming from, APD. Shit, Bullet got buried skiing inbounds with a partner. Looks like you're doing all the right things, and, wtf, we still have the right to live free or die as we choose last time I checked. I dieheartedly support free choice. Take care, bro.

So don't bash me for hiking to a mountain I can see my house from with a cell phone and virtually no avy danger and people who know where I am and when I'm suppose to be back. All I'm saying is that skiing pow is great and all but you won't be able to ski it if your dead, looks like you know your avy shit but isn't the avy class half using becons and rescuing people. If you get hurt you can still drag yourself to shelter while you wait to be rescued you get burried by an avy your dead, no chance of rescue, think about it, last I checked red lights include: new snow, snow falling, wind loading, wumphing sounds and visable snow cracks, wich I see all of in your TR, please if you ski alone ski somewhere that is safe even if it means crappy snow/ice, wait till you can line something up, I'm sure you could find plenty of utards to ski with here

**splat** · 10-25-2004, 11:31 PM

I don't recall bashing you for anything. You must have confused me for someone else.

**Ski Beaver** · 10-25-2004, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by ak_powder_monkey

If you get hurt you can still drag yourself to shelter while you wait to be rescued you get burried by an avy your dead, no chance of rescue, think about it, last I checked red lights include: new snow, snow falling, wind loading, wumphing sounds and ciable snow cracks.

ciable - mi nu favorit werd.

edit: nice edit AKPM.

**Blurred** · 10-25-2004, 11:36 PM

Originally Posted by AltaPowderDaze

i traveled from safe zone to safe zone so i could check the conditions as the aspect and elevation changed.

You travelled from safe zone to safe zone......hmmmmmm, so what's inbetween the safe zones??!

This is like another thread about me trying to convince someone not to vote for Kerry.

Just remember that when youre buried by yourself, you'll be cold, can't see, can't hear, can't smell and can't move, and you'll have 20-30 minutes to think about that you are dying and all the people you've left behind because of your irresposibility.....sounds pretty lame to me.

**juicy** · 10-25-2004, 11:57 PM

Way to go APD...........nice tr.

I also applaud your approach to backcountry travel, with or without partners: Tune into the fear, don't tune it out.

**ak_powder_monkey** · 10-26-2004, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by splat

I don't recall bashing you for anything. You must have confused me for someone else.

My bad it just seems everybody was

Beave, damn you're fast

**Zeedashbo** · 10-26-2004, 12:23 AM

Originally Posted by BlurredElevens

You travelled from safe zone to safe zone......hmmmmmm, so what's inbetween the safe zones??!

This is like another thread about me trying to convince someone not to vote for Kerry.

Just remember that when youre buried by yourself, you'll be cold, can't see, can't hear, can't smell and can't move, and you'll have 20-30 minutes to think about that you are dying and all the people you've left behind because of your irresposibility.....sounds pretty lame to me.

dude, get a life. apd didn't do anything stoopid at all. he skied by himself. what the fuck is wrong with that? he knew his conditions, he skied appropriately according his conditions. and most of all, he was comfortable doing all of this. he didn't go do anything crazy, he skied lines that were relatively safe, and made sound decisions. i for one applaud apd. maybe in your little corner of continental snowpack hell, it might be dumb to go ski ANYTHING by yourself. but as it was assesed apd did a fine job. lay off.