Using a shotgun for backcountry avalanche mitigation?

[covert]

But say you're in the backcountry looking at a corniced line you want to ski.

Would it work and be in any way smart to shoot said cornice/slope with a shotgun or other gun?(I'm assuming a shotgun with buckshot would be more effective with the spread than a rifle or handgun)

Might work. If by "smart" you mean an innovative, effective and efficient way to test snow stability...no. Hard to imagine a gun would be more efficient or effective than roping up and stomping on said cornice. Both of them are jolly shortcuts to a legit assessment. A gun would be safer but less effective and less efficient. Waste of time shooting at a slope. The TR might be good.

[Clownshoe]

This is one of the stupidest questions ever asked in this forum. Please take lots of pics and post a detailed TR

[Hacksaw]

OK, I'm assuming I'll get dope slapped for this idea...

But say you're in the backcountry looking at a corniced line you want to ski. And assuming that you're absolutely sure that you're the only users around, nothing in the slide path.

And also that you are on a safe slope/location within shooting range of the cornice.

Would it work and be in any way smart to shoot said cornice/slope with a shotgun or other gun?(I'm assuming a shotgun with buckshot would be more effective with the spread than a rifle or handgun)

Flame away

I once skied with a shotgun...

But, it was on Baffin Island, and we where more affraid of Polar Bears then avalanches....

Having that gun sticking out of your pack isn't easy for skiing...

But, it does mke you ski well and not fall, since the gun is loaded....

[1000-oaks]

tannerite?

^^ Stuff sounds awesome, but I'm afraid to google it, much less mail order it with a credit card. (Your ISP/government has been recording everything done online pretty much since the web & email was created.) Can you buy T. off the shelf anywhere, with cash?

[spindrift]

Screw handheld weapons. WA DOT is into tanks...

[axebiker]

Just saying hi in a soon-to-be-epic thread.

[Johnny Casino]

www.tannerite.com

[CookieMonster]

Explosives work by applying a large amount of force to a significant part of the snowpack, and getting good results from explosives is an excellent indicator of snowpack instability. It should be noted that explosives, including large charges, do not always cause avalanches.

Based on my understanding of the physics of snow, and the physics of the impulse loads applied by explosives, I'd have to say that a shotgun is not the right tool for the job. The pellets from a shotgun probably can't do a better job of applying force to the snowpack than a ski cut or a good, hard stomp.

You might get good results for small patches of highly unstable snow, but in those conditions, you certainly don't need a shotgun ( a ski cut or cornice trundle will suffice ). Further, in such conditions it is ill-advised to stand beneath cornices.

Sent from my Paranoid Android using TGR forums.

[Jer]

I'm of the opinion that certain people should stay away from guns. I also think certain people should not be backcountry skiing. This thread is an hilarious combination of both.

^^ Stuff sounds awesome, but I'm afraid to google it, much less mail order it with a credit card. (Your ISP/government has been recording everything done online pretty much since the web & email was created.) Can you buy T. off the shelf anywhere, with cash?

Here in Wisconsistan you can buy it lots of places. It's also pretty easy to just mix some up on your own. This is the same for many binary explosives. Or so I'm told. Using tannerite or something similar wouldn't make much sense for triggering slides tho - you have to carry the charge and a high-powered rifle (a shotgun, rimfire, pistol or other low-velocity round will not detonate the charge) and be a decent enough shot to hit the charge from a safe distance.

Explosives work by applying a large amount of force to a significant part of the snowpack, and getting good results from explosives is an excellent indicator of snowpack instability. It should be noted that explosives, including large charges, do not always cause avalanches.

Based on my understanding of the physics of snow, and the physics of the impulse loads applied by explosives, I'd have to say that a shotgun is not the right tool for the job. The pellets from a shotgun probably can't do a better job of applying force to the snowpack than a ski cut or a good, hard stomp.

You might get good results for small patches of highly unstable snow, but in those conditions, you certainly don't need a shotgun ( a ski cut or cornice trundle will suffice ). Further, in such conditions it is ill-advised to stand beneath cornices.

Sent from my Paranoid Android using TGR forums.

Listen to Cookie Monster.

I know it makes an impressive loud bang, but shooting snow with a shotgun is about as effective as jamming a ski pole in it.

[farmer]

I've never tried, but would a .44 mag be enough to set off tannerite? I'd assume so, but I've never actually used the stuff.

[Jethro]

I've never tried, but would a .44 mag be enough to set off tannerite? I'd assume so, but I've never actually used the stuff.

I think you need a faster impact

[ak_powder_monkey]

crackershells are the shit... I just am not sure they'd start an avy... damn are they fun though

[Jer]

I've never tried, but would a .44 mag be enough to set off tannerite? I'd assume so, but I've never actually used the stuff.

Nope. It's about velocity, not energy. I load .44 mag pretty hot and it's still only going about 1350 fps. That's muzzle velocity, not 50-100 yards downrange.

[icelanticskier]

just ski lightly, you'll be fine maybe

rog

[Tutuko]

Throw your ABS pack on the cornice then blast away

[Kim Jong-un]

If you've ever shot a shotgun you would realize it is roughly the equivalent of 200 8 yr olds with Red Ryder bb guns shooting at the same spot at the same time. Most shotguns don't even make a big percussive bang--they sound like grizzly bear fart. How either buckshot or the bang would start a slide is beyond me.

[timmaio]

I suppose the ABS pack bomb would make the largest blast. I assumed that the dispersed effect of the buckshot would do a better job than a slug or a rifle. It seems like I've got some research to do

Perhaps bringing a coleman gas canister and shooting that would do the trick?

[Jer]

Perhaps bringing a coleman gas canister and shooting that would do the trick?

No. At best you'll end up with a tiny little metal bottle fizzing out it's tiny amount of propane. In the movies some dude can shoot a propane tank with his 9mm and there is a gigantic mushroom cloud and all the bad guys die, but in reality you just end up with a hole in a tank.

Why not just hook up with some fat, sloppy-ass guy you don't like for a BC partner? Have him flial down first. I know - 40 skiers can cut up a slope and the 41st guy will trigger the slide, but it's better than going all Yosemite Sam on the snow.

[Johnny Casino]

At best you'll end up with a tiny little metal bottle fizzing out it's tiny amount of propane.

[MakersTeleMark]

http://what-if.xkcd.com/18/

[El Chupacabra]

[stuckathuntermtn]

Screw handheld weapons. WA DOT is into tanks...

That is fucking bad ass.

[Crampedon]

That is super bad ass, that last shell was BIG.

What's the story with the tank, is it parked somewhere on the pass or do they roam around in avy terrain all Chuck Norris in it?

Allison Krauss is hot

[stuckathuntermtn]

A Tank would also be excellent for breaking trail. Well, two trails, but still.

[Jer]

First vid the tank had a flare duct taped to it. Second vid was using API.

Shooting a propane tank with any standard round will not make it blow up like in the movies. If you want to carry a 20lb propane tank and a .50 on your back, have at it.