Which maggots have been caught in a slide?

[snapt]

So I didn't want to risk cunting up the recent tragic threads, but the divide in perspective from "it comes with the territory" to the "live to ski another day" crowd has me wondering, how many maggots have first hand experienced in a slide? How did it change your perspective on living and playing in the BC and threshold for taking risks?

Personally I used to think death or injury via slide was an acceptable and manageable risk for getting rad in the mountains. To a lesser extent I guess I still do. Experiencing the moment of fracture and realizing I was no longer in control and at the mercy of the snow and mountains to do what it pleased with me changed things right quick. The whole life flashing before your eyes cliche is no joke. Calmly thinking fuck, I'm never going to be able to hold my girl again, raise a child, and make my parents bury me was about as low as it gets. I got lucky. I toured more this year than I ever have, but my tolerance for risk is a lot lower, and focus on decision making and terrain selection is a lot higher.

I'd like to here some other folks experiences and how it effected your BC habits.

[Bunion 2020]

Never been caught in a slide in the BC. Just lucky I guess.

Been in a couple of very large 3+ slides during control work. One I skied off, one I rode out, both large enough and close enough to make me say hmmmmm, that was kinda close.

Another 4-5 that were smaller, 1.5-2 that I was able to ski off of or out of but still large enough to make you say, hmmmm, that was close but manageable.

In the cases of the large ones, I took a couple deep breaths and got right back out there, you keep doing that kind of work regularly enough you will have close encounters and everyone handles the risks differently.

It has made me more cautious in my skiing, especially uncompacted/uncontrolled slopes.

Hopefully some others will add in because what I do has very little resemblance to what goes on on the other side of the boundary.

[concretejungle]

I only ski sidecountry.

All joking aside. Nope, never been in an avy but I'm probably overly conservative and am ok with that. I want to ski again not die in an avy. That said my family is aware that it is a possible outcome both inbounds and bc.

[icelanticskier]

i have









actually skied that^^^^^^area today. was quite a ride. over a thousand days in avy terrain i'm pretty damn comfortable in most any conditions for low to high+ and just utilize and manage terrain to suit the day.

funny thing about my ride is that i was half expecting it could go, but thought i could manage it by using some subtle terrain features. luckily my partner stayed put on the ridge as i advised him to and i din't try to outrun the slide to the lookers right which woulda strained me through trees and brought me outta my partners line of sight. once i knew i was gonna get pounded i took one deep breathe, it hit me and down i went for 100's of yards under the snow. once i got rid of a ski i fought like hell and punched my way up and out of it before it stopped. lucky? aren't we all?

how did it affect me? well once i gathered my gear, i kept on skiing different area and went right back up the next daysolo to the site, checked out the crown, the line, the debris, and made peace with it. didn't freak me out at all really. just happened, just like catching an edge and taking a tumble or something. the experience did force me to sharpen up my avy eyes up a bit, again.

i have intentionally kicked off a few large slides with ski cuts over the years. those slides, along with my big ride woulda most certainly been fatal had i climbed what i skied. not a fan of the whole idea when avy danger is elevated. lots of "experienced" folk die that way. unfortunately i've also been involved in multiple body recoveries from other slides. not fun

rog

[Jethro]

I got caught in a big one, but stopped myself. My friend got caught and hurt. This changed how I ski in the backcountry in a big way. Here is an old writeup http://www.wildsnow.com/5880/avalanche-hayden-skiers/

[icelanticskier]

I got caught in a big one, but stopped myself. My friend got caught and hurt. This changed how I ski in the backcountry in a big way. Here is an old writeup http://www.wildsnow.com/5880/avalanche-hayden-skiers/

wow, quite the experience. i always think that if things don't go smoothly the morning of a tour, whether it's missed alarms, late partners (i'm NEVER late, btw), gear issues, water in boots, etc, it's better to rethink the day.

glad it worked out!

rog

[goldenboy]

The stickied Snowy Torrents thread is mostly first hand accounts of maggots in slides: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...orrents-of-TGR

[~mikey b]

Caught twice. Carried once. Buried none.

[Grape_Ape]

Never caught, but heard a whumpf once. That was a bit scary for me.

[DropCliffsNotBombs]

I have taken a few rides (300ft.-600ft.), been partially buried twice, and was able to ski out of a several (unscathed) over my life. I took a few days off after each event to get my head straight again but always got back to it. After all, I'm a SKIER, and that's what skiers do!
Honestly, I don't push it anymore with regards to both snowpack and technical difficulty at the same time.
A mellow day of "flat-gay-pow" is far more desirable for me these days...

[Hacksaw]

I have been caught a couple of times. Only once partial buried (head and Arm sticking out).

[pappag]

I've been with people where we set off two slides with ski cuts that we knew would rip after conducting a Rutschblock test and ECT. One at Vail Pass, 3' of overnight snow that traveled 200' to a flat bench. Cut made on a convexity before slope lessened to 30*. Second in RMNP with 6-8" of overnight snow on a 50* slope that released on a ski cut.



RMNP slide









A 3rd slide happened in RMNP. We had already backed down from our initial intent and found something else that we thought would be safe for our descent. We backed away from the 1st objective due to weather and time constraints (we were long into the day already and had another 1,500' vertical left so we opted for something else more approachable). Funny thing is I have never said "wish me luck" before dropping until this day ... and have never said it since. Don't remember if I had a bad feeling before skiing down, but the slide itself definitely caught me by surprise. Looking back, it was a mistake to ski this particular line on this day at the time we did. Danger was in fact considerable, we were above treeline and in a heavily-winded area with new snow that didn't have a prayer bonding to the old surface.










I should also note that I've backed out a bunch more recently, and as I grow older, it's far easier to make the call to back away from the line and live to see another day. Take away social media, blogs, and helmet cameras, and I think you would see far more people back away.

[Shadam]

I've just completed my 10th season and and each year I pushed futher and higher.
the last 2 seasons I have had a big sled and that changes everything as I'm way futher out and up in a much shorter time thus making days longer both in distance and time.
WE havent had anyone caught while sled boarding but we sure went out of our way to ride big lines and kick off every avy we could.
I believe it helps to ride everyday as it keeps your focus sharp. our weekend warrior friends worry me.
with all the crazy shit I've done on a board and a sled is it luck?

I've had 3 incidents where I was partly buried or a small ride, but all were small incidents and happened at least 4 years ago. twice it was kicked off by another memeber of the party and I felt disappointed and anger at them for making such a dumb mistake, and that is still how I view thier actions.
1 of them was the course instructor in my ast1 course! me buired to my chest, 2 guys went for a ride and 1 guy knocked off his feet but got clear. this was on the up track! tiwce I've been got on the up track and that is my biggest fear coz wearing only a base layer and no gloves, 10 mins under the snow and I will need a heli evac as I will surcum to the cold shortly there after.
I'm a total sledneck now and have started a few slides. mostly testing the slope, put the throtle to the bar and out run it! it works on an open slope. the sled is the best way to test a slope. the sled cut! coz if a 700lb sled leaving a 2-3ft trench doesn't get a reaction, avoid potential start zones and our snowboarding day will be fun.
I do alota solo missions, in the beginning it was with snowboard, now it is on sled breaking open new terrain. I've never had an avy while solo. is it luck or safe travel techniques? coz I'm sure as shit in some big terrain.
I have dug a buddy out and delivered him to hospital and had to deal with all the crap that goes with it, (desparately trying to find the missing ski, and for a few days after, having to help a man dress and undress himself) ... so again it all comes down to group dynamics ...

and yes alota people won't ride with me, I post on snow&mud "must be good riders on good sleds with high risk tollerances" just to make it clear. Unless I'm playing guide for the day, I make it clear I'm on my on page.

but listen to your gut instinct and listen to mother nature and fark wot anyone else says coz some days you just gotta turn around and run home with your tail between your legs and you dont really know why, but you just know you gotta.

ramble over ... for now

[Canada1]

Pappa, I had almost that same thing happen this season. Turned to stop and everything under me fell away. I've heard snow thump and turned around. One morning this happened to me three times before I tunrned around and a kid in my neighnborhood was burried that day at the Canyons. I've been burried by heavy sluff up to my knees before. As I get older I turn around more. A decade ago I thought I was invincible. Now I have kids and a wife and a better understanding of what the consequences of my addiction would be if an error is made.

[bean]

I went for a small ride on a thin, relatively low-angle slab a couple years ago. Pretty inconsequential but still scared the hell out of me because it was in a situation I'd been in before and will likely find myself in again. I was pretty conservative before that, and more so now. I don't go backcountry skiing to ski now, just to get out in the mountains; I suck at skiing anyway so it really works out better this way.

I've got a wife and dogs to come home to and that's more important than any fun ski line.

[TBS]

Caught once, carried about 50 yds. Burial was shallow enough I was able to dig myself mostly out before my partners got to me.

It definitely made me dial back the aggro and think a lot more about consequences. My risk tolerance has also been declining with age - I'm now happy with many small shots of adrenaline over a long period than take the risk of getting one last large shot before death.

[georgio]

Ski cut something early season this year and away it went. Left me standing at the top on more or less bare ground. Wasn't big, 20 feet wide, 12 inches deep, slid for maybe 100 feet but definitely eye opening. I wasn't super worried about the slope because I knew if it did slide it wouldn't be big enough to bury me and if something did go way wrong and I ended up face down my partner was right there. But definitely enough for me to call it a day.

[pipedream]

I lost a friend to a loose, wet slide in the spring of 2011 in Tunnel Creek in the Steven's Pass backcountry. Over the course of 1000 vertical feet the snow went from bomber upright with faceshots to deep, isothermal mush. We should've bailed when things got sketchy, but we didn't realize it until it was too late. We should've taken the most conservative line to the bottom, but my friend didn't. Most importantly, SAR should've traversed into our location instead of coming down on top of us, but they didn't. And that last misstep in judgement released hangfire which left me pinned on the uphill side of a tree buried up to my chin unable to move an inch for several minutes.

Digging out a friend is hard enough, having to do it twice in the same day was hell. I cringe to think of what my fate would've been had I not thrown myself against that tree when I heard the horrifying sound of the second slide coming. It was in that moment that I realized that no line or amount of untracked snow is worth dying for.

[pbourdon]

I've personally never been caught; but have kicked off a few small storm slabs in bounds while working in Tahoe. Two years ago in May I was on Berthoud Pass with Lindahl and my buddy Cory. We were riding near the roll and I popped off a small slab (~14") exactly where we had anticipated it happening but after two skiers had already descended the slope. We had a great safe zone set up but my buddy Cory had left the safe zone to set up to shoot pics of Lindahl dropping a cliff in the zone. Unfortunately for Cory, he was standing directly under the slide path but was fortunate enough to be far enough down the slope that he was only buried to his knees. Still, that event was VERY sobering for me to watch a whole slope let loose and head toward my friend while all I could do is watch and hope for the best. Yes we were all wearing beacons and were prepared to do a search but again fortunately Cory was only buried to his knees and was able to dig out fairly easily. That incident also made me very aware of the fact that just because a couple people have skied a slope and it didn't go doesn't mean that it is safe.

For me, the incident that really made me think twice about my decisions in the backcountry was breaking my femur inbounds at Steamboat in February last year. The simple fact that my extraction from the woods took over an hour and a half IN-BOUNDS with trained rescue staff rung home the true consequences of fucking up in the backcountry. If something goes wrong out there, you're on your own. A small injury can become life threatening. Is it a little boring to be stuck to skiing mellow terrain all winter? Yes and no. I have a great time hitting up spots like Mt. Trelease or Butler Gulch simply because I'm not inbounds with the masses. Would I like to ski steeper, more committed lines in the winter? Hell yes I would; but that injury will stay with me for the rest of my life as a reminder to play it a little more conservatively than I used to. Hell, after reading about the guy who pin-balled down Silver Couloir on Buffalo last year I've also decided that big spring lines with the possibility of bouncing off of rocks for 2000 vertical feet are off the table as well. That's not to say that I won't be out enjoying some big open steep ramps this spring as things set up, its just that I'm a lot less willing to die for a line that looks amazing than I was just a few years back. In my opinion, its not worth it.

[Albeer]

been up-trackin since 1984 and triggered over a dozen, one bad one in Ut in 2004 broke 3 feet deep, 150' wide ran to bottom of shot 600' at my ski tips. watched it run and snap sapling trees. In January 2008 caught and carried by a 2.5' deep 100' wide slab avalanche about 500' vertical low down on the infamous wimpy nob at GTNP. Very lucky in that it knocked me on my ass and I had a clean ride in the slab chunks to the bottom. Had to fight thru probably two wave breaks and was sitting on top of the debris at the bottom. More luck in that it was relatively low angle, soft snow, and a treeless slope. It took awhile after the 08 ride but I have been stupid enough to trigger a sympathetic, witness someone else's ride, and intentionally create some since then.

[BrianH]

Skiing the resort backside solo along the top of a gully bank, I saw a crack propagate from my tip about 50 yards. The entire gully slope slid to the bottom of the creek, maybe about 30 feet. I learned about terrain traps that day, and the speed with which it happens.

[Bromontana]

This year was my first in the bc and UT was mostly localized activity this year, new snow sloughs and pockety slabs were the norm as far as I could tell. Had run ins with both types this season.

8' crowns like in LL pass scare the shit out of me.. the UT and CO deaths this spring have led to a good amount of reflection... with a shitty conclusion: I've been lucky so far and need a lot more luck to stay out of the stats.

[totaliboard]

Several. Both in and out of bounds.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...in-Montana-Avy

Its kind of like hitting rock bottom, and figuring out that the path your on leads to certain death.. This winter has been different.

[Clownshoe]

Never caught while in the backcountry, but ski cut a big one (2+) on the Duffey a couple years ago that went way bigger than anticipated.

Doing avalanche control for over 10 years I've ski cut shit loads of slides, and gone for a couple small rides in size 1's. One of them almost launched me off a cliff, which would of been really bad. I've had one route partner get caught in a size 2, but he ended up on top.

[Lindahl]

Never been caught.

1) Set off a slide last year and skied it out. (http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...smallish-slide)
2) Ski cut a rollover into avalanche terrain a few years ago (from 30 degree terrain), 1-2' wet slab in May - figured it was gonna pop and had no problem avoiding it, dancing between a safe ridge and cutting it. Felt pretty comfortable with managing it, even though I was solo, 5+ miles in, in the Holy Cross Wilderness.
3) The slide pbourdon mentioned a few years ago. We had a good idea it would pop, so we set up a safe zone that everyone was heading to directly after hitting a rollover. His buddy Cory left the safe zone to take a photo (something we had NOT talked about, and I was pretty annoyed with). We couldn't really communicate with him to get out of the path, so I carry 2 radios now to avoid such communication problems. I highly recommend people carry radios in the backcountry. (http://www.rei.com/product/834000/mi...y-radio-2-pack - cheap, and fits in a jacket breast pocket)
4) Ski cutting a chute in permanently closed area at a resort in Seattle a couple years ago kicked off a decently sized slab.