This.... is a ski cut.

[gaijin]

Ever seen the forest floor propagate as far as you can see upon dropping in? That was the scariest of my 1000s of slides I've kicked off. I quit the season that day-- April 2, 2009-- the day the whole forest ripped. I didn't even care that it was already released.

"Why are you home so early today? It looks gorgeous out there."
"Because it's swallowing things. It's breaking the rules."

I backed off a line I couldn't get to move two weeks ago. later that day I saw debris kicked off by a snowboarder at the bottom. Snow actually does get very predictable with experience. After a while it's when it doesn't move and you think it should that is the scariest feeling in the world.

[Descendant]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj-1...5VvuPGgfIdhsZb

I figgered this is a good place to post this as there was some discussion of learning ski cuts. A pretty nice vid demoing ski cutting from the good folks over at K2. I always seem to be the guy in my group down to do the ski cutting before the posse gangfucks the shit out of it. I've definitely made some too low, but I try to be fast and jump hard on the snowpack, and have a damn good safe zone. Always room for improvement when it comes to important shit like this.

[od]

Why post that shitty video of a TV playing a video? Here's the original with a lot more info/content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joZS8tV__7o

.

This is a good example of things going sideways and propagating way further then expected, cheers Powow for posting the link.

The slab looks fairly dense and it would easily knock you down if you judged it wrong and into the trees. TGR had a great post and video a couple months ago for those that missed ithttp://www.tetongravity.com/story/sk...rs-eric-lovely I try to avoid ski cutting in general unless there's no choice or I've misjudged things. Defense rather then offense,

The one exception is during the brief period of time that things are "electric" and predictable at treeline and below. In this situation it's preferable to have slopes ripping out before you get to the convexity, this way you're above it as long as you have no overhead hazard(terrain choice). Also the slab needs to be of lower density nature, ski penetration is at or very close to the weak layer. If the weak layer starts to be deeper then mid shin I want to be 100% sure it'll slide. Slopes can easily propagate further then we think resulting in near misses or worse as many a person have experienced. I've had a couple ski cuts that have ripped back 500m+ up the terrain feature I was on with a well developed weak layer. When you have sympathetic and remote avalanches its maybe smarter to call it a day, drink coffee and do laundry if you have the option rather then fart around with stuff you can't predict.

[Mr brownstone]

When you have sympathetic and remote avalanches its maybe smarter to call it a day, drink coffee and do laundry if you have the option rather then fart around with stuff you can't predict.

or just go ski low angle slopes away from avy terrain. Snow may be really good on safe slopes if shit's hitting the fan in avy terrain nearby.

[Bunion 2020]

or just go ski low angle slopes away from avy terrain. Snow may be really good on safe slopes if shit's hitting the fan in avy terrain nearby.

Excellent point, effective Terrain Management trumps attempted Mitigation every time.

[od]

For sure

[Hacksaw]

Nice video B!

[1000-oaks]

Some interesting (accidental) ski-cut footage from 1:40 - 2:50 (don't bother watching the rest).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43uNyAuZ91g

[Descendant]

That was hard to watch, gut-wrenching in fact. Is that guy at 2:30 ok? Riding a good sized slab into a gnarly fucking terrain trap is no mean feat. No Parlez-vous francais. Seriously, I hope those guys are alright.

[spook]

jesus fucking christ. i was sitting here gripped and i can't listen to the audio right now.

[1000-oaks]

jesus fucking christ. i was sitting here gripped and i can't listen to the audio right now.

The audio is 100% techno music, I don't know French either. Mr. blue pants popped his ABS in the first slide, you can see him unhook the velcro travel strap over the trigger (should have already been unhooked) and see the airbags to the sides. Hope the green pack guy was okay.

[Knut]

And they probably still follow each other at close distance into avi terrain. It just looks cooler on the gopro.

[Clownshoe]

Caution! Super long and verbose post ahead!

A few of my ski cut rules accumulated from 20 years of patrolling.

1. Never ski cut anything you aren't willing to get caught in (above cliffs, trees, terrain traps). If you ski cut long enough, you will get burned. Make sure that when it does you aren't going for a shitty ride.

2. Never ski cut hard slab. NEVER!! It can and will pull back way further than you think. Including onto completely flat terrain.

3. Ski cutting is mostly for storm snow instabilities. Don't ski cut if you're dealing with a deep instability or if think it's going to go bigger than size 1. This is the main difference between ski cutting in a resort setting and ski cutting in the backcountry.

4. Have a plan. Start and finish in a "safe spot". Hit the slope with speed, and carry as much speed as possible to the "safe spot" at the end of your cut. If you have enough momentum, bounce up and down once or twice aggressively to try to really load the slope, but don't do it at the expense of running out of steam mid cut. Some slopes need multiple cuts. Plan it out with your partner before you start. I.E. "I'll go from here to that safe spot over there, then I'll spot you while you cut your side." Don't get too low and ski into the meat of the start zone. The idea is for the slope to fracture at you feet, or even a little below. If you get too low on the slope and it breaks above you, you might end up getting caught.

5. Have a good reliable partner and make sure they are in a good spot to watch you. Decide what you're going to do if you get caught BEFORE you start and discuss it with your partner. Pick out a few other possible "safe spots" at the far side of your cut that are lower on the slope that where you intend to get to. Many slopes have multiple "safe spots". Many slopes have none. Know the difference.

6. As Bunion mentioned, ski cutting takes lots of practice and intimate terrain knowledge. It is a skill that can be learned and improved. Practice constantly on tiny slopes like cut banks, small rollovers and features without consequence. Work up slowly. You can practice in bounds everywhere you go.

7. Don't just ski cut and see what happens. Try and guess where the slope will fracture (or if it won't fracture at all) before you start, and check your results. Adjust your thinking as you go.

8. Be aware of changes associated with aspect, elevation, slope angle, changes in temperature, and different terrain features. What you see on the lower mountain can be very different from higher up. Small change in aspect, elevation and subtle changes in slope angle DOES make a huge difference.

One special note: If you watch experienced patrollers at your resort doing control work, you will sometimes see them slowly crossing the top of slopes, releasing slides right where they are standing. Some slopes and conditions (sharp rollovers, small storm cornices that are regularly explosive controlled) do not require any speed, and you can literally walk along the edge and be almost 100% sure of where it's going to release. This confidence only comes from knowing a snow pack very well and being very familiar with the skier traffic and avalanche history of an area. Don't confuse this technique with a ski cut requiring a good head of steam and a specific safe zones to start and finish in.

The most common mistake I see: Misjudging how much speed is needed to get to the safe spot on the other side of the slope. This can cause you to end up dropping lower than anticipated and you can end up running out of steam right in the middle of the start zone. Don't be lazy. I often take the time to side step back up hill to make sure I have the speed I need to get across.

Personally, I think ski cutting is a critical skill for all patrollers involved in avalanche control. I also firmly believe that it is also a very useful skill for powder hounds ripping up big resorts on a powder day. If you are about to get fresh tracks down a slope at your home resort, consider throwing in a ski cut first. Your local patrollers do their best to control as much as possible, but they can't ever control everything. This is especially critical at the bigger resorts that have 100's of start zones. There's no way they can get to every start zone, so take that extra couple seconds to throw a cut in before you drop in.

Christ! Why are my posts always so long???

[Shredhead]

Caution! Super long and verbose post ahead!

A few of my ski cut rules accumulated from 20 years of patrolling.

Christ! Why are my posts always so long???

Long, but very informative.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience!

[Descendant]

Great post Clown, Thanks!

[whitekingsalmon]

Yep clown,good read.

[Bunion 2020]

Christ! Why are my posts always so long???

Maybe because you had something worthwhile to say?