Wearing Beacons all the time while skiing

[nesta]

I wear mine from the time i put my boots on until it's time to take them off again. I have witnessed many in-bounds slides and that's the first thing the hasty search party is going to be doing besides ensuring no danger to their own asses. Even then it might be too long , but if there's plenty of other people doing likewise, they might find you first- for example that slide at Mt. Baker this year, and that was outside the boundary if I'm not mistaken.

[bad_roo]

What is this 'inbounds' of which you speak?

[nesta]

What is this 'inbounds' of which you speak?

uuhh that would be inside the ski area boundary where there is avalanche control, but also nasty beasts such as post-control release, skier accidental and natural avalanche activity

[Red Baron]

we were at the moose a few years back, and the person I was with saw a guy at the bar, with his beacon on, at like 6:30pm. she pulls her beacon out, flips it to recieve, and jokingly starts scanning - she walks in a big half-circle, sweeping the ground, and ends up at his back. he turns around, and she's like "don't wear your beacon in the bar!"...

[BakerBoy]

we were at the moose a few years back, and the person I was with saw a guy at the bar, with his beacon on, at like 6:30pm. she pulls her beacon out, flips it to recieve, and jokingly starts scanning - she walks in a big half-circle, sweeping the ground, and ends up at his back. he turns around, and she's like "don't wear your beacon in the bar!"...

Try the "cougar beacon" line... it works great in Utah.

[snorkeldeep]

Depends where I'm skiing.

Most days at Crystal I wear mine. Same with Baker.

Very different back in CO though. I hardly ever worn one. Way back when when the lifts were running at Berthoud I did. Otherwises...I only would wear it if I thought I may end up going OB.

the irony of this seems a bit silly.

[snorkeldeep]

i wear mine based on what im going to be skiing that day and a call on snow stability.

agreed that if you spend all the money on it, you might as well use it.

also - i never bother wearing it if i dont have shovel and probe with me as well.

[cj001f]

the irony of this seems a bit silly.

Irony? Crystal is more likely to have signifigant depositions and windloading during the day.

[summit]

Since just about any I'm inbounds day I also have the potential to be out of bounds, I bring mine. I've triggered a slide inside a ski area boundry before. I already payed all the money for it. If I already have it, why not have it on. It costs a penny to wear for a day. It doesn't weigh anything. It is not bulky or uncomfortable. The question isn't "should I?" The question is "why not?" Won't hurt a thing and minute possibility it might help. So I wear mine almost all the time I'm skiing except for dedicated groomer days and night skiing.

[Orange Julius]

on at the car, off at the bar.

Pretty geeky, but I wear mine whenever the forecast is marginal, even inbounds. Even on prodeal that stuff ain't cheap, so might as well get your money's worth.

cjoo1f, you certainly would know about the head patroller death while ski cutting at meadows back in the day on the "small" windrill under cascade chair. there's a few of those that don't get bombed all the time. 'course a beacon would not have helped him... I guess you never really know, so I bring it along just for kicks, if only to find my sorry ass buried in a tree well in jacks woods.

[cj001f]

you certainly would know about the head patroller death while ski cutting at meadows back in the day on the "small" windrill under cascade chair. there's a few of those that don't get bombed all the time. 'course a beacon would not have helped him... I guess you never really know, so I bring it along just for kicks, if only to find my sorry ass buried in a tree well in jacks woods.

SOP at there and ski bowl is a beacon with no shovel/probe when conditions warrant FWIW. I can think of at least one other inbounds burial at Meadows, and plenty of big control slides.

I wear a beacon when conditions warrant, shovel and probe usually come along, but not always.

[F#*k you cat]

I didn't see this being brought up?
I wear my beacon driving Up LCC or Big Cottonwood Canyons in UTAH. I have seen way to many slides hit the road with near misses and a couple of hits over the years. I also wear my beacon when skiing any resort in either of the canyons. Alta, Bird, or Solitude. i never go to Brighton. I wear a beacon always, shovel and probe in my pack. Helmet always. These items are just part of the ski package. Kinda like a seatbelt. They are always on.

Kevin

[AltaPowderDaze]

I didn't see this being brought up?
I wear my beacon driving Up LCC or Big Cottonwood Canyons in UTAH. I have seen way to many slides hit the road with near misses and a couple of hits over the years. I also wear my beacon when skiing any resort in either of the canyons. Alta, Bird, or Solitude. i never go to Brighton. I wear a beacon always, shovel and probe in my pack. Helmet always. These items are just part of the ski package. Kinda like a seatbelt. They are always on.

Kevin

yeah, i mostly wear mine diving on days where i'm trying to beat the road closure up the canyon in lcc but other times i wear it so i don't have to take off my jacket in the cold. also, it's already turned on and then i have time for a quick beacon check while eveyone else is turning theirs on.

[SherpaStyle]

I wear mine pretty much every day. I even wore it while teaching on Teewinot once (I'm just a badass like that). Actually, I roled in at like 12:45from skiing OB all morning when I was supposed to be there at 12:30. I pulled my ski school vest out from under my jacket and was good to go.

I've set off small slides in bounds. There is no way patrol can ski cut/bomb every shot at JH. A guy got caught in a slide in Casper Bowl last year and fortunately he and his buddies had avy gear and got him out.

I don't usually wear a pack unless I'm skiing the headwall, casper bowl, the crags, or out the gates. If one of my friends or I ever got caught in bounds I figure we could at least have their location pinpointed and by that time patrol would probably be on scene. If its a big day, high avy risk I'll wear my pack.

[covert]

Since just about any I'm inbounds day I also have the potential to be out of bounds, I bring mine.

Amen. Most beacons will transmit 8hrs a day five days a week for up to six weeks and still maintain adequate levels of search/transmit capability. That's a conservative estimate. I can spend more at the bar in 1 hour than I do on batteries for a whole season.
I would add that if you bring your beacon with you, you should be wearing it and if you are wearing it, you should turn it on when you put it on. Only users lose dope...

[seldon]

dont have one. but i remember setting off a couple slides inbounds on one day last year in jackson... on lower sublette ridge as I headed skiers right the gullies were slabbing up about 24" thick and you'd break them as you ski cut across. mountain got closed about 20 minutes later (yeah, the whole mtn. massive wind loading), but it was freaky. getting one now, taking a class this winter.

[ptavv]

I wear mine inbounds if there's a decent accumulation of snow. I've seen more than a few slides at Meadows in Heather Canyon despite runs being marked "safe" than I care to remember.

All the patrollers at Mt Hood have shovels, probes, and beepers with them 24/7, as do most of the people I ride with.

[SherpaStyle]

I got into it with a couple of my buddies today. I was wearing my beacon and none of my friends were. A ton of new terrain opened. We were skiing stuff that hadnt been skied all season with 9 inches of fresh last night, on top of a lot of windslab from the last storm. I definitely stood on top of one pitch that was completely untracked with no signs of control work and thought to myself, is this open? Under the right conditions it could go. But after a few seconds of deliberation I established that it was relatively sheltered from the wind, not heavily loaded and at an elevation/aspect where the early storms' snow was probably well consolidated. Not to mention the fact that it looked really, really goood...so I skied it. I made a mental note of my escape route if it were to go and went into it with speed. The point of the story is you get into situations where the avy danger is there. Why not wear your beacon? I asked one of my friends this today and he couldn't come up with a response. Eventually he said, " No one would get to me in time anyway. We never ski the same lines and are always heading off in opposite directions when we're skiing in bounds." I made the point that even if no one could get to you in time, they would at least be able to get to you in a timely manner, rather than spending countless hours in a probeline searching. It's kind of morbid to think of a beacon as a body recovery tool, but whether its thought of as a rescue tool or a body recovery tool, it has its merits.

[cj001f]

All the patrollers at Mt Hood have shovels, probes, and beepers with them 24/7

No beeper at cooper, summit or TLine. Beepers for everyone at Meadows or Bowl if conditions warrant, but not shovel/probe - some carry, some don't. Shovels and probes don't fit well in fanny packs.

[skifishbum]

Last years fatality in Dutch Draw @ the canyons. The victim was an certified mountain guide had avvy experience and equipment but wasn't planning on going ob but did. A full pack can change your skiing/riding, but a beacon weighs nothing. Not to say that wearing a beacon would have saved his life but all the volunteer probe line man hours and hysteria might have been limited. Granted there were conflicting reports about the number of victims involved and the probe lines would have had to be conducted anyway.
I would not mind if bc or sidecountry access gates all were turnstyles that wouldn't open unless you were transmitting. They have these in yurp or somewhere no?

[ptavv]

No beeper at cooper, summit or TLine. Beepers for everyone at Meadows or Bowl if conditions warrant, but not shovel/probe - some carry, some don't. Shovels and probes don't fit well in fanny packs.

All the patrollers at Meadows carry backpacks... at least I've never seen a Meadows patrol who hasn't had a backpack with a shovel handle on it.

I know most, if not all, of the patrollers have beepers if there's been any recent snow.

[ptavv]

Last years fatality in Dutch Draw @ the canyons. The victim was an certified mountain guide had avvy experience and equipment but wasn't planning on going ob but did. A full pack can change your skiing/riding, but a beacon weighs nothing. Not to say that wearing a beacon would have saved his life but all the volunteer probe line man hours and hysteria might have been limited. Granted there were conflicting reports about the number of victims involved and the probe lines would have had to be conducted anyway.
I would not mind if bc or sidecountry access gates all were turnstyles that wouldn't open unless you were transmitting. They have these in yurp or somewhere no?

Yeah, I saw quite a few gates like that in Austria. Not that it didn't stop people from going around them or ducking under them, but it's a good idea anyway.

[cololi]

Regarding patrollers, At pak City, they were the beacon and carry the probe/shovel when they are working in avie terrain.

My beacon is on in the car as well when conditions dictate it.

[iggyskier]

the irony of this seems a bit silly.

I don't see how it is silly.

Skiing at any of the front range resorts the chance of an in-bounds slide is extremely low.

Skiing the backcountry areas of Crystal and even in bounds Baker there is a much greater chance that you will trigger a slide.

so, I wear a beacon in bounds in WA but hardly ever in CO.

I don't see the irony.

[crashnburn'd]

I never really thought about wearing a beacon all the time, but a few weeks ago, my office mate was buried and killed in a massive slide.

It was a climax slide... All of the papers from her desk and overhead storage cabinets let go at once and buried her about 2 feet deep. She wasn't beaping and I wasn't prepared, no probe, shovel or paper shreader, so all I could do was tape a few pencils together and start poking into the debris field. After 10-15 seconds, I realized it was hopeless and went down to the cafeteria for some coffee and a bagel. It was sort of strange coming into work for 4 days, seeing that massive pile of paper and knowing what was buried underneath. On the 5th day, something started stinking, so I called and asked to have my office cleaned. As they pulled her out, I couldn't bear to watch, so I went to the cafeteria. This time, I got some juice and a donut instead. Ever since that day, I've always been fully prepared 24/7. You just never know when freak accident could happen.