Shovel technique article

[powstash]

Did anyone else find the article in the last bit of the December Couloir about "Strategic Shoveling" an interesting read? It made me want to ask those that have been involved in rescue situations what second thoughts or after thoughts you had regarding shoveling technique or the type/size/shape of the excavation that was employed.

I agree with the article that a huge emphasis has been placed in recent years on increasing the speed of finding the victim with a beacon. Little talk has emerged regarding the type of digging (other than the "dig like hell" technique that is obvious) one should do to be efficient and safe for the victim.

Discuss.

[Hutch]

I didn't see that but thought this was interesting, maybe its the same:

Strategic shoveling:

Over the last decade avalanche transceiver technology has improved dramatically and a range of effective methods for their use has been the focus of recreational avalanche education. Search times have decreased so much that now the majority of time is in most avalanche companion rescues is spent digging once the victim has been located. As a result, the greatest potential for a decrease in
rescue times (and mortality rates) is in the extraction phase. Last winter Bruce Edgerly of Backcountry Access Inc developed a strategy for digging that promises not only to improve rescue times but also excavation quality.

People who have been buried in avalanches generally die of asphyxiation. Thus the key thing to remember is that the point of digging is not just to reach a victim but to provide the victim with an airway. Nearly 50% of avalanche victims are found lying face down and need to be rolled over before they can breathe. In extreme cases the act of digging haphazardly has even caused a
victim’s air pocket to be crushed by the weight of rescuers working directly above. Thus there is a real need for some care and planning to be taken in the excavation process.

Digging with no strategy creates holes in which it is nearly impossible to roll and treat a victim. Digging straight down invariably creates a cone shaped whole from which it becomes increasingly difficult to clear snow the deeper you go.

Strategy:

To prevent this problem clearly define the excavation area before you start digging.

The most effective way to dig is by terracing the downhill side of the hole, with each level getting closer to the victim.

1. Leave the probe in place. The probe should not be perpendicular to the snow’s surface but run vertically strait down to the victim. Probes with depth markings are extremely valuable in seeing how far you still have to dig and in determining the size of your starter hole.

2. Start by digging a starter whole beginning a little above the probe strike and extending 1.5 times the burial depth down the fall line. The width of this hole can be determined by the number of rescuers. If you are alone the hole can be as little as 1.25m wide to ensure adequate working space. If there are more shovelers then the hole can be extend to 2m wide to increase the probability of locating the victims head.

3. Begin digging from a kneeling position - throwing snow to the sides. Dig by chopping blocks and then removing them from the hole.

4. Start digging at the downhill side of your starter hole and work your way up to the level of the probe.

5. Once the sides of the entire starter whole are up to the shovelers waist then start digging a new terrace throwing snow downhill. This downhill end of this new whole should begin about half the way to the probe.

6. Sit on the downhill terrace and and again dig upwards towards the probe.

7. Once the victim has been reached determine the location of the head and focus on revealing the victims face. The key is to establish an airway as quickly as possible.

If there is more than one rescuer, then two should dig side by side. With more than two diggers, people inevitably will get in each others way in the hole. In these situations it is far more efficient for rescuers to rotate between shoveling and resting every couple of minutes.

This technique for digging shows promise for decreasing overall companion rescue times and improving workspace during victim recovery. However as with any avalanche rescue, the key is not needing to get rescued at all.

[Pow4Brains]

Read it, but seems like a lot of extra thought and diggin' in the heat of the moment. The extra pointers such as leaving the probe on the victim where a good reminder though.

[AltaPowderDaze]

1. Leave the probe in place. The probe should not be perpendicular to the snow’s surface but run vertically strait down to the victim. Probes with depth markings are extremely valuable in seeing how far you still have to dig and in determining the size of your starter hole.

the beacon companies, wbr and snowbird have been teaching probing perpendicular to the snow surface during companion rescue. during organized rescue (probe lines) you still probe perpendicular to the sky. when pinpointing or spot probing you should probe in a spiral pattern out from the center of the likely location.

[eirikainersharp]

I didn't see that but thought this was interesting, maybe its the same:

That was just a summary - part of a larger article I wrote on some new ideas that came out of the ISSW in telluride.

[eirikainersharp]

the beacon companies, wbr and snowbird have been teaching probing perpendicular to the snow surface during companion rescue. during organized rescue (probe lines) you still probe perpendicular to the sky. when pinpointing or spot probing you should probe in a spiral pattern out from the center of the likely location.

The problem with having the probe lie perpendicular to the surface as I see it is that at some point you will have to dig above the prove. When you move above the probe you run the risk on standing on the victim and colapsing his air space. A vertical probe gives the rescuer prevents this.

[eirikainersharp]

Read it, but seems like a lot of extra thought and diggin' in the heat of the moment. The extra pointers such as leaving the probe on the victim where a good reminder though.

I think that you missed the point: terracing avoids extra digging. The studies behind the article (I don't know if they were included in the Couloir write but they are here: http://www.bcaccess.com/documents/Ed...kinsISSW06.pdf) show getting 'tunnel vission' and diging strait down to the victim often leads to a narrow how which needs to be enlarged before the victim can be given an airway. I have also found that it is harder to clear the snow from narrow holes and so you often end up shoveling the same snow twice in order to get it out.

[AltaPowderDaze]

The problem with having the probe lie perpendicular to the surface as I see it is that at some point you will have to dig above the prove. When you move above the probe you run the risk on standing on the victim and colapsing his air space. A vertical probe gives the rescuer prevents this.

i will have to look into this more but i see your point for moving the probe. i would think that a probe that was perpendicular to the snowpack would keep you from being above the airpocket in the first place. i guess the problem there would be getting an overhanging back wall.

[El Kanone]

The first time I dug a guy out of an avy he was under about 9 feet on a fairly flat slope (run out). We dug strait down to him in a pit. When we got to him it was very hard to get to his face and do rescue breathing in the pit. Also it was very hard to lift him out of the hole. In hind sight I realized we should have dug a 3 sided hole and the down hill side should have been "open” it would have been better for getting him out and doing CPR quicker. If you have multiple diggers some dig down and the others stand behind and move this snow away from the down hill side. Leaving the probe in and dig down to it. Basically what I am trying to describe is like a snowpit. Have an open side not just a circular hole. You can for sure end up digging a few feet off if you remove the probe and start digging. In this case we were miraculously able to revive this person after he was under over 10 minutes at almost 10 feet in very densely packed snow with no air pockets. One other mistake I made in this case was I took my gloves off to get my beacon and shovel out and did not put them back on. When I started digging and after a bit my hands got supper wet and cold and it was really hard to hold the shovel handle. I should have put my gloves back on. In these situations a few extra seconds spent first can save critical minutes later. Lastly I just want to say I have never had to dig out one of my own ski partners or clients. I work as a heli ski guide and search and rescue leader so I get flown into the scene quickly that is why I have dug out multiple people.

[AltaPowderDaze]

el kanone,

did you speak at the snowbasin B-school in november?

[Pow4Brains]

I think that you missed the point: terracing avoids extra digging. The studies behind the article (I don't know if they were included in the Couloir write but they are here: http://www.bcaccess.com/documents/Ed...kinsISSW06.pdf) show getting 'tunnel vission' and diging strait down to the victim often leads to a narrow how which needs to be enlarged before the victim can be given an airway. I have also found that it is harder to clear the snow from narrow holes and so you often end up shoveling the same snow twice in order to get it out.

Yeah, I hear you. I didn't misread the article, but I think this technique would be helpful only in a deep burial (counter intuitive to remove more snow for speed.) Food for thought though.

[sarge]

Check out our latest rescue video on Anomaly or direct through BCA. We demonstrate the technique of benching, terracing, 3 sided holes, whatever you want to call it. I've been teaching that technique for years based on anecdotal experience of actual rescues. and live drills. I helped BCA develop the idea for that paper as well. It's good to see folks finally thinking of the whole rescue and not just the beacon search. Next project is to get people up on their multiple victim rescue (even though i f you are using proper protocols, you would never need to rescue more than one). Hard corps and pros typically aren't as good as they think they are unless they practice difficult scenarios at least once a week.

Also, once you get the guy out, does anyone in the party know any first aid? We need to make that a standard as well.

Sarge

[IrieRon]

I think it's worth considering: leave the probe in vertically and, depending upon the depth of the burial, then take 2 steps downhill, and start digging toward the victim, thus avoiding the cone-shaped hole where you might hit the top of the victim's head but can still have a hell of a time getting their face clear and much worse trying to initiate CPR and excavating the person. Run-on sentence complete.

[powstash]

The first time I dug a guy out of an avy he was under about 9 feet on a fairly flat slope (run out). We dug strait down to him in a pit. When we got to him it was very hard to get to his face and do rescue breathing in the pit. Also it was very hard to lift him out of the hole. In hind sight I realized we should have dug a 3 sided hole and the down hill side should have been "open” it would have been better for getting him out and doing CPR quicker. If you have multiple diggers some dig down and the others stand behind and move this snow away from the down hill side. Leaving the probe in and dig down to it. Basically what I am trying to describe is like a snowpit. Have an open side not just a circular hole. You can for sure end up digging a few feet off if you remove the probe and start digging. In this case we were miraculously able to revive this person after he was under over 10 minutes at almost 10 feet in very densely packed snow with no air pockets. One other mistake I made in this case was I took my gloves off to get my beacon and shovel out and did not put them back on. When I started digging and after a bit my hands got supper wet and cold and it was really hard to hold the shovel handle. I should have put my gloves back on. In these situations a few extra seconds spent first can save critical minutes later. Lastly I just want to say I have never had to dig out one of my own ski partners or clients. I work as a heli ski guide and search and rescue leader so I get flown into the scene quickly that is why I have dug out multiple people.

Thanks for chiming in. This is exactly what I would want to avoid shoud I ever be faced with a similar situation. Practice a bunch and I think digging in a new way will become second nature so that you can have speed and efficiency.

[KnuckleDragger]

I just watched that free pieps dvd the other night and the rescuers in those scenarios dug in from the side as well. It looked to be very efficient since they could do much of the digging using their shovels in a chop down and pull back motion which seems like it would be less tiering than lifting and throwing all of that snow.

In the deeper burials, around 6 feet deep, once they got close to the victim, they just tunneled in like they were digging a snow cave. No point in moving all of that snow above.