Solo Tours - think they're alright

[Ted Striker]

sure there are risks associated with soloing in the bc. but there are also risks that don't exist when you are solo. there is no group dynamic to worry about. crossing slopes is quicker. you don't have to worry about others in your group fucking up. even with proper protocol, three people skiing a slope consecutively means 3 chances for that slope to slide. once that happens, everyone is more at risk. if you get lost/stuck for an extended period, you won't have to worry about the others eating you.

seriously though, solo tours bring rewards, feelings and chances for introspection that you (or at least I) just can't get when with a group.

Good post.

your sig got me thinking, we really need mrwaffles989 to chime in on this one.

Yeah, that was good alias. We need more of those.

[moose pit]

Solo is fun, but having someone else break trail is fun too

[Schnappi]

If you go out on a solo tour, and like totally rip the shit out of something. But there's no one around to say, "dude, you totally ripped the shit out of that!", then what's the point of going out at all?

[JoeStrummer]

Solo is a great way to go. It has lots of rewards and I find it very enjoyable and a completely different experience than skiing with others (which is also thoroughly enjoyable.) No debates about choice of route, you can enjoy delusions of John Colter, go at your pace, etc etc. I am headed out right now for a couple days of solo Silverton and a couple days of solo touring and ice climbing.

Of course, if I never post again, chances are I was probably wrong about all that stuff.

[Bullet]

what do you say to the safety bob's that call you wreckless?

Nothing. Just don't tell them about your trip. They don't need to know.

[gmdesigner]

This is weird: Sometimes, I almost want something bad to happen to me when I am skiing solo, just to see if I could get myself out of the situation. (Anyone else feel this?)

No. I've never felt that.


I probably wouldn't solo if I had enough ski partners who liked the BC. When I do solo it's in the Catskills or ADKs in really safe locations. I am definitely more conservative and careful (and therefore safer?) on my own.

I go on long remote solo backpacking trips spring-fall and my only significant concern is a twisted ankle or broken bone deep in the backcountry.

Both skiing and hiking I alwas pack enough supplies to last out there longer than I anticipate and for it to be much colder than I imagine it will. When day touring I have enough to survive overnight if need be.

[smitchell333]

Wont keep you out of an avalanche but we have the technology to save your bacon in the case of broken ankles, etc.

http://www.acrelectronics.com/

[Chnaiur]

Nothing. Just don't tell them about your trip. They don't need to know.

Lying to your wife?

[time2clmb]

Wow...I was expecting this thread to be full of a bunch of people blabbing verbal diarrhea about how obviously dangerous it is to go solo. Not the case at all so far. After all, most people that do head out seem to have a pretty good handle of exactly what risks they are assuming, so to point out the dangers of it is pretty fucking useless and obvious.

I've been out alone a few times and I really enjoyed it. It's just different and there are some benefits to it that a bunch of you already pointed out. I'd like to think I was really conservative the few times I have been out skiing alone. I do alot of solo scrambling and hiking in the summer when I can't find climbing partners also, and I find that in all cases (skiing / hiking / scrambling ect) I feel much more keyed in to my environment. Very relaxing peaceful feeling to it. It's the ultimate in self dicipline, risk management, and self responsibility in an age where every one wants to blame some one else for what happens. I find that refreshing.

I normally don't really talk about my solo trips with people because most just simply don't get it unless they do it themself. I find that people that lack understanding of the activity are usually the biggest nay sayers.

[LIP]

Most dangerous thing that any of us do is drive to work.

[Flake]

I can't really say much about solo touring as in past I've always been a team player outside the ropes other than a couple of in close slackcountry laps but reading the last few posts in the self rescue idea as we've drifted away from the original topic did cause me to think back.

My first year while working in the Yukon as a hunting guide in an area about as remote as you can get I had an epiphany. After crossing a river my client and I turned onto the horse trail back to camp and he asked me why we were going away from camp.Iit was then that I realised that the sat phone I carried was for me to call for help incase something happened to my client but if anything ever happened to me that left me unable to communicate our location we were both dead.

Since then I've been careful to try and keep the clients informed of where we are. But, to be honest most of them have no idea. It pays to play safe. Some places you don't get away with mistakes.

[IrieRon]

I tour alone approximately 30 days a year. It's mostly because I have no friends.

[Chugachjed]

I drive at work. Solo. I also ski solo, maybe its because I'm an asshole and nobody can stand to be around me, or maybe I just always have skiied alone ever since I was a kid. I tour alone on mellow terrain with low avy danger. I tour alone at night via headlamp on same mellow terrain. Skiing alone in the dark is amazing especially when its snowing huge flakes. Its like skiing in a 15' circle of your own consciousness very zen.

[hutash]

Sometimes the only thing a partner can do is tell people where to find the body. Life involves risk, it is how you manage it that matters. Doing stupid shit with a partner is a lot worse then doing smart stuff alone. Not that I have ever done stupid shit...well there was the time at that concert back in the 70's.

[ClearCutter]

I was thinking of doing a few solo trips.

My train of thought tells me that I should stay below treeline, unless of coarse alpine avy hazard is low. I dont think I would venture in the alpine alone, because the avys there are bigger and more dangerous. However, If you consider risks associated with falling headfirst into tree wells, etc, it may balance out with solo alpine skiing.

So my question to you guys is: would you ski alpine terrain alone or would you stick to the treeline/below treeline areas?

[adam]

I was thinking of doing a few solo trips.

My train of thought tells me that I should stay below treeline, unless of coarse alpine avy hazard is low. I dont think I would venture in the alpine alone, because the avys there are bigger and more dangerous. However, If you consider risks associated with falling headfirst into tree wells, etc, it may balance out with solo alpine skiing.

So my question to you guys is: would you ski alpine terrain alone or would you stick to the treeline/below treeline areas?

Really depends on snow conditions. Hiking to some snow patch alone in June or July? Hell yes.

[Chnaiur]

This is really an interesting discussion. Would you really go into avalance terrain in a group, if you weren't willing to go there alone? That really sounds like false safety in numbers.

Who would tour moderate risk Alpine areas alone in mid-Winter? I would, paying a lot of attention and being ready to turn around if I feel any discomfort with conditions and terrain.

[Lawless]

This is weird: Sometimes, I almost want something bad to happen to me when I am skiing solo, just to see if I could get myself out of the situation. (Anyone else feel this?)

I wouldn't say that I hope bad stuff happens, but I will constantly think about what I would do in the case of something bad happening.

I think in order to safely ski solo, you must be confident in your own abilities to travel in avalanche terrain. You don't get to talk over alternatives to anyone else and get their input. If you feel safe leading a group of people who have no idea what they're doing, I think you would be fine going out by yourself.

[skiski]

Sometimes, I almost want something bad to happen to me when I am skiing solo, just to see if I could get myself out of the situation. (Anyone else feel this?)

Sort of. I often want something bad to happen to you. But not to see if you can get yourself out of it, just to see you die. Is that weird? I mean, I don't even know you, but I often hear a voice in my head saying "kill monkeywrenchmoose." I never knew what it was referring to until today.



(Obviously ,I am kidding. I wish you the best in your endeavors).

[Johnny Deep]

I always ski alone, unless I'm with someone else.

[nomensteven]

Would you really go into avalance terrain in a group, if you weren't willing to go there alone? That really sounds like false safety in numbers.

I think it comes down to the fact that everyone seems to have a different level of risk that they feel is acceptable for what they get out of the sport. When you tour alone certain risks increase. Therefore, in order to stay within your acceptable level of risk, you may avoid terrain that you would normally go into when with a group.

It isn't really a false safety in numbers. There is without a doubt an increase in safety when travelling in groups as opposed to being alone.

[gunit130]

yeah no doubt, whenever I tour solo I'm always thinking about how I can get out of a situation. You also always have to go prepared to spend more time outdoors than you plan.

I agree that being alone actually heightens your awareness of your surroundings. I know it does for me.

I will add that generally I like to go places near to other people when I'm alone... if anything for a safety valve.

[wyosam]

I tour alone all the time, in fact I just got back from a solo tour. The way I see it, I would certainly hope that anyone that goes in small groups (like 2) is fully confident in their ability to do whatever they are doing alone. Because if something happens where the partner is needed, that person is now worse than alone- they are working by themselves, and encumbered with a injured/debilitated/dead partner.

[Chnaiur]

I think it comes down to the fact that everyone seems to have a different level of risk that they feel is acceptable for what they get out of the sport. When you tour alone certain risks increase. Therefore, in order to stay within your acceptable level of risk, you may avoid terrain that you would normally go into when with a group.

It isn't really a false safety in numbers. There is without a doubt an increase in safety when travelling in groups as opposed to being alone.

I agree that in absoulte terms, the level of safety is higher when travelling in a group.

However, my point is that in many cases that extra safety level is more than offset by more risky behavior. The extra false confidence from numbers will lead many to go into more unsafe places.

If you get buried by an avalance, chances are that you will die (about 60% on average, since most people aren't found within the critical 15 minutes even if they are travelling in groups). Granted, that 60% lethality number may be 90% for solo travellers, but its still way better to not get hit.

[GeezerSteve]

I've had some wonderful solo ski tours and scrambles. I'm careful when I go solo. One of my most memorable ski tours was a solo Birthday Tour in June 2004. The route was devoid of other humans, a rarity for a weekend day in June. I flushed a porcupine and it climbed up to the top of a small Lyall's larch tree. The mass of the porcupine caused the larch to droop so that the porcupine was suspended over 6 feet of air, spooked as hell. Idiot me, I forgot to take a camera.