TR: A fall into King Ravine (Mount Adams, NH)

[retirwntm]

Many are jumping in with snow safety 101 and pulling out the red pen. It's not really germane and is getting off topic.

The whites in the spring in a corn cycle are pretty unique hazard remediation. Avalanche danger is low (there is a forecast area and daily bulletin pretty close to where this happened) unless there has been a storm high in the last 48-72 hours and depends much on rain, snow and strength of winds.

Saving pockets of lee wind pillows, etc. he really had no need for ABP (especially since he was solo and a fully charged phone with good service reception (VZN being best IME) serves more use than BSP solo.

Most of those gullies would be frozen solid veritable ice luges until they get enough solar gain to peel away the top few cm or inches with your ski edges.

If I understand, he was scouting his line and had a point release in an area that either had corn snow that had refrozen but not bonded or he was on a small pocket that released and put him off immediately into a release / slide situation exacerbated by not being able to self arrest / ski arrest then a full on meat rocket into a very rocky gully.

I don't question soloing in general. I love it. But if you fuck up it does bring other people into risk and that is the biggest issue I have with it because some people simply don't consider that before they go - or ever. That is myopic at best and selfish at worst. Solo until the day you die, but when your exploits go viral, that's either great or really really bad. I bet this kid is getting the point and laugh at his local hannaford.

His choice to solo this line, which is way out there and off the grid where no one was gonna help him unless he called for help (WHICH HE DID, but lost signal) is problematic when he could have gone S to washington and skied similar lines with more of a support system if shit went south. Dodges, duchess, tuckerman icefall lines aplenty all in the direct binocular view of rangers (not that they are your wet nurse either, but at least they are there full time and it's part of their job, plus rescue and extract is more routine).

You'd be better off showing some humility and gratitude - especially in public to your mom, F&G and anyone else who helped you out. Then go back and ski your lines quietly and impress yourself or whoever you want to with that.

[NoPostholio]

RT3 could be a lottery pick on draft day -

[Meadow Skipper]

Dudes got all the answers

Right, except that I'm still waiting to hear where he took his avy training. I'm curious where he learned his shit. His 'snow science' is kind of an indicator.

[axebiker]

Last time I checked, several companies (black diamon being one of them) make poles that double as probes. And a ski is perfectly fine for digging a mini pit.

Geezus...STFU already! Take a break from the interwebzz, your Radness. You make yourself look like a bigger gaper with every post.

BTW - hope you changed out that saline...it usually has a shelf life of 1 year from the date it was packaged.

[Meadow Skipper]

Geezus...STFU already! Take a break from the interwebzz, your Radness. You make yourself look like a bigger gaper with every post.

BTW - hope you changed out that saline...it usually has a shelf life of 1 year from the date it was packaged.

Yeah, then there's the saline and IV starter - more indicators.

[talus]

Almost a year ago i was involved in a horrible climbing accident. My partner was leading and ran it out 20 feet on good gear. She ended up falling 40 feet and cracking her head open. 12 staples and bruising was the only thing that happened we were lucky. It's weird that she didn't take that as a learning experience as you are Not taking your accident as learning experience also.

When to sit there hang out take your time make sure it safe. Know when to retreat!
Me as partner have to speak my mind and say when I don't like a situation. people are offering good advice maybe you should listen instead of rebuttal.

[Boreas]

The OP is such a badass! Didn't you guys see all the news articles in the first post about his tumble verifying that? His friends are like whoa man! Dang! He is quite proud of his shithead self. What RTTT understands and is comfortable with is that when yer the man haterz gonna hate!

Let us know how the MCAT goes. I have a feeling your lack of humility and unrealistic view of your abilities, yet need to take an entire semester off to study means you are not going to score so well. Taking a semester off to study for the MCAT is not a good idea. Medical school is challenging. If you needed an entire semester just to study for the MCAT schools will wonder if you can hack it in their difficult curriculum.

Glad you are okay. Hope you learn something. One lesson might be to not bring trouble your way by starting threads like this.

One final question: Would you want medical school admissions committee personnel googling you and finding this thread? There may be enough bits of information about you in here to come up in a search. You are naive to think there is no way it will happen and that it can't negatively impact your application.

^^^ this! although realistically most schools could give two shits about whether you took time off from schooling. More important are your grades, extracurricular activities, what you accomplished during the time away, and lastly your MCAT's. Taking time off working part time and studying seems smart in theory(might even get you a point or two higher on the MCAT's), but in reality when faced against medical candidates that are able to do the above while attending school, working for a medical office or volunteering, your prospects for a high end school are slimming. You have the stupid bravado and ego that seems to be pretty much required for any type of medical speciality so you have that going for you. Lastly, your little story here will be a great essay for your admission as long as where you apply they have little skiing knowledge and are unaware of google, I suggest some place in the Caribbean.

[skifishbum]

damn sounds like ya gosseyed yourself up pretty good

heal up and thanks for remindin me why
i thank jah for strong touring partners
i don't ski the east
fear doctors
and never ever consider entering the olive garden
continue to gat strapped butthurt hero yourself into the hof


a week aint nearly nuff cuntinator free tgrz

at the least

[hortence]

So the cohesive dendrites on the exculpating recursive slab layer didn't bond as well as you may of thought and hoped for, triggering a point release slab avalanche? That doesn't sound like "perfect avalanche snow" to me.

RT3 -- what am I missing?

Did you have degraded dendritic instability?

If you rotate and enhance the above image, you'll see what I mean.


However what you really wanted was this, and in profusion!

[spook]

just like a turd that floats to the top, i'll forever call that turd an rttt.
twin tips give you twice the stroke,using your logic for digging deeper.
keep digging grasshopper

snowboards make better shovels!

[joetron]

This thread just makes me happy there wasn't internet, go pros and all that shit when I was 20yo, invincible, and doing stupid shit.

[spook]

Almost a year ago i was involved in a horrible climbing accident. My partner was leading and ran it out 20 feet on good gear. She ended up falling 40 feet and cracking her head open. 12 staples and bruising was the only thing that happened we were lucky. It's weird that she didn't take that as a learning experience as you are Not taking your accident as learning experience also.

When to sit there hang out take your time make sure it safe. Know when to retreat!
Me as partner have to speak my mind and say when I don't like a situation. people are offering good advice maybe you should listen instead of rebuttal.

my bro-in-law was in a terrible riding accident and could have died because he's an egomaniac and did something stupid. multiple fractures in both legs, terrible back injury, head injury, etc. he didn't learn a fucking thing except that god saved him for some magnificent purpose he can't figure out yet.

[Meadow Skipper]

This thread just makes me happy there wasn't internet, go pros and all that shit when I was 20yo, invincible, and doing stupid shit.

Y'know what? Me too.

Although I usually kept my mouth shut after doing something dumb-ass, except to amuse my friends.

[Rise To The Top]

So the cohesive dendrites on the exculpating recursive slab layer didn't bond as well as you may of thought and hoped for, triggering a point release slab avalanche? That doesn't sound like "perfect avalanche snow" to me.

RT3 -- what am I missing?

Did you have degraded dendritic instability?

If you rotate and enhance the above image, you'll see what I mean.


However what you really wanted was this, and in profusion!

Can you not read? There wasn't a slide. I broke through the refreeze that I was standing on. Nothing came down during or after my fall. You may be reading two seperate incidents and combining them.

[Vt-Freeheel]

[TBS]

Y'know what? Me too.

Although I usually kept my mouth shut after doing something dumb-ass, except to amuse my friends.

We've all done stupid shit at one time or another. Look at the up smart things done in HOF

It's what you learn from stupid shit that counts. Like Meadow Skipper, I don't advertise my dumbassedness to people who know their shit like it's some gnarly accomplishment, then get all "do you know who I am?" Butthurt when called out.

Speaking of which are you a spawn of Rog?

[Rise To The Top]

Any particular reason the BEACON isn't on the list? And why only carry about half of the ten essentials?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials

Note that Gat(t) isn't on the list. Knife/multitool, fire starter, way to boil water, emergency shelter, 50' parachute cord with a couple of pulleys - combined weigh less than a 9mm and are gonna be way more useful. Trust me here - I've done three unplanned bivouacs over the years, and never once did I wish I had been strapped...more food, more voile straps, yes, but not a gun.

You have also shown that the most important thing you can carry into the backcountry - a huge dose of humility and respect for the mountains - is sorely lacking in your kit. Please get yourself some backcountry smarts before it's too late.

Knife (Gerber LMF2), fire starter, paracord, and a tarp are always in the bag. Didn't list em because they never get pack, as they are in there all the time. No need for a beacon. There was no avi risk that day. None. And there wasn't a slide that day.

Geezus...
BTW - hope you changed out that saline...it usually has a shelf life of 1 year from the date it was packaged.

On top of that Chief. Shit is cheap and easy to replace.

Skis are worse than useless for digging in avy debris...shovels work better for assessment and rescue/recovery. You are in the company of very seasoned mountain people. Many here are professionals with decades of training.

I and others will left you have plenty of slack, but see that you don't hang yourself with it! I advise asking questions and taking a week or two to process the responses you get. Keep on like this and learning will remain difficult.

Skis do plenty fine for digging a test pit. No way I'd be digging myself out or anyone else out. If there was a risk Of an avi that day wouldn't have gone over to drop in.

[ex-powderbroker]

You sure have all the answers for someone that racks up a lot of close calls.

[Meadow Skipper]

... hope you changed out that saline...it usually has a shelf life of 1 year from the date it was packaged.

On top of that Chief. Shit is cheap and easy to replace.

You want to know why people think you're full of shit? Here's one reason:
https://www.google.com/search?q=nati...aline+shortage

...There was no avi risk that day. None....
...Skis do plenty fine for digging a test pit. No way I'd be digging myself out or anyone else out. If there was a risk Of an avi that day wouldn't have gone over to drop in....

Say, are you ever going to tell us where you took your avy training?

[newbreak]

Methinks your chowderhead gat-slinging adventures are eventually going to leave you looking like Sloth's little brother.

[Rise To The Top]

You want to know why people think you're full of shit? Here's one reason:
https://www.google.com/search?q=nati...aline+shortage

Well, lookie here.

http://www.medicalrite.com/baxter-sa...ction-usp.html

Although it is a little more than what I pay from my supplier (Medex supply), it is still pretty goddamn cheap.

Say, are you ever going to tell us where you took your avy training?

A mix of online and learning second hand from people with level 2 certs. Didn't take much from the online stuff, most of the RA shit I already knew how to do and my RA method is a little more complex. Digging pits, and evaluating in person you can't really learn sitting behind a keyboard, and I had to go out for that half. Had much fun (not really) digging pits on Hillman's Highway back in 2011.

[Trapp]

A mix of online and learning second hand from people with level 2 certs. Didn't take much from the online stuff, most of the RA shit I already knew how to do and my RA method is a little more complex. Digging pits, and evaluating in person you can't really learn sitting behind a keyboard, and I had to go out for that half. Had much fun (not really) digging pits on Hillman's Highway back in 2011.

I had some some constructive criticism, but it's obvious you don't need/want it. Good luck with your skiing goals of 2015.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Can you not read? There wasn't a slide. I broke through the refreeze that I was standing on. Nothing came down during or after my fall. You may be reading two seperate incidents and combining them.

People think there was a slide because of the use of the word "slab" used in a couple spots, including an online article.

But you merely lost your balance and fell off a cliff.

I'd recommend you focus on how not to repeat this. If you're someone who learns well from reading, as your career aspirations would suggest, there is a great deal to be learned from books about both avalanches and moving safely in the mountains:

http://www.amazon.com/Staying-Alive-.../dp/1594850844
http://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering...m+of+the+hills
http://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-Sk...country+skiing

Read the above, and start connecting it all with your experience, and you'll be the a different person.

Also, sell your handgun and buy some touring bindings and skins. They're more useful.

[FussyDutchman]

^

Do yourself a favor rttt, take the above advice word for word and just say thank you. Continuing with your "I know it all already" attitude does not play well here if you haven't noticed.

If you would just stfu and listen, you might even get a future offer from someone with years of valuable experience and knowledge who will take you out for a tour and possibly teach you something. Stick with your current butthurt, pre-med, I'm smarter than you stance and you'll be just another one of the many tgr punching bags.

[baron]

I like the posters attitude about adventure; but ,there is so much usefull info from experienced mountaineers.Mitigating risk,getting to your line , is way important.Since you pioneer your own tracks,i'd tell ya "when it looks like a perfect bluebird day,may be some of riskier ski days in BC;as soon as sun hits powder,it can possibly becomes far less stable.