Bluebird Day
New member
Given all of the inbound avies reported in the recent seasons, how many of "you" carry a shovel, probe and beacon when skiing inbound terrain? I have not to date, but may start when conditions are ripe for slides. 8-[
AVY Safety Inbounds?
- Thread starter Bluebird Day
- Start date
Once the resorts open...for the most part i am carrying all requisite avie equipment.
If there hasnt been snow for a week or more you might find my out "going light" and leaving the pack, etc in the car.
I say if you got it, bring it and wear it...you might not get buried, but you could very well come upon a situation where you might be able to help others.
M
If there hasnt been snow for a week or more you might find my out "going light" and leaving the pack, etc in the car.
I say if you got it, bring it and wear it...you might not get buried, but you could very well come upon a situation where you might be able to help others.
M
This will be the first season I've had my own. I gave Adam a set 4 years ago. We wore it inbounds at Mammoth in December 2008 during the week after the Snowbird fatality. I will probably only wear it when I expect some powder conditions, but I will pack it for all my destination trips just in case. Hopefully Adam will do likewise after forgetting his last March (the White Pine adventure).
Tony Crocker":3qffmwxk said:
Just to clarify he forgot it at home in California, not that morning. We equipped him in borrowed gear for the day.
To answer BBD, I ski with beacon/shovel/probe pretty much all the time without fail. Once you get into the habit it's no big deal. In fact, it's probably more of an inconvenience to keep taking the shovel and probe out of and putting it back into your pack depending on the day. My pack doubles as a gear bag, so at the end of the day I just stow my helmet, gloves, camera, etc. The next day I just grab the pack, skis, boots and poles, and go.
mbaydala
New member
For me it all depends on where I'm skiing. Deer Valley Never, Park City only on on Powder Days, Canyons, Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, The Basin and Powder Mountain always have my beacon on but almost never bring the pack. Figure if your ever going to hike its always best if you and your friends have the beacon on.
Bluebird Day
New member
mbaydala":2j8sb2iz said:
How do you find and dig out your friend? :-k
mbaydala
New member
When skiing outside ski area boundaries in the Cottonwoods or the backcountry at the Canyons I always have my full set up (Avalung, beacon, probe and shovel) and I'm with people who know how to use them. Though if I know I'm just skiing inbounds on a powder day with friends its just the beacon.
I was one of the first five people at the scene of the inbounds slide last year at snowbird and I will tell you first hand the only thing that would have saved that girls life that day would have been a beacon. You can forget about recco, as that didn't show up until after the body was recovered. Inside the resort its the job of ski patrol to organize the rescue as they did. That being said it still took an hour to recover the victim.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13107&id=1231002422&l=23d6bf773a
That is a pretty stupid comment in my opinion.
She didn't. $#!% happens, like being struck by lightning (actually a far more common cause of death than in-bounds avalanche). But it does makes those of us who have the gear consider wearing it inbounds sometimes.
mbaydala":1qrydxpp said:
Matt, you can find anecdotal evidence to disprove any axiom. However, the idea when traveling BC -- not inbounds, as controlled environments foster a certain expectation of relative safety -- is to not position yourself in an avalanche in the first place. That's just common sense. The idea is to not need the safety gear in the first place. The most important piece of safety equipment is your brain. Having to use avy gear should always be Plan B, not Plan A.
Admin":3a6fwcf4 said:
There's no arguing your point with regards to being in the BC and avoidance being the best strategy. But this thread, and particularity Marc_c's statement which mbaydala took issue with was about being inbounds and whether to carry a beacon in bounds. I don't think anyone would argue you "f'd up" if you're caught in an inbounds avalanche so saying Marc_C's comment was stupid seems reasonable.
For me personally, I stay in bounds (admin, not sure if you remember but I declined your invitation to some skiing off the back side of Catherine's area with Mira and friends even though avy danger was very low), and on a powder day wear a beacon because people have died in places I'd ski. I don't have a shovel or probe, sure, it would be great to have them but in the very unlikely even of an inbounds slide I'll rely on the patrolers to dig me out after they located me using my beacon.
It really is a shame about the girl who died at Snowbird last year. I remembered reading on TGR that she was an avid backcountry skier and had a beacon left in the car.