Ive been reading a lot about avys and unstable snow. I haven't been in the mountains much (planing first ride this weekend) and am taking a avy course in dec. Now i know that high marking over someone is a no no and was wondering if the more experienced riders could give some of the newer riders out their (like me) some more tips/info. To try and keep incidence's down to a minimum and that every one gets home safe.
Avy Education
- Thread starter nutma
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Work2Ride
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Few things I learned at Zactracs off top of my head
If theres a cornice, usually its ready to come down just waiting for a trigger. If you are spectating stand clear of where people are climbing, off to the side even. One at a time. If you do happen to get caught, try to fight/swim grab a tree, close your mouth, take a deep breathe to keep yourself big to give room to breathe, slow breathes not big ones when buried. 30% of deaths in avalanche are due to trauma, at the same time watch for trees/rocks, and ur snowmobile could be a weapon also. If theres lots of fresh snow, usually indicates it hasnt settled yet, therefore being unstable. You could dig a pit(hole), and see the layers, jump ontop of it, see if the snow fractures horizontally or vertically. If Horizontally that indicates theres a week slab, that can trigger other weak slabs.
If thousand people ride a hill doesn't mean it won't come down, just takes the right trigger to bust it. Don't do what you dont feel comfortable or not experienced to be doing, doesnt make you any less of a man. Every year snow builds up different, always a different make up, its not the mountain, its the how the snow has formed from the season, and a person to trigger it. For Example "Come on Terry ride this hill, atleast climb once, I rode this mountain for years, it never slides." Wrong, if theres some weak slabs, it turn into something fatal. One weak slab, will drop weight, the added pressure on other weak slabs could follow.
You can also tap your probe through the snow, see if you can feel resistance between layers, its kinda hard to decypher tho i think. Borrow someones beacon and practice with it, atleast read the manual and get an understanding of how it operates. I thought it was like a metal detector but theres more to it.
BEWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!!! One incident some people were on a lake, taking a break, and an avalanche on the otherside came down, put pressure on the ice, pushed it up and killed the people on the otherside. Avalanches can make distance pretty quick, keep your distance.
In the picture, if you do climb, its better to go side to side(A.), instead of straight up and down(B). Also its better to go up the crappy way, and come down the easier way, always have an escape route.
If theres a cornice, usually its ready to come down just waiting for a trigger. If you are spectating stand clear of where people are climbing, off to the side even. One at a time. If you do happen to get caught, try to fight/swim grab a tree, close your mouth, take a deep breathe to keep yourself big to give room to breathe, slow breathes not big ones when buried. 30% of deaths in avalanche are due to trauma, at the same time watch for trees/rocks, and ur snowmobile could be a weapon also. If theres lots of fresh snow, usually indicates it hasnt settled yet, therefore being unstable. You could dig a pit(hole), and see the layers, jump ontop of it, see if the snow fractures horizontally or vertically. If Horizontally that indicates theres a week slab, that can trigger other weak slabs.
If thousand people ride a hill doesn't mean it won't come down, just takes the right trigger to bust it. Don't do what you dont feel comfortable or not experienced to be doing, doesnt make you any less of a man. Every year snow builds up different, always a different make up, its not the mountain, its the how the snow has formed from the season, and a person to trigger it. For Example "Come on Terry ride this hill, atleast climb once, I rode this mountain for years, it never slides." Wrong, if theres some weak slabs, it turn into something fatal. One weak slab, will drop weight, the added pressure on other weak slabs could follow.
You can also tap your probe through the snow, see if you can feel resistance between layers, its kinda hard to decypher tho i think. Borrow someones beacon and practice with it, atleast read the manual and get an understanding of how it operates. I thought it was like a metal detector but theres more to it.
BEWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!!! One incident some people were on a lake, taking a break, and an avalanche on the otherside came down, put pressure on the ice, pushed it up and killed the people on the otherside. Avalanches can make distance pretty quick, keep your distance.
In the picture, if you do climb, its better to go side to side(A.), instead of straight up and down(B). Also its better to go up the crappy way, and come down the easier way, always have an escape route.
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One on the hill at a time, keep an eye out for your riding buddies.
Check with the avy center before you head out and know what the conditions are like before you go, if they're bad, stay home. Lots of other weekends to ride.
Get to know the areas that pose a real threat to sliding (windloaded areas, knolls in the slope, pepper markers, etc).
If you are taking an avy course in Dec, good for you!!! Until then, I would take it easy, the course can teach you more with visual aids (Although the pic above is pretty good!). Watch out for terrain traps and avy run out areas and avoid them, you will have a less stressful ride.
You can also read this:
https://www.snowandmud.com/forum/f14/newbie-mountain-riders-learning-thread-21048.html
Check with the avy center before you head out and know what the conditions are like before you go, if they're bad, stay home. Lots of other weekends to ride.
Get to know the areas that pose a real threat to sliding (windloaded areas, knolls in the slope, pepper markers, etc).
If you are taking an avy course in Dec, good for you!!! Until then, I would take it easy, the course can teach you more with visual aids (Although the pic above is pretty good!). Watch out for terrain traps and avy run out areas and avoid them, you will have a less stressful ride.
You can also read this:
https://www.snowandmud.com/forum/f14/newbie-mountain-riders-learning-thread-21048.html
I'll admit, although Zac's Trac's classroom portion of the AST-1 course is exceptional, most info can easily be found online. That being said, the ability to ask questions first hand to a highly trained individual, hear other peoples questions, and get excersizes that get you thinking outside the box is priceless.
I just finished the course and will be doing the field course in December likely. The field course is the reason I signed up and what I most look forward to.
That being said, I'll say two things as I'm not that experienced, but I have a level head:
1) Look online for material. TONNES of material to review. I've literrally read for days. There are great on-line quizes, tests, information, video's, etc. DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
2) If you feel nervous in a situation, there is good reason. Stop and think. The act of thinking and making the right decision can save a life. A lifetime of proper decisions may never net any feedback, but one bad decision can.
I just finished the course and will be doing the field course in December likely. The field course is the reason I signed up and what I most look forward to.
That being said, I'll say two things as I'm not that experienced, but I have a level head:
1) Look online for material. TONNES of material to review. I've literrally read for days. There are great on-line quizes, tests, information, video's, etc. DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
2) If you feel nervous in a situation, there is good reason. Stop and think. The act of thinking and making the right decision can save a life. A lifetime of proper decisions may never net any feedback, but one bad decision can.
ferniesnow
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If I stayed home when the avy conditions were bad, I'd ride a lot less than I doo. The reasonable choice here is Terrain Analysis: just change where you ride and the type of riding that you doo. There are lots of safe riding areas when the avy danger is High and Extreme! Suck in the ego and don't climb; play in the trees with no cornices above and no avy runouts in the area and a few other things to keep in mind.
We have days on end and maybe weeks when it is not safe to climb but we still have a ball in the back country with our sleds. If you stay at home, your just going to get older without the fun......
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