Considering Compaction....have you ever?

[Depsnolvr]

Interested in hearing riders thoughts on the latest write up regarding sled compaction and the ways it may influence our decision making as riders

The Effects of CompactionMountain Sledder Magazine

 

[slednek]

Good read and definately good info.

 

[CLVTCH]

Good read, have thought about this before on the ski hill but never knew how it applied to the backcountry


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[Merc63]

Definitely makes sense, good read and well written.

 

[gdhillon]

Good write up Curtis!

 

[ferniesnow]

Thanks Curtis. We have a "compacted area" in Elkford that everybody loves to climb and true to the norm they all sit and watch from the bottom. It is not uncommon to have 5-6 climbing on the slope at a time. If a person stops and thinks about it, it is a scary scenario and you have put that into perspective. In 15 years, the only time I have seen it slide is very early season before it becomes compacted. It is a nice long pull with no convexities nor concavities and riders feel safe because of the compaction. There definitely is a false sense of security. The challenge is to get it out to the riders and to get them to believe it or even to think about it.

Thank you for all the great work you do for our amazing sport.

 

[snopro]

So is there any scientific data or real world experience to show these multiple use, compacted areas sliding in the past? I know i have always felt safe at the bottom of hills that get turned into parking lots everytime it snows? Should we be more concerned Curtis?

 

[Bnorth]

Thanks for sharing this again Curtis. Compaction is something I often consider since your discussion about it last year. I find I have two different risk tolerances for certain slopes depending on where I am riding. If it's not a popular area my spidey senses are a little more heightened, as those slopes can lack the consolidation of the most popular zones and climbs. Not to say I'm complacent in popular areas but I tend to step it up when I know it's not something that sees as much attention.

 

[scotts]

Very interesting reading! I definitely believe that compaction in high traffic areas lead users to a false sense of security! But at the same time I'm a little confused though by what appears to be higher rates of fatalitys in managed areas as opposed to some of the lesser travelled areas? I'm not even sure of the statistics and should look into before I speak but it just seems that way to me. I guess it's likely just a numbers game with the sheer volume of riders in managed areas as opposed to the lesser known zones!
this then leads to another question ,if there are actually more involvements in managed areas, why are people becoming complacent?
But I guess as someone that spends a majority of my riding time outside of managed areas,I think if I had to be perfectly honest I'd have to admit that I do drop my guard somewhat in heavy travelled areas! Sure I keep my head up when travelling to the back of Allen but in all honestly Likely nowhere near the level of alert I'd would use when travelling out in The David Henery for example!

 

[canuck5]

This is a great read and something I completely agree with guys get comfortable riding these "managed"areas and never see a hill move so it defiantly gives a false sense of security. As one that normally rides more remote areas chasing deeper untouched snow a couple of times as a group we simply decided to stay off the hills completely as you could feel the whomping in the meadows and that was before taking any AST training just what felt like common sense. I do believe many have no idea what conditions are like or what snowpack is doing I personally was that guy years ago too I'm sure compaction has kept a lot of us safe without knowing it.


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[SLEDBUNNYRACING]

Excellent article Curtis and something I haven't thought about.



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[Bnorth]

Very interesting reading! I definitely believe that compaction in high traffic areas lead users to a false sense of security! But at the same time I'm a little confused though by what appears to be higher rates of fatalitys in managed areas as opposed to some of the lesser travelled areas? I'm not even sure of the statistics and should look into before I speak but it just seems that way to me. I guess it's likely just a numbers game with the sheer volume of riders in managed areas as opposed to the lesser known zones!
this then leads to another question ,if there are actually more involvements in managed areas, why are people becoming complacent?
But I guess as someone that spends a majority of my riding time outside of managed areas,I think if I had to be perfectly honest I'd have to admit that I do drop my guard somewhat in heavy travelled areas! Sure I keep my head up when travelling to the back of Allen but in all honestly Likely nowhere near the level of alert I'd would use when travelling out in The David Henery for example!

It's not a hard rule but I think you generally have stronger sledders with more education and awareness in more advanced/remote areas.

 

[ferniesnow]

It's not a hard rule but I think you generally have stronger sledders with more education and awareness in more advanced/remote areas.

I would agree with this statement. Although it appears to me that there are more and more newbies following the single track trails thinking the power of the new machines is sufficient and that they are the best riders in the area. That is a little bit scary.

 

[hookedonboost]

Good Read Curtis - move this back to the top