Heliskiing avalanche escape :-)

fannymagee

Blind, or just too cool for school?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxqL6Lrjxf8&feature=share

prunudo

I'd say he didn't see it until he was half way through the backflip. Probably couldn't hear it with the noise of the heli

fannymagee

I'd say he's pretty damn delighted it was caught on camera, lol! ;-)

Fattes

He should be embarrassed he was silly enough to trigger one

fannymagee

I agree, but I'd say he knew well that there was a good chance of that happening ;-)

cormee

If you're going to die, and we all die, that would be the way to do it. With serious style and attitude.

(I'm sure he's glad he survived though)

fannymagee

cormee wrote: »

If you're going to die, and we all die, that would be the way to do it. With serious style and attitude.

(I'm sure he's glad he survived though)

Exactly Cormee!! And with a great video to play at your funeral- in a loop, lol!! ;-)

fannymagee

Woww, an excellently written blog account of a pretty horrific avalanche experience. Stay safe out there folks...

http://hungryhen.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/not-so-much-kicking-but-alive-the-kittelfjall-avalanche-2014/

Fattes

It speaks volumes about this forum that Avalanches are seen as funny or something you can do with "style and attitude"? They are not and as for that Swedish link talk about ignoring all the warning signs to push out low angle turns in fresh snow! Looking for reasons to ignore warning signs so they can continue to ski and put themselves, rescuers and others at risk!!!

fannymagee

That's exactly why the Swedish link is worth reading, she addresses the fact that they ignored/trivialised warning signs and paid the price. It's also a great example of how human nature can override common sense. Hindsight is 20/20 vision, and these cautionary tales are excellent reminders of that.

Fattes

fannymagee wrote: »

That's exactly why the Swedish link is worth reading, she addresses the fact that they ignored/trivialised warning signs and paid the price. It's also a great example of how human nature can override common sense. Hindsight is 20/20 vision, and these cautionary tales are excellent reminders of that.

Nothing to do with Hindsight I was nearly killed by an idiot last year who was uneducated and ignored risk to the detriment of others.

The Swedish link is an excellent example of dangerous and reckless risk taking, nothing else. I am in double digits in 4 years of friends I have lost to slides only 3 of them were self released, all the others were caused by others being reckless on the hill.

fannymagee

That's the Swedish author's point. She didn't realise how reckless they'd been until it was too late, and that's why she wrote the article- to alert others to the dangers of complacency.

This isn't a debate, it's a cautionary tale. When it comes to avalanche risk, if in doubt, DON'T.

Fattes

"As usual, we dug a couple of pits. Our compression test showed a surface instability. With just a few taps from the wrist, the surface layer collapsed. After good number (about 20) of harder taps, a deeper layer below all the new storm snow collapsed on a clean shear. We wanted to do a ECT, but had forgotten our strings and were therefore unable to test propagation. From our CT, we drew the conclusion that there was high risk of a surface release and a smaller risk of a deep avalanche. We therefore decided to take great care in choosing our ascent and descent. Of course we made sure to spread out as we traversed risky slopes and skied one at a time."

Anyone with this kind of knowledge knew they were taking a big risk, she is neither uneducated or unaware of avalanche safety if she is digging AVI pits! It was reckless nothing else, when they heard and noticed the first whumps under their feet that was the time to go home, not choose another line. Whumps are separations of snow layers underneath the snow.

They were neither cautious or unlucky they ignored every tell tale sign and were educated enough to know better! It is an incredible example of arrogance and thinking you are better than the mountain and a great example of how to get yourself killed.

prunudo

I read this on another forum and somebody there mentioned that rather looking reasons NOT to continue they looked for reasons to carry on.
This in my very limited knowledge seems to be the major problem with these so called educated back country skiers.

I bought myself a book on avalanche's this year to somewhat inform myself and it really opened my eyes and although it only touched the bare minimum if it stops me getting killed then it will be a worthwhile purchase. I think the threat of getting caught in a slide is hugely underestimated by Irish snow sports enthusiasts.

Fattes

This is the book you want best one out there

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1594850844

The reality is you should look for every excuse not to go, if there is even 0.1% of a doubt you go home

With the circumstances described in the article I may have gone after digging the pits, after the first whump I would have been on my way home.

prunudo

Don't talk to me about that book. I read good things about it so I ordered it from eBay and after waiting close on 3 weeks with no sign of delivery I set up a dispute only for them to cancel the order within 2hrs and no explanation as to what had happened. Was raging!
Thankfully I had also ordered another http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0972482733?cache=b8c401c8ac3710527c89aa42b70ba337#ref=mp_s_a_1_1&qid=1393354887&sr=8-1
so got some reading but I was looking forward to the Bryce Temper one.

Moral of the story, don't buy books from eBay, first time I've eve had an issue with a seller. Amazon all the way.

Fattes

It's on apple books now too if you are that way inclined

prunudo

Fattes wrote: »

It's on apple books now too if you are that way inclined

Cheers, but I'm old skool, paper pages all the way

fannymagee

You should come over here for dinner sometime so Jvan, I live with a feckin walking avalanche encyclopedia, no books required, lol! It's amazing even just how many words exist in dialekt for types of avalanche, types of snow, types of landslide etc. It's a never-ending topic of conversation ;-)

fannymagee

Also many beautiful bedtime stories from the Bergwacht, searching through avalanche debris for decapitated heads etc. Makes for very romantic pillow talk, lol!! ;-)

prunudo

A 3 way dinner date followed by avalanche pillow talk................................
.think I'll pass thanks

fannymagee

Haha best pillow talk ever!! Lol