Avalanche Video: This Is Hard To Watch...
Posted by on Thursday, October 15, 2009
Mal sent me a link to this avalanche video on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/6581009. I've embedded it below, but it's worth reading the description that goes with the video. Basically, a skier in Alaska drops in, gets caught in an avalanche, is buried and then rescued. An exceptional job by the guides. The thing is, the footage is all from a Helmet cam - it's pretty scary stuff.
The guy is using an AvaLung, which seems to have helped him out some. I haven't had first hand experience with them, so nobody has told me how they should be used in practice, but it seems he didn't have it fully in his mouth (see the accompanying video description).
This video really makes you think about being careful when you're off-piste/backcountry.
Anyhow, if you feel like watching it, here it is, it's both scary and incredible...
Avalanche Skier POV Helmet Cam Burial & Rescue in Haines, Alaska from Chappy on Vimeo.
Labels: off-piste and backcountry
Lots Of Snow / Avalanche Safety
Posted by on Friday, December 19, 2008
There's been a lot of snow recently around the Alps at the moment. A lot! According to this article from SCUK, this is the best season start that Europe has seen in a long time. And it continues, check out this extract courtesy of WhiteLines' Friday Fix:
Here's our latest dump alert from Anne-Marie Sainsbury in Morzine: "It started early on Wednesday and didn't stop until late at night. I went up yesterday, visabilty was pretty sketchy but lovely floaty fluffy pow everywhere, even on the piste! It cleared up today but I didn't get to go up cos I had to work, from what people have said it is still pretty awesome up there, still loads of untracked sections, plus the park and the stash are looking good. I am struggling to get in my front door as there's knee deep snow in front of it - so if it's that deep in town, you can imagine what it’s like up the mountain!"
Awesome.
So the season's kicking off with a great base, and if it continues, we'll hopefully be shredding some pow in January. Finding good powder might not be the easiest thing mind, as I don't really know the terrain too well. It's one thing to get first lift up, but if you're heading in the wrong direction once you're up there you're gonna miss out. But that's another matter - perhaps I'll start asking around - see if anyone is willing to give up their favourite spots. Unlikely.
Hitting up the off-piste often makes me think about avalanche safety; the things that I know and the things that I don't. Last season was a little strange. I bought my own beacon, practiced with it, read up on some avalanche theory, and then when I got to Fernie I never went out of bounds once.
You see, there was so much good terrain, all in-bounds, and all cleared by the ski-patrol, that there was no need to venture farther afield. I used the beeper on the cat day, but apart from that, I don't remember if I used it while in-bounds.
In Canada, well, Fernie at least, as that's the only Canadian resort I've been to, the situation seemed fairly black and white. They open things up if it's safe. So if it's open, you can shred it. The ropes are all clearly laid out, and they patrol them, really well. You don't go into areas that are restricted. The result of this, I found, was that even though there was a lot of snow, I felt safe whilst in-bounds.
Europe is different; it's much more grey. More of the decision making is left up to the individual...
With this in mind I've been thinking about brushing up with my beeper. I remember the last time I practiced, on the beach, I was thinking about a way to show the pattern of flux lines transmitted from a beacon. I'd like to try that. I'd also like to have a few more attempts at multiple burial situations - but getting a few beacons together isn't easy.
I've never done an avalanche training course, which is something I'd like to do. I've never actually seen the resulting debris from an avalanche, after it's stopped. I'd like to see first hand how hard the snow settles, and have a go at using a probe and shovel.
Has anyone been on one of these courses? What kind of practical training is given? From what I've read about them - they seem to be very good...
Labels: off-piste and backcountry
Fernie Day 10: Photos From The Cat
Posted by on Monday, February 04, 2008
Moday: We got hold of the photos taken by the photographer on the cat boarding trip. A few friends had bought copies of the CD so we ended up with our own copy too - bonus. Here are some pictures and a mini clip of Mart taking a pretty sweet barrel roll :)
Labels: canada 2008, fernie trip, off-piste and backcountry
Fernie Day 7: On The Cat
Posted by on Friday, February 01, 2008
Today we went cat-boarding, with Fernie Wilderness Adventures. It was an exceptional experience, but not everything was quite what I expected...
An early-ish start, we were collected at 7:45 outside of the Cornerstone Lodge and driven by bus to the Fernie Wilderness Adventures lodge. Talk about being lucky with the weather this holiday? Not only was there untouched, mega deep fresh waiting for us, we also hit a blue bird. Bingo! There was coffee and breakfast waiting for us at the lodge, then we had an introduction to the days events, people who didn't have beepers were given them, and then we all signed a waiver. After a quick safety lesson on being around the cat, getting in and out etc, we loaded up and set out with a fully loaded cat of 12.
We drove for around 30 minutes and then stopped for some brief guidance on how to use transceivers. To be honest, the info given on how to use them was pretty thin - but the most important thing for the guides was that everyone had them on, so they could be found if needed. I don't think there was any intention of taking us into dangerous terrain: these guys know the weather, they know the lay of the land and they don't need to take risks. But of course, we all still need beepers, and a brief introduction is better than nothing. Note: when the guide hid his beacon, my bca tracker found it first, that beach practice paid off :)
And then it was off for the first run of the day; run one of of 8. Rather than describe each run, hopefully the photos should help with that, I'll just unload my thoughts of how it went down...
First off, I sucked. I've ridden some deep powder before, but nothing like this. It was constant. Every part of every run was deep. Like thigh/waist deep. The guides were saying that it's difficult for them to pick runs as with the depth of snow they really need to have steep pitches - but anything too steep is too dangerous. The shallower pitches are safe, but way too slow...
I'm not a bad snowboarder, I'm quite good at some stuff, but in some ways this was a humbling experience. I'm not going to blame it on my board, at least not fully. But I did waste the first two runs rocking my wide, twin stance on a 155cm board with a short nose profile. On the widest stance setting the back foot is already as far back as it can go, so I just figured I'd blag it.
So wrong. I was falling a lot, and each time into deep powder, sometimes on flat bits, I was covered, frustrated, tired and quite simply looking like a complete novice. After the second run I brought the front binding back as far as possible. After the third run, I turned both my base plates 90 degrees so that I could move both bindings an extra 6/7mm backwards. Boy did it make a difference. My nose diving plank of wood suddenly became half passable as a freeride board. Now I could start to enjoy the runs.
It's worth noting that it wasn't just me that was struggling, although I think I was hit the worst. Even the guides were taking some falls, and the lead guide was often beating a trail out at the start of a run, where we leave the track, rather than just skiing off. Although I was taking my time over the first two/three runs, I was at least pleased that I wasn't holding things up. The group is only as fast as the cat, which can take a while to get to the bottom...
The next thing that made things difficult was the number of trees. Just about every run at some point led us between big trees with not much space between them. With the snow being so deep, in these tight areas it was just about a necessity to follow the guides tracks. And you still had to be going fast. For example, you head down a open face keeping as uch speed as possible, head into a dense set of trees, go around a few blind turns, again keeping your speed to avoid sinking and then bam - someone has stopped on the strail.
In this situation, which happened a lot, we found there's no room to go around them so you had to stop. Tree wells and deep deposits of snow don't make for a good stopping point on a snowboard. You sink and it's hard to get going again. It was a trade off between leaving a big space between you and the guy in front, but not too much that you'd get left behind, or miss your partner getting into trouble. Skiers definitely had an easier time of this. The dense trees were frustrating for all the riders.
Was there too much snow? Maybe. The guide seemed to think so. He commented that the riding was much better when there was slightly less...
But some of it was epic. Truly epic. The second from last run, everything came together. The whole day was worth it just for that run. The face opened up and I was purely surfing on waist deep powder. With my new stance I had much better control of the board and it didn't take all my energy just to keep the nose above the snow. I was bubbling around, dodging trees, taking a little air and making some sweet turns. Mart was my partner for the day ha was right behind me on The Fish - just ripping it up. That was the only time during the day that the two of us opened it up together on a face and cut deep, fresh tracks. It was awesome - truly awesome.
The run ended by heading into some small, dense trees, just before the pickup point. We both found our way straight into a tree well :) Nothing dangerous as we were together and the trees were small and also in shouting distance of the guide waiting at the bottom. We were fairly stuck mind. But that's not the point. For me, that run was the best. I rode it properly. The speed I took and the stance on my board let me ride the pow. Sick!
All in all the day was a fantastic experience. Not just the riding, the terrain, the snow, the guides, being in the cat - it was great. Also an eye opener. Without doubt, for Mart and I, this we the first real backcountry powder that we've ridden. The tour last season in Lenzerheide was not even close with regards to the depth of the snow - and that was all open faces, no trees. For sure we've ridden deep stuff inbounds here at Fernie, but not the sustained depth and freshness that we experienced today.
For this type of terrain I need a different board. Like I said above, I'm not blaming it all on the board. Half of the problem is that I'm simply not that good at riding deep powder.
I think I would have preffered it had there been more open faces. Some of the riding through the dense trees was great, but a lot of the time it felt like we were negotiating half of the run. A more competent rider probably wouldn't have been troubled by this.
After the last run the beers were handed out. They went down so well on the 30/40 minute drive back to the lodge. There was a quick debriefing and we watched a slide show of photos taken by the photographer who followed the two groups around during the day. There were some nice shots in there but I wasn't that impressed. I didn't pay the $50 for a CD!
I'll definitely go cat-boarding again. It's fresh powder all day long. Who can argue with that? It is fairly expensive though, we paid $367, and when the snow in resort is amazing, I don't think there's a need to go again anytime soon. The day isn't really set up for taking photos and video, but I did manage to get some clips - mainly just to show what the terrain is like. Here's a quick compilation of the days events...
Labels: BCA Tracker DTS, canada 2008, fernie trip, off-piste and backcountry
Final Transeiver Practice
Posted by on Monday, January 21, 2008
(Well, not the last ever, just the last time before we go to Fernie).
Yesterday we went to the beach again to work with the beepers. With it being less than a week before we head out, it was nice to meet up and share the building excitement, but also useful to practice a little more with the transceivers.
There's nothing to show really, but we did learn some stuff about the differences between the Tracker DTS and the Ortovox M2, which is the unit that Simon owns.
After practicing with both the Tracker and the M2 we found the second phase of the search (single burial) to be much quicker with the Tracker, due to the 5 directional lights on the top of the unit. (The second phase being the time from when you get a signal to closing within 3 meters).
With regards to the first phase, acquiring a signal and the thrid phase, the pinpoint search, the same methods can be used for both models and there isn't much difference between them.
With the Ortovox M2 the directional indicator works by showing a solid triangle on the display when the unit is pointing in the right direction. That, plus the audio signal and the distance read out make it possible to orientate yourself towards the beacon.
The difference with the Tracker is that the unit is constantly updating your direction; you simply turn when the lights change. With the M2 there are two things that make this update less straight forward. First, once the unit is no longer pointing in the right direction you have to stop and find the right direction by re-orientating it; you're not told the direction to turn. Second, the unit has a variable sensativity that needs manual adjustment as you get closer.
We were looking for a reproducible method, which we found after reading some generic guidelines. It is:
- First find a signal
- When a signal is found, find the direction in which the signal is strongest
- Take five steps in that direction
- Find the direction in which the signal is strongest
- Adjust the sensativity if necessary
- Take five steps in that direction
- Repeat until within 3 meters of the beacon
- Do the pinpoint search
It works really well.
After trying it a couple of times, I followed Simon on his search path and marked out the path in the sand. I then searched for the same beacon with the Tracker, starting in the same place. We marked the second search path as the Tracker moved in on the beacon.
As you might expect, the two transceivers took almost identical paths, with the M2 forming a less smoothe curve because we were moving in a series of straight lines. This goes to show that understanding the pattern of the electromagnetic field that a beacon emits can help you with the search. Once you detect that you're on one of the flux lines, you should have an inclination or which direction you'll be turning when you re-orientate.
I wish I'd taken my camera with me. Marking out the different approach lines in the sand was useful in understanding how the units work, and I could have shown that with a few pictures.
We've made other observations about the differences between the two models; each have their strenghts. I'll save the rest of it for a full review, most likely after we get back from Fernie.
Labels: BCA Tracker DTS, off-piste and backcountry
BCA Tracker Practice Session 2
Posted by on Monday, January 14, 2008
Yesterday we went to the beach for a second practice session with the beepers. After seeing the multiple burial instructions in this video I was keen to have a go searching for more than one transceiver. The initial stage of the multiple burial search is the same as if you're looking for a single signal, so the practcie was useful for that situation too.
With the BCA Tracker there are two (there might be more?) methods of dealing with multiple signals. The first, which is what I was practicing and is general to all trasceivers, is called the three circle method; with the Track the searcher only uses the regular search (SE) mode. The second and more advanced method described, specific to the Tracker, makes use the transceiver's special (SP) mode.
This is my understanding of the 3 circle method. Once you've found the first signal, assuming you can't turn it off (perhaps because others are still probing/digging), you travel in a circle around the signal looking for a lower distance reading and/or listening for another audio beep. That first circle is three steps out from the lowest distance reading of the original find.
If you don't pick anything up on the first pass you take another three steps back and walk a second circle. Again, if nothing is found you perform a third circle, three steps back from the second. If you still don't find anything you go back to the point at which you left your orginal primary search (when you first detected a signal).
I think the theory is pretty simple. If there's another signal close by, at some point on one of the three circles you'll be closer to it, than the original beacon. This methodical approach seems to be a reliable way of seperating the two signals.
Check out my first attempt; apologies for the cheesy intro...
In this example I located the second signal on the first of the three circles. Note that first time the beeper detected the second signal I was unsuccessful in locking onto it. After returning to the circle it only took a couple more steps before the signal was detected again, this time the dropping distance was conclusive.
And here's my second attempt.
Here are some comments:
Picking up the second signal. In the first case where the signals were closer together, the search was quicker. This may seem obvious, but my orignal expectation was that in cases where signals are close together, they'd be harder to separate. The Tracker easily picks them out when rotated side-to-side.
In the second example it took longer to pick up the other signal. Quite a few times, each in the same area, I stopped to check or tried following a different signal only to turn back to walking the circle. In these cases I was fairly certain that the other beacon was over there, but the data I was getting didn't seem conclusive
Was I walking too fast? Should I have followed my instincts or kept using the circles? I guess more practice would answer some of these questions. Either way, I did end up clearly detecting a much lower signal, and it led right to the beacon.
Audio vs. video. At the time I was definitely paying more attention to the distance read out than the audio beeps. However, after watching the video back it's clear that the beeps are also very informative.
My original approach. Again, something that I didn't think about at the time was the direction of my approach to the first beacon. This should give a clue as to where the other signal is less likely to be.
Nothing found after three circles? If you don't find anything you need to return to the original primary search and continue searching the rest of the deposition area. In this case I'm not sure how you would ignore the first signal if it still wasn't turned off. It seems like it would be in the way...
Overall times. These were my first two attempts at finding two signals. The first search took around 4 minutes and second around 6 minutes. Considering that I was learning the search procedure, I think this is another indication that the BCA Tracker is an easy unit to operate.
Labels: BCA Tracker DTS, off-piste and backcountry, video
Avalanche Mountain Safety Video
Posted by on Wednesday, January 09, 2008
I mentioned recently that I'd re-watched the avalanche safety clip that comes with the extras on Absinthe's More dvd. The video is produced by Teton Gravity Research and is a great instructional aid. In the video they use the BCA Tracker, but I'm sure a lot of the principles apply to all beacons.
I was pointed at the video section on WhiteLines' site as they've got this same safety video. I was gonna suggest that if you don't have the More dvd then it's worth watching this clip... but as it turns out, the video I've embedded here has new stuff that I previously hadn't seen. In addition to covering a single burial search this movie also provides an explanation of transmitted flux lines, and looks at two methods of dealing with multiple burials.
The extra bits that I hadn't seen before are produced really well; the instruction is very clear. If I get a chance this weekend I'm gonna have a go at finding two burried beacons. Check it out...
Labels: BCA Tracker DTS, off-piste and backcountry
Avalanche Beacon Practice (BCA Tracker DTS)
Posted by on Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Simon, Sarah, Ciara and myself went to the beach on Sunday to get some practice in with the new transceivers. The beach is handy as it provides a nice open space to work with and sand that's easy to dig in. The dune rushes are also good to conceal the exact placement of the transmitting beacon...
It was definitely a useful session. Simon's used his transceiver in the past and I've read a few things here and there and watched some basic instruction. For Ciara this was her first real exposure to working with a beacon. Searching for a signal in a wide open space definitely helped to get a feel for how the transceivers work and how long certain things can take.
The Tracker DTS really is quite easy to use, with single burials at least, as we haven't tried the multiple case yet. I pretty much followed the guidelines in the manual, which cover: 1st getting a signal, 2nd moving to within 3 meters and 3rd performing a pinpoint search.
Our practice searches consisted of:
- Hiding a beacon
- Marking out the avalanche debris pile
- Marking out the last seen point
- Doing the search
The thing that I found most impressive was how reliable the unit was once a signal was detected. In one case Simon actually burried the transceiver outside of the assumed debirs pile, but close enough to be realistic. Totally unaware, once my beacon picked up the signal I blindly follwed it down to 3 meters and then did the fine search. It was spot on.
Here's a video I took of Ciara trying her first search in the open. Despite our banter (watching it back I can see how interfering I am, what a dick!), the video shows how an inexperienced user can go straight to the signal. Ciara started off around 100 meters away and had no idea of where it was burried...
I expect things are less clear when the transceiver is burried deeper beneath the surface, as would be the case with a real avalanche. There's also the issue of probing and then digging... Apparently within 15 minutes there's a 90% chance of survival, of which the digging uses almost all, so you've got to find the signal fast. That's why I think it's important to practice.
All in all it was as much fun as it was educational. We had really nice weather for visiting the beach, and, being at the seaside, we finished things off with fish & chips plus beer :)
Labels: BCA Tracker DTS, off-piste and backcountry
BCA Tracker DTS, First Use
Posted by on Friday, January 04, 2008
Last night I had a go with the new transceivers for the first time. Just simple stuff. Reading the manual, turning it on, switching between transmit and search modes, and trying some noddy searches around the house.
Hopefully I'm going to get a chance to practice with them outdoors sometime this weekend. After that, I'd like to get another session in before we go. The aim is simply to get familiar with the device.
Last night was the first step.
I've got to say that at this stage, the Tracker DTS is living up to its reputation of being easy to use. There's not much to the device; although I haven't looked at the options for dealing with multiple burials.
The guidelines in the manual describe the 3 phases of a basic search: the primary search (or signal search), the secondary search and the pinpoint search.
As you might expect, the first phase involves trying to find a signal, and this is required whilst you're still more than 40m from the transmitting beacon. The second phase, once you have a signal, is designed to bring you to approximately 3m. Finally, the pinpoint search should bring you as close as possible to the transmitting beacon before you begin probing/digging. Different techniques are used for each stage.
It would be nice if my house was big enough for me to say that I could hide a transceiver in one room and be too far away to get a signal in another room, but that's not the case.
Searching in this environment is far from representative of a real slide; but it was cold, wet and dark outside, and I was eager to play around. Besides, it was still possible to get some kind of feel for how the tracker picks up a signal and displays the feedback on the unit.
I also re-watched one of the extras from More, an introduction to performing a single burial search. I'd forgotten that the transceivers used in this video are in fact the Tracker DTSs. It's a useful show, that covers the basics of how to use your transceiver. I'm keen to get out to an open field or the beach to try things out on a larger scale...
Labels: BCA Tracker DTS, off-piste and backcountry
The ABCs of Avalanche Safety: Review
Posted by on Tuesday, December 18, 2007
This is the first book of its kind that I've bought and read. Most people would agree that when it comes to avalanche safety, a book alone is no substitute for regular practice with avalanche equipment, guidance from an expert or real life experience of travelling in the backcountry. I was looking for an introduction, some background knowledge, things to think about. The ABCs of Avalanche Safety covers exactly what the title suggests - it's a good place to start.
The book is pocket size, say 4" by 6", with around 130 pages. The content is split up into 4 chapters - Snow and Avalanche Basics, Practical Guidelines for Stability Evaluation, Safety Rules and Rescue and Case Histories - each filled with concise information.
Concise should not be confused with simple, however. The book is written with technical and scientific language, especially so with the descriptions of how the snow cover forms. Photos and diagrams are used in places to suppliment the text, and to good effect.
I think the size of the book itself is a plus. Being handy, with a small number of direct chapters, makes reading encouraging; it's easy to dip into any of the sections for a quick read. Its size also makes it portable; weighing you down isn't a concern, so it's easy to take away.
In contrast, I occassionally found the vocabulary a little slow to digest. At this stage, some of the snow science seemed quite heavy, given my lack or practical experience.
So what about the scope of information? This is where the book really scores. Starting with an explanation of avalanche terms, it then provides foundation knowledge about different types of snow and how avalanches form. There are guidelines for assessing the risk, how to avoid avalanches and how to perform a search. It's a good mix of theory and practical advice. Simply put, it's the ABCs of avalanche safety.
Written on the back cover: A respected authority since 1961. I can see why. This is a good book. What's more, at around £6 it's very accessible. At the time of writing, Amazon has it listed with the Search Inside feature - so go take a slightly closer look!
Labels: books, off-piste and backcountry, review
Deep Powder And Avalanche Safety
Posted by on Tuesday, December 04, 2007
So it seems that it's snowing everywhere. Fernie had a half meter during a 24 hour period this week and I think some places in the Alps have had as much as a meter.
There's still a while to go before I get there, but it's a good sign all the same. The thought of all that powder is really exciting...
And a little scary. Well, not scary, but thought provoking. I was reading an article from last month's WhiteLines around the same time that these snow reports hit me; the article was about being burried alive...
It was describing an avalanche safety course in which the participants underwent a practice burriel. Even the controlled environment came across as pretty damn hairy. It sure made me re-think about the dangers of riding off-piste.
But it's not like I've never given it any thought before. I'm trying to hook myself up with a transceiver, and I've done a small amount of homework with the book The ABCs of Avalanche Safety. It's more that I feel I should practice. Practice with the transceiver, practice a search pattern, practice looking at the snow. Just practice something.
I was talking to Ciara about the article and we both agreed that the whole situation would be so freaky. But that's the point. We're all hoping to ride as much powder as possible in Fernie, and in the unfortunate event that we're in the vacinity of an avalanche, I don't want to be stood around trying procedures for the first time...
Labels: off-piste and backcountry
Backcountry Tour In Lenzerheide: Extra Pictures
Posted by on Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Back in March I posted about a backcountry tour that we did in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Since then I've been sent some more pictures from the day, so I'm going to put them here. Looking back through the photos reminds me of what an amazing day it was...
(Click on the photos to enlarge them)
Labels: off-piste and backcountry, photo collections, snowmotions
Heliboarding With Snowmotions, Switzerland
Posted by on Friday, May 11, 2007
I've talked about Snowmotions quite a bit over the course of this season - and with good right too. If you've been following this blog you'll know that a group of us spent two weeks in Laax/Flims back in March, staying in one of the Snowmotions chalets. One of the things that really made the trip great was the local knowledge, specifically off-piste and back-country knowledge, passed on to us from Jason - owner of Snowmotions. In fact this trip provided the majority of the group, including myself, with our first real taste of riding off-piste, something that I now want to do more and more...
One of the options available from Snowmotions is to have them organise a Heli-Trip. It's not something that we did while we were in Switzerland, but not long after we'd gone home, Jason and some others did a day with a heli. They passed on a quick review of the action, partly to make me jealouse I'm sure, but also to give an indication of what a heli-trip can be like. Here are some details and photos from that day... take a look, it really does look awesome.
- Date: 5th April 2007
- Location: Hoeffi Firn / Toedi, Switzerland
- Take Off: 8am Tavanasa, 20 minutes from Flims
- Altitude of landing points: 3000m and 3200m
- Conditions of north east hang towards Linthal: perfect, fresh cold powder!
- Conditions of Val Russein, south hang: powder to icy crust, to sulz, to slush, to no more snow. And a long walk out!
- Mountain Guide: Paul from www.alpventura.ch
- Heli firm: www.airgrischa.ch
- Cost: CHF420- per person for 2 flights, including an excellent mountain guide
- Verdict: great day out in high alpine terrain...
Thanks to Snowmotions for the info!
Labels: heliboarding, off-piste and backcountry, photo collections, snowmotions
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