Avalanche

Big Deal said:
True story
I was walking to the parking lot shuttle last week. I was going down the metal staircase and I slipped. Dropped my skis, feet over my head… a big fall. I hit my head so hard that I dented the button n he back of my helmet.
I knew the stairs were wet and icy. All the signs of being slippery were there. I could have asked for help. Somebody could have carried my skis and I could have gripped the railing with both hands. There is an elevator that I could have used. I could have backed off and waited for a safer day.
But no. I thought that I would be able to handle it. After all, I have been down those stairs all season.
So you would have dug a pit. And then hiked a mile or so back up the hill to safety After seeing the results of your tests. So would snoloco except his book bag isn’t big enough for a shovel. My thoughts on digging a pit is that you will see what you want to see. If you are a cautious person you will see instability every time. As I said before, I knew the icy layer was there. I thought it would be okay. I was wrong.
Now my problem is going back out there. I’m not scared but if something happened again then I would be a repeat offender. Falling on the stairs sucks!
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Getting dead sucks too.
 
Brownski said:
I need to take an Avy course so I can have some opinions
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I do know that I don't want to be where a pit is required to determine if I want to be there or not o_O
 
BD, RA…..I’m curious as to how (or if) your perceptions and actions change when a persistent weak layer becomes the primary risk. Yes, in a snowpack that you are familiar with and have some good beta on, wind/storm slab or wet/loose activity can be managed pretty effectively by reading the signs (terrain, aspect, loading, heating, etc.). However, when PWL rears its’ ugly head all bets are off, no? Somewhat unlike other avy risks, instabilities related to PWL within a snowpack can be isolated, they can be triggered remotely, and they can break big. PWLs would seem to encourage more pits than you might dig when other primary concerns are in play, which is really what DMC is getting at. Thoughts?

PWLs really scare me. So hard to read, and related slides can be catastrophic.
 
JTG said:
BD, RA…..I’m curious as to how (or if) your perceptions and actions change when a persistent weak layer becomes the primary risk. Yes, in a snowpack that you are familiar with and have some good beta on, wind/storm slab or wet/loose activity can be managed pretty effectively by reading the signs (terrain, aspect, loading, heating, etc.). However, when PWL rears its’ ugly head all bets are off, no? Somewhat unlike other avy risks, instabilities related to PWL within a snowpack can be isolated, they can be triggered remotely, and they can break big. PWLs would seem to encourage more pits than you might dig when other primary concerns are in play, which is really what DMC is getting at. Thoughts?

PWLs really scare me. So hard to read, and related slides can be catastrophic.
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I’ve always taken them slowly but again, if this your localized pack and you are out 5+ times a week you get a good idea of it’s breaking point and make choices based on that.

I’ve had a few 100 day seasons with a heavy pwl and have backed off quite a bit.

My analysis is based on experience and gut instinct feelings. I learned to do it fast and rapidly while racing others for vid or photo shots.

You gotta have a handful of 100 day seasons skiing mostly in the back country to develop that imo.
 
Ripitz said:
One season dealing with a PWL in Big Sky is how I discovered the joy of XC and meadow skipping.
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Low angle skiing has a lot going for it in my book. For one thing it requires less snow, which can come in handy.
 
raisingarizona said:
I’ve always taken them slowly but again, if this your localized pack and you are out 5+ times a week you get a good idea of it’s breaking point and make choices based on that.

I’ve had a few 100 day seasons with a heavy pwl and have backed off quite a bit.

My analysis is based on experience and gut instinct feelings. I learned to do it fast and rapidly while racing others for vid or photo shots.

You gotta have a handful of 100 day seasons skiing mostly in the back country to develop that imo.
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I’ll add, you can be right a lot or simply lucky with a pwl but at some point you won’t be.
 
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