witch hobble
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Backcountry?! Shit.....you should see what social media has done to middle school! If you thought it was bad then, you should see how cutthroat it is now.
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Social Media and backcountry?
- Thread starter ski stef
- Start date
C-Rex
New member
It's all related to the absence of personal responsibilty. The world has become so quick to pass the buck that the general attitude is that if you shouldn't do something someone would stop you or it'd be illegal. I get so annoyed when some idiot gets hurt or killed doing something stupid and people deflect the blame from them because it wouldn't be "nice" to point out how it was their fault.
I was talking to a mountain biking buddy that's the type that just goes for it. He's very athletic and talented so that gets him out of a lot of trouble but I have a feeling it's going to catch up with him someday. We were talking about getting into BC stuff and taking mountaineering classes. He told me he thought they were a waste of time because he took an ice climbing class and was annoyed that the instructor was yelling at him for being too agressive. He wasn't using good technique and ended up breaking off a big chunk of a feature. Luckily, no one was below him so nobody got hurt, but he still didn't think he did anything wrong. I told myself right there I would never go out with him as a BC partner.
I was talking to a mountain biking buddy that's the type that just goes for it. He's very athletic and talented so that gets him out of a lot of trouble but I have a feeling it's going to catch up with him someday. We were talking about getting into BC stuff and taking mountaineering classes. He told me he thought they were a waste of time because he took an ice climbing class and was annoyed that the instructor was yelling at him for being too agressive. He wasn't using good technique and ended up breaking off a big chunk of a feature. Luckily, no one was below him so nobody got hurt, but he still didn't think he did anything wrong. I told myself right there I would never go out with him as a BC partner.
skiNEwhere
Active member
Some skiers don't seem to understand the disconnect between skiing ability and mountaineering ability. Just because you can huck cliffs and stomp the landing doesn't mean you know how to understand reading the different layers uncovered from digging a snowpit, and being ignorant about that is downright dangerous.
Fuck it, I ski backcountry alone...no beacon, no airbag, just a shovel and probe in my pack along with typical stuff like extra clothes, food ect... this year I'll be doing it at night with my mtb nite rider light. I get soooo tired of the ranger joe crowd that like to overanalyze everyone else and what they do.
Yep I read, pay attention to reports, observe and know what kind of terrain is historically safe. I prefer to go alone but most would judge and say I'm stupid. Only times I've ever felt unsafe were all inbounds. Choose terrain wisely, travel wisely and its no big deal IMO....
Edit..FWIW a place like Colorado with a scary snowpack (usually) I would use extra caution. LL or Berthoud pass kill a lot of people just because of volume of people getting after it when its unstable. Overall the skier compaction probably helps with stability.
Yep I read, pay attention to reports, observe and know what kind of terrain is historically safe. I prefer to go alone but most would judge and say I'm stupid. Only times I've ever felt unsafe were all inbounds. Choose terrain wisely, travel wisely and its no big deal IMO....
Edit..FWIW a place like Colorado with a scary snowpack (usually) I would use extra caution. LL or Berthoud pass kill a lot of people just because of volume of people getting after it when its unstable. Overall the skier compaction probably helps with stability.
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skiNEwhere
Active member
What's the point of having a probe if you're skiing solo?
Almost the same with a shovel. Only useful in the event of a partial burial or if you're digging a snowpit
Mostly so if I actually see anyone get into trouble. But a shovel is good for digging stuff, quick pit check out layers, a seat, ect....
They are in my BC pack by default...on big days ill carry it inbounds
skiNEwhere
Active member
I'll be an armchair ranger and say that sounds like a potential recipe for disaster. But as it is, I don't know anything about the maritime snowpack.
Be careful out there man.
Be careful out there man.
Skiing groomers poses potential for disaster lol. Fwiw I skied solo BC when I lived in Colorado...lots of low angle trees, saved steeper stuff till late spring
Scruffy
Active member
Hey, if you're going alone and don't care whether you come back or not, go for it.
I knew of an old guy in SLC, took the free bus from SLC most every day to skin up in LCC and ski BC. No avy gear, if he came home, it was a good day, if he didn't, oh well, what a way to go.
MadMadWorld
Active member
A shovel and probe are useless if you are the one involved in a slide. Without a transceiver a shovel and probe are probably useless as well unless the person in the search party has one. But you are shit out of luck if you get caught in it. Some great skiers with tons of avalanche experience have died in slides. It's not an exact science and stability can change in a blink of an eye. I guess if your skiing alone then a transceiver is a waste.
And for the record, a shovel is useless if you are the one buried because most of the time you lose your shit in the slide. Second, most people don't realize what the snow is like after a slide. It turns into cement. If you buried yourself in a giant snow bank after a freeze thaw you might get a fraction of what would be like to try and dig yourself out of an avalanche.
Scruffy
Active member
Or, think about the compacted snow at the end of your driveway after several snow plows have pushed it. The rest of the snow might be light and fluffy, but at the end of the drive, hard, and heavy. That snow rolling down the mountain at 80 mph and piling up is 100 times the what's at the end of your driveway. Most people who get caught in an avalanche, die of trauma to the body, not suffocation.
As I said, shovel is handy to dig a quick pit or if I happen to see someone in trouble, whether that be in BC or off chair 10 on a deep day at Kirkwood. It never leaves my pack. Best way to avoid slides IMO is to stay away from stuff that habitually slides. Sure danger is still around, I'm aware. I'm much more concerned with a blunt force hit or tree wells to be honest. Overall I'm pretty conservative in the woods alone whether riding bikes, skiing, whatever.
Doesn't mean im staying home
skiNEwhere
Active member
Pretty sure that mostly applies to wet slab avalanches.
If that were true for all avalanches, there would be many more deaths in the back country. If you check out CAIC you'll see that there are numerous avalanches in CO a year, most don't actually end in a fatality. One of the factors that makes the snow so hard is that the snow moving at such a high speed causes snow particles to rub against each other, causing heat, which causes melting. One the snow settles that liquid freezes back up.
Scruffy
Active member
Correct.
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