Wearing Beacons all the time while skiing

[laseranimal]

just thinking out loud

back when I was a kid NOBODY wore helmets while free-skiing, well maybe a couple of kids with what seemed at the time to be "overprotective" parents or if you were a racer.

Fast forward 20 years and it seems like everybody skis with a helmet on. I personally feel naked not wearing a lid.

Is this ever gonna happen with beacons? I'm actually thinking about wearing my new beacon everytime I ski, even if I'm only skiing inbounds at Killington. That way it just becomes habit to throw it on whenever I go out. I mean the drawback is only the fact that you're gonna go through more batteries, right?

[Z]

just thinking out loud

back when I was a kid NOBODY wore helmets while free-skiing, well maybe a couple of kids with what seemed at the time to be "overprotective" parents or if you were a racer.

Fast forward 20 years and it seems like everybody skis with a helmet on. I personally feel naked not wearing a lid.

Is this ever gonna happen with beacons? I'm actually thinking about wearing my new beacon everytime I ski, even if I'm only skiing inbounds at Killington. That way it just becomes habit to throw it on whenever I go out. I mean the drawback is only the fact that you're gonna go through more batteries, right?

Well, skiing with a beacon at kmart is kind of retarded. But it can't hurt i guess.

I seem to always be wearing mine while skiing. Not always turned on, but usually my day involves something not technically inbounds. On a deep day ill turn it on all day just in case.

[Below Zero]

I've learned that you should at least carry it in your pack, you never know what kind of shit your are going to get into. You might miss out if you don't have all your gear with you.

[Huckwheat]

That sounds kinda like overkill. How many inbounds slides has Killington had?

That said, my buddies and I do wear them on powder days at the resort. I think it is smarter to rely on yourself and your friends.....that presuming that Patrol will always be there to help.

[marshalolson]

ski with a shovel and probe too?
i am going that way for sure.

[Z]

ski with a shovel and probe too?
i am going that way for sure.

Yeah. If yer wearing a pack, your shovel and probe are in there. And if you are wearing pack, you are wearing your beacon. And if you have a pack on without a shovel and probe in it, then you are just weird.;) :biggrin:

[marshalolson]

Yeah. If yer wearing a pack, your shovel and probe are in there. And if you are wearing pack, you are wearing your beacon. And if you have a pack on without a shovel and probe in it, then you are just weird.;) :biggrin:

well, my point was, beeping w/o shovel/probe is semi retarded...

well maybe not. fuck everyone else.

[Z]

well, my point was, beeping w/o shovel/probe is semi retarded...

well maybe not. fuck everyone else.

yup. I was agreeing with ya. Digging someone out with your hands? Not so effective.

[laseranimal]

That sounds kinda like overkill. How many inbounds slides has Killington had?

none


that was kinda my question, even though I know its overkill why not just get used to it so it doesn't feel like overkill any more

[homerjay]

none


that was kinda my question, even though I know its overkill why not just get used to it so it doesn't feel like overkill any more

Just think how rad you'll look at apres! :rolleyes:

Seriously, I've transmitted on huge inbounds dump days (like a 3-footer at Wolfie), and if I know I'm heading out of the gates into slide terrain, I'll obviously wear all the gear. Using pack/beacon/shovel/probe for an average day (even with sidecountry shots in the trees): overkill. But at least you look like a badass in the liftline.

[iskibc]

I wear mine to the grocery store. I look rad.

[El Chupacabra]

I wear mine to the grocery store. I look rad.

Are you the most extreme skier in your office?

(beeping at the water cooler = so hot right now)

[cololi]

I bring all of my equipment on the bus.

Not really, but if it has snowed a lot and/or I am in the backcountry it comes with me.

[marshalolson]

I wear mine to the grocery store. I look rad.

iski could probably be involved in a slide at the grocery though...

[iskibc]

Are you the most extreme skier in your office?

(beeping at the water cooler = so hot right now)

To the extreme brah! I also dangle my goggles from my rearview mirror. Makes me look core.

[Orange Julius]

amateurs. I wear my T1's grocery shopping and I'm broadcasting on 457 24/7.

[vtdownhiller]

How many days do stay inbounds all day?.......unless it's killington boiler

[Poacher]

The last year I lived in Killington I saw lower O- slide 03/ maybe!
Honestly, a can of mace or a hand gun would make more sense than a beacon at Killingtime!

[AltaPowderDaze]

well, my point was, beeping w/o shovel/probe is semi retarded...

well maybe not. fuck everyone else.


it's nice to have one but if i'm skiing solo on a pow day i'd rather have my beacon on than have to decide if i want to ride with a big pack on a full tram. i'd like to have it all but i've seen too many inbounds slides to not atleast have the beacon. this may be more specific to the west but whatever.

[skifishbum]

spending +$200 for a device that could save your life and not wearing it just doesn't make a lot of sense (avvy condition dependent).
At soli most all the goods are accessed from summit. So having your pack and gear on you or @ the patrol shack when the gates drop means your ready to roll. It kind of surprises me the number of people who are willing to hike up 10 to 15 min sidecountry bootpacks w/ out safety gear. Sure patrol runs control routes on some of this terrain, but thats not failsafe and if shit happens I guess they figure the avvy dog or patrol luggin a recco receiver will drop out of the sky and it will all be good.
I guess I am just a gear slut but a lot of times the most awesome powder runs are a matter of being in the right spot at the right time with the right gear.
I cant ever recall the parking lot/village as being in the right spot so I like to roll with my gear. Just having fresh gloves or extra goggles and a thermos full of hot bev. makes luggin a pack worth it.

[fez]

I have always worn mine in bounds any time it could slide. but bridger really got me in the habit of always having my shovel probe and beacon with me.

when i worked at snowbird and drove down the canyon every night i was tempted to wear mine on the drive home from work a few times.

[iggyskier]

Depends where I'm skiing.

Most days at Crystal I wear mine. Same with Baker.

Very different back in CO though. I hardly ever worn one. Way back when when the lifts were running at Berthoud I did. Otherwises...I only would wear it if I thought I may end up going OB.

Just recieve my new Mammut to replace my Tracker. Super impressed and the difference in size is amazing. THe tracker is pretty bulky. Noticed it for sure. The barryvox is so tiny and the harness so well designed that I dont think Ill ever be bother wearing it.

[MeatPuppet]

iski could probably be involved in a slide at the grocery though...


You want to be involved in a slide at the grocery store? Just grab an apple off the bottom row and ...WoooooHooooo!

[Spats]

Having all the gear doesn't help if you're skiing alone.

In most places I ski, no one skis inbounds with a shovel, so they'll have to go for patrol no matter what happens to me or what I'm carrying. However, I still beep on any day with freshies, because there's a chance patrol can actually dig me out alive if they don't have to get a probe line together.

[Buzzworthy]

Unless it is a sunny groomer day, I will be beeping. Have it, will use it.

Overkill is better than killed in my book.


Batteries can be replaced, my daughter can't have her father replaced.

[nesta]

I wear mine from the time i put my boots on until it's time to take them off again. I have witnessed many in-bounds slides and that's the first thing the hasty search party is going to be doing besides ensuring no danger to their own asses. Even then it might be too long , but if there's plenty of other people doing likewise, they might find you first- for example that slide at Mt. Baker this year, and that was outside the boundary if I'm not mistaken.

[bad_roo]

What is this 'inbounds' of which you speak?

[nesta]

What is this 'inbounds' of which you speak?
uuhh that would be inside the ski area boundary where there is avalanche control, but also nasty beasts such as post-control release, skier accidental and natural avalanche activity

[Red Baron]

we were at the moose a few years back, and the person I was with saw a guy at the bar, with his beacon on, at like 6:30pm. she pulls her beacon out, flips it to recieve, and jokingly starts scanning - she walks in a big half-circle, sweeping the ground, and ends up at his back. he turns around, and she's like "don't wear your beacon in the bar!"... :rolleyes2

[BakerBoy]

we were at the moose a few years back, and the person I was with saw a guy at the bar, with his beacon on, at like 6:30pm. she pulls her beacon out, flips it to recieve, and jokingly starts scanning - she walks in a big half-circle, sweeping the ground, and ends up at his back. he turns around, and she's like "don't wear your beacon in the bar!"... :rolleyes2

Try the "cougar beacon" line... it works great in Utah. ;)

[snorkeldeep]

Depends where I'm skiing.

Most days at Crystal I wear mine. Same with Baker.

Very different back in CO though. I hardly ever worn one. Way back when when the lifts were running at Berthoud I did. Otherwises...I only would wear it if I thought I may end up going OB.


the irony of this seems a bit silly.

[snorkeldeep]

i wear mine based on what im going to be skiing that day and a call on snow stability.

agreed that if you spend all the money on it, you might as well use it.

also - i never bother wearing it if i dont have shovel and probe with me as well.

[cj001f]

the irony of this seems a bit silly.
Irony? Crystal is more likely to have signifigant depositions and windloading during the day.

[Summit]

Since just about any I'm inbounds day I also have the potential to be out of bounds, I bring mine. I've triggered a slide inside a ski area boundry before. I already payed all the money for it. If I already have it, why not have it on. It costs a penny to wear for a day. It doesn't weigh anything. It is not bulky or uncomfortable. The question isn't "should I?" The question is "why not?" Won't hurt a thing and minute possibility it might help. So I wear mine almost all the time I'm skiing except for dedicated groomer days and night skiing.

[Orange Julius]

on at the car, off at the bar.

Pretty geeky, but I wear mine whenever the forecast is marginal, even inbounds. Even on prodeal that stuff ain't cheap, so might as well get your money's worth.

cjoo1f, you certainly would know about the head patroller death while ski cutting at meadows back in the day on the "small" windrill under cascade chair. there's a few of those that don't get bombed all the time. 'course a beacon would not have helped him... I guess you never really know, so I bring it along just for kicks, if only to find my sorry ass buried in a tree well in jacks woods.

[cj001f]

you certainly would know about the head patroller death while ski cutting at meadows back in the day on the "small" windrill under cascade chair. there's a few of those that don't get bombed all the time. 'course a beacon would not have helped him... I guess you never really know, so I bring it along just for kicks, if only to find my sorry ass buried in a tree well in jacks woods.
SOP at there and ski bowl is a beacon with no shovel/probe when conditions warrant FWIW. I can think of at least one other inbounds burial at Meadows, and plenty of big control slides.

I wear a beacon when conditions warrant, shovel and probe usually come along, but not always.

[F#*k You Cat]

I didn't see this being brought up?
I wear my beacon driving Up LCC or Big Cottonwood Canyons in UTAH. I have seen way to many slides hit the road with near misses and a couple of hits over the years. I also wear my beacon when skiing any resort in either of the canyons. Alta, Bird, or Solitude. i never go to Brighton. I wear a beacon always, shovel and probe in my pack. Helmet always. These items are just part of the ski package. Kinda like a seatbelt. They are always on.

Kevin

[AltaPowderDaze]

I didn't see this being brought up?
I wear my beacon driving Up LCC or Big Cottonwood Canyons in UTAH. I have seen way to many slides hit the road with near misses and a couple of hits over the years. I also wear my beacon when skiing any resort in either of the canyons. Alta, Bird, or Solitude. i never go to Brighton. I wear a beacon always, shovel and probe in my pack. Helmet always. These items are just part of the ski package. Kinda like a seatbelt. They are always on.

Kevin


yeah, i mostly wear mine diving on days where i'm trying to beat the road closure up the canyon in lcc but other times i wear it so i don't have to take off my jacket in the cold. also, it's already turned on and then i have time for a quick beacon check while eveyone else is turning theirs on.

[SherpaStyle]

I wear mine pretty much every day. I even wore it while teaching on Teewinot once (I'm just a badass like that). Actually, I roled in at like 12:45from skiing OB all morning when I was supposed to be there at 12:30. I pulled my ski school vest out from under my jacket and was good to go.

I've set off small slides in bounds. There is no way patrol can ski cut/bomb every shot at JH. A guy got caught in a slide in Casper Bowl last year and fortunately he and his buddies had avy gear and got him out.

I don't usually wear a pack unless I'm skiing the headwall, casper bowl, the crags, or out the gates. If one of my friends or I ever got caught in bounds I figure we could at least have their location pinpointed and by that time patrol would probably be on scene. If its a big day, high avy risk I'll wear my pack.

[covert]

Since just about any I'm inbounds day I also have the potential to be out of bounds, I bring mine.

Amen. Most beacons will transmit 8hrs a day five days a week for up to six weeks and still maintain adequate levels of search/transmit capability. That's a conservative estimate. I can spend more at the bar in 1 hour than I do on batteries for a whole season.
I would add that if you bring your beacon with you, you should be wearing it and if you are wearing it, you should turn it on when you put it on. Only users lose dope...

[seldon]

dont have one. but i remember setting off a couple slides inbounds on one day last year in jackson... on lower sublette ridge as I headed skiers right the gullies were slabbing up about 24" thick and you'd break them as you ski cut across. mountain got closed about 20 minutes later (yeah, the whole mtn. massive wind loading), but it was freaky. getting one now, taking a class this winter.

[ptavv]

I wear mine inbounds if there's a decent accumulation of snow. I've seen more than a few slides at Meadows in Heather Canyon despite runs being marked "safe" than I care to remember.

All the patrollers at Mt Hood have shovels, probes, and beepers with them 24/7, as do most of the people I ride with.

[SherpaStyle]

I got into it with a couple of my buddies today. I was wearing my beacon and none of my friends were. A ton of new terrain opened. We were skiing stuff that hadnt been skied all season with 9 inches of fresh last night, on top of a lot of windslab from the last storm. I definitely stood on top of one pitch that was completely untracked with no signs of control work and thought to myself, is this open? Under the right conditions it could go. But after a few seconds of deliberation I established that it was relatively sheltered from the wind, not heavily loaded and at an elevation/aspect where the early storms' snow was probably well consolidated. Not to mention the fact that it looked really, really goood...so I skied it. I made a mental note of my escape route if it were to go and went into it with speed. The point of the story is you get into situations where the avy danger is there. Why not wear your beacon? I asked one of my friends this today and he couldn't come up with a response. Eventually he said, " No one would get to me in time anyway. We never ski the same lines and are always heading off in opposite directions when we're skiing in bounds." I made the point that even if no one could get to you in time, they would at least be able to get to you in a timely manner, rather than spending countless hours in a probeline searching. It's kind of morbid to think of a beacon as a body recovery tool, but whether its thought of as a rescue tool or a body recovery tool, it has its merits.

[cj001f]

All the patrollers at Mt Hood have shovels, probes, and beepers with them 24/7
No beeper at cooper, summit or TLine. Beepers for everyone at Meadows or Bowl if conditions warrant, but not shovel/probe - some carry, some don't. Shovels and probes don't fit well in fanny packs.

[skifishbum]

Last years fatality in Dutch Draw @ the canyons. The victim was an certified mountain guide had avvy experience and equipment but wasn't planning on going ob but did. A full pack can change your skiing/riding, but a beacon weighs nothing. Not to say that wearing a beacon would have saved his life but all the volunteer probe line man hours and hysteria might have been limited. Granted there were conflicting reports about the number of victims involved and the probe lines would have had to be conducted anyway.
I would not mind if bc or sidecountry access gates all were turnstyles that wouldn't open unless you were transmitting. They have these in yurp or somewhere no?

[ptavv]

No beeper at cooper, summit or TLine. Beepers for everyone at Meadows or Bowl if conditions warrant, but not shovel/probe - some carry, some don't. Shovels and probes don't fit well in fanny packs.
All the patrollers at Meadows carry backpacks... at least I've never seen a Meadows patrol who hasn't had a backpack with a shovel handle on it.

I know most, if not all, of the patrollers have beepers if there's been any recent snow.

[ptavv]

Last years fatality in Dutch Draw @ the canyons. The victim was an certified mountain guide had avvy experience and equipment but wasn't planning on going ob but did. A full pack can change your skiing/riding, but a beacon weighs nothing. Not to say that wearing a beacon would have saved his life but all the volunteer probe line man hours and hysteria might have been limited. Granted there were conflicting reports about the number of victims involved and the probe lines would have had to be conducted anyway.
I would not mind if bc or sidecountry access gates all were turnstyles that wouldn't open unless you were transmitting. They have these in yurp or somewhere no?
Yeah, I saw quite a few gates like that in Austria. Not that it didn't stop people from going around them or ducking under them, but it's a good idea anyway.

[cololi]

Regarding patrollers, At pak City, they were the beacon and carry the probe/shovel when they are working in avie terrain.

My beacon is on in the car as well when conditions dictate it.

[iggyskier]

the irony of this seems a bit silly.

I don't see how it is silly.

Skiing at any of the front range resorts the chance of an in-bounds slide is extremely low.

Skiing the backcountry areas of Crystal and even in bounds Baker there is a much greater chance that you will trigger a slide.

so, I wear a beacon in bounds in WA but hardly ever in CO.

I don't see the irony.

[crashnburn'd]

I never really thought about wearing a beacon all the time, but a few weeks ago, my office mate was buried and killed in a massive slide.

It was a climax slide... All of the papers from her desk and overhead storage cabinets let go at once and buried her about 2 feet deep. She wasn't beaping and I wasn't prepared, no probe, shovel or paper shreader, so all I could do was tape a few pencils together and start poking into the debris field. After 10-15 seconds, I realized it was hopeless and went down to the cafeteria for some coffee and a bagel. It was sort of strange coming into work for 4 days, seeing that massive pile of paper and knowing what was buried underneath. On the 5th day, something started stinking, so I called and asked to have my office cleaned. As they pulled her out, I couldn't bear to watch, so I went to the cafeteria. This time, I got some juice and a donut instead. Ever since that day, I've always been fully prepared 24/7. You just never know when freak accident could happen.

[homerjay]

Just think how rad you'll look at apres! :rolleyes:

Seriously, I've transmitted on huge inbounds dump days (like a 3-footer at Wolfie), and if I know I'm heading out of the gates into slide terrain, I'll obviously wear all the gear. Using pack/beacon/shovel/probe for an average day (even with sidecountry shots in the trees): overkill. But at least you look like a badass in the liftline.

I would just like to say that I'm reconsidering this statement after a near miss involving a miscommunication, a friend, a treewell, some waiting, and lots of worrying. Fortunately we had our gear w/ us and I realized that the gear we carried (which we don't usually carry in that area later in the season) was his only shot should he have not been able to free himself.

[El Chupacabra]

I never really thought about wearing a beacon all the time, but a few weeks ago, my office mate was buried and killed in a massive slide.

It was a climax slide... All of the papers from her desk and overhead storage cabinets let go at once and buried her about 2 feet deep. She wasn't beaping and I wasn't prepared, no probe, shovel or paper shreader, so all I could do was tape a few pencils together and start poking into the debris field. After 10-15 seconds, I realized it was hopeless and went down to the cafeteria for some coffee and a bagel. It was sort of strange coming into work for 4 days, seeing that massive pile of paper and knowing what was buried underneath. On the 5th day, something started stinking, so I called and asked to have my office cleaned. As they pulled her out, I couldn't bear to watch, so I went to the cafeteria. This time, I got some juice and a donut instead. Ever since that day, I've always been fully prepared 24/7. You just never know when freak accident could happen.

You, sir, are clearly not the most extreme skier in your office.

[crashnburn'd]

You, sir, are clearly not the most extreme skier in your office.

No, that honor would go to the guy down the office who told me that when he was younger he and his friends would hit big jumps and do spread eagles over each other. I bet they were all beaping.

[AltaPowderDaze]

I would just like to say that I'm reconsidering this statement after a near miss involving a miscommunication, a friend, a treewell, some waiting, and lots of worrying. Fortunately we had our gear w/ us and I realized that the gear we carried (which we don't usually carry in that area later in the season) was his only shot should he have not been able to free himself.

glad to hear you had the tools you needed. tree wells scare the crap outta me. i often use tight trees for uphill travel and nervously poke around as i go. eventually the tree bombs pack it down a little and i ease up on the twitching.

[The Suit]

II've set off small slides in bounds. There is no way patrol can ski cut/bomb every shot at JH. A guy got caught in a slide in Casper Bowl last year and fortunately he and his buddies had avy gear and got him out.

I don't usually wear a pack unless I'm skiing the headwall, casper bowl, the crags, or out the gates. If one of my friends or I ever got caught in bounds I figure we could at least have their location pinpointed and by that time patrol would probably be on scene. If its a big day, high avy risk I'll wear my pack.I think SherpaStyle has it pegged. That Casper Bowl slide she mentions convinced my wife and me that our 8 & 10 year old daughters should wear beacons inbounds on potentially hazardous days. The runout from that slide came very close to an area that the local kids ski all the time.

[altagirl]

A few years ago, I spent 20 minutes that felt like about 20 hours extricating myself from a treewell. With Mr.AG and Rotney standing probably 50 yards away, and they couldn't hear my screams for help. I could hear them talking about a porcupine they saw up in a tree, carrying on a conversation and wondering where I was. Which I think was the most terrifying part - I knew they were close but they couldn't hear me at all under the snow. We bought whistles after that.

But what the hell. We all own them, why not wear them when conditions are even a little questionable?

[rossibandit]

This year I am going to wear my beacon inbounds skiing Fernie. There are two patrol huts (high elevation on the mountain) on the Timber and Lizard sides of the mountain and all patroll are packing all the gear when on duty. Even if they open an area, I am still skiing in avalanche terrain. If something slides inbounds, patroll can respond in minutes. I would rather take my chances with a beacon than the RECCO system. Sometimes conditions change pretty fast on a powder day or when it starts to snow, and it only can take a run or two before patroll closes an area on the hill.

On days when I hook up with friends for laps into fish bowl, I (and my friends) will be fully equiped.

[addict]

My beacon is on in the car as well when conditions dictate it.

Much easier to locate the car in the parking lot when it's transmitting. I used to just leave the headlights on but I kept getting flat batteries.

[big_pimpin]

I am surprised no one has mentioned the slide at A-Basin that killed someone on May 20th last year? That scenario pretty much proves that you never know when it is going to hit you. Spring Skiing inbounds? The rescue party started immediately, but it still took them 30 minutes to find the guy. Not to say that he didn't die from other trauma that a becaon would have helped with (the official report never said if he sufficated), but after even 30 minutes your chances are pretty much 0 regardless.

[Incompetent Boob]

I wear mine on any day that isn't dedicated to the park or groomers (those days when everything is ice and there is nothing else to do). I almost always ride with a pack with probe and shovel. Even when solo. Beeping when I'm solo is mostly about body recovery, so my family can have a proper funeral if it comes to that.

[bad_roo]

This concept of inbounds and out of bounds is something that us Euros often have difficulty coming to terms with. If you ignore those definitions and accept that ski patrol can only make safe a certain percentage of potentially dangerous terrain, it'll change the way you look at the ski area. Think of the groomers as snaking through a bunch of backcountry and you'll probably be safer. If you've invested in a beacon, wear it.

[AltaPowderDaze]

roo, that's the clearest thing i've heard on this board in a while. just a week ago at the bird we had atleast 4 skier triggered slides were no laughing matter. there's a lot of terrain to cover and during a windy storm the conditions change too quick for patrol to cut everything. they count on skiers to break up the slabs before they form.

in short, if you got one why not use it.

[nesta]

As I mentioned in post #28 in this thread, feel free to find out about the inbounds sz 3.0 natural in Fernie 060108. Really good time to be wearing your transceiver if you were skiing in the Lizard Bowl around 3:30 pm. The patrol bombs the living piss out of those start zones and closes vast amounts of terrain too, even with as little as 10 cm of accumulated snow after explosive control, yet people continue to bitch and moan that nothing's open, or even worse, poach the closures. Some even have the audacity to keep complaining about it after a huge avalanche rips into open terrain that any reasonable avalanche forecaster would have opened in the same circumstances. Hey, shit happens boys and girls, and usually when you're least expecting it to. Mother Nature is the last person you should be thinking you can fool. Again, if you own a transceiver, why would you not be transmitting at all times when you're out skiing? Batteries are cheap, life is not. Thankfully, no one was killed. The 100's of people who poached that same signline the day before should be counting their lucky stars right about now, and vowing to themselves never to poach a signline again, no matter how great the allure of powder. I wonder how many of them were wearing transceivers?

[davidof]

Think of the groomers as snaking through a bunch of backcountry and you'll probably be safer. If you've invested in a beacon, wear it.

A case in point:

Tignes Avalanche (http://pistehors.com/comments/540_0_1_0_C/)