Helmet Cam Video of a Slab Avalanche
http://www.vimeo.com/22250873
Avalanche "science" is an imprecise science at best. There are no axioms or accurate formulas such as exist in physics or chemistry. Sometimes you can do everything right but things still go wrong and this is why we still all carry rescue gear, even the most experienced or trained amongst us. On a sunny day in Alaska, I learned that lesson well. Pits were dug (by a professional guide) with good results, similar aspects skied and I wasn't even first down the slope when a 500ft wide, 20-30 cm deep crown broke above me and carried me 2000ft down a steep slope at high speed.
It is here, before the need for rescue gear (shovel, beacon probe), where our preventative measures and gear come into place. I cut hard 45 degrees after seeing the cracks. Mistaking a breaking bit of slab for the edge of the slide, I actually though I would make it just before the rug was pulled out from under me. Lucky for me, I don't use pole straps (another preventative measure) so the only violent tugging came from my skis, which quickly broke off (literally) despite 14 din settings.
Now was the time to engage the emergency gear. I was wearing a BCA airbag pack (Float 30) but had never even practice-pulled the cord. Indeed, this was only the second day I ever wore it, finding it difficult to find a place to fill it in Japan. With snow being pushed down my throat, I prioritized the avalung, which went in with ease and refocused on pulling the cord. I was being violently tumbled and quickly sank when I started to use my arms to place the lung and pull the cord but the second it was pulled I could feel myself float to the surface and the tumbling slowed. By the end, the bag had my floating on my back, with my feet down slope, not dissimilar to canyoning.
The runnout was wide and open so I doubt I would have been buried in the end but the equipment served a function nonetheless. The avalung allowed me to breathe rather than choke while tumbling, a big plus when I went to work on my airbag. The airbag changed the washing machine tumble into a gentler slide and kept me much closer to the surface (there was some pepper on the slope so close to the surface was a better place to be, even if it was going to spread out in the runnout). Finally, perhaps the most important piece of emergency equipment was the helmet. I did not bang my head but it was possible. More importantly in this case, it kept my goggles in place and made it much easier to see the avalung, ripcord and which way was up. If you are going to wear emergency preventative equipment, methinks a helmet should top the list.
I never want to go through that experience again so avoidance of avi prone terrain remains the best policy but at least I now know that if I do, I can keep my wits enough to use the emergency equipment. I hope this post and video reminds others that avalanche risk can never truly be eliminated so always be prepared to deal with the consequences.
PS. A week later we had a guide caught in a slough and his head pushed against rocks. He was wearing a helmet so got away with some bruising on his head. Had he not, we may have been dealing with a much worse scenario.
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