In between podiums on the FWT...

[powdork]

hard to tell if he was rescued by his friends or patrol. i assumed it was his friends all along until the end when they showed how close they were to the top of the lift
https://www.facebook.com/Extreme/vid...4783337863420/

[skibum93]

Three people partying down a line like that. Risky business


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[cyborg]

Three people partying down a line like that. Risky business


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If it's not in avi controlled terrain, yeah, definitely risky. In bounds though, I honestly wouldn't think twice. It's France though (right?) so I guess once you ski off the groomer it's probably uncontrolled?

Scary shit. The worst part for me is imagining that on top of the world feeling you have on a day like that, and then how it must feel to drop so low instantly and realize you might die on that great day. Powder fever can kill...

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[whipski]

Pisteur secouriste for sure. Could have easily been 3 victims. A friend buried a couple years ago, she also described that same euphoria. Not so much for another friend with bilateral femur fractures and a punctured lung.

[Eastcoastdan]

Weird how he makes this all about not having pole straps but says nothing about skiing one at a time. This could have been alot worse had all three of them been caught and buried.

[powdork]

but it is a valid point. i've been cutting mine for years but never considered that your straps could keep you from pulling your airbag release

[whipski]

not to mention dislocating a shoulder when treeskiing

[hafjell]

Those little plastic shovels...

[Eastcoastdan]

but it is a valid point. i've been cutting mine for years but never considered that your straps could keep you from pulling your airbag release

Agreed

[zede]

This is an old video from Mika Bimboes and his friends (winteractivity youtube channel) from last year, and this slide has been discussed several time on TGR. His friends called the rescue and they found him fast enough. His point about the pole strap is that it prevented him from activating the airbag asap, and it prevented him to start digging himself after the first slide.
That being said, nobody can tell whether it would have changed anything if he had opened the airbag asap.
Anyways, it's good for him (as he wasnt badly injured), his friends, and people following his youtube channel as it reminds them that avalanche are scary as hell and that one should always be extremely careful.
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...eos-to-discuss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6dEBgrQp0Q

[philippeR]

Weird how he makes this all about not having pole straps but says nothing about skiing one at a time. This could have been alot worse had all three of them been caught and buried.

What Zede said. Plus, Bimboes explicitly mentions they shouldn't have skied all at the same time.

[Core Shot]

What about not having your beacon harness on?
What about not freeing the other guy so he can help search?
Did that guy even have a beacon?
And why did she take off her pack before starting the search? Was the beacon in there?

And for fucks sake why phone a friend?????

The big lesson here is choose your partners wisely

[philippeR]

Well, they found him and dug him out.

[TahoeJ]

What about not freeing the other guy so he can help search?

Most of the multi-burial drills I've seen / read have said to make sure the first person has a clear airway and then immediately proceed to finding the next... unless you can get the first person out extremely quickly, but otherwise don't waste time.

[rod9301]

I maintain that multiple burials are really easy to prevent, ski one at a time.

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[californiagrown]

I maintain that multiple burials are really easy to prevent, ski one at a time.

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You say that, till a slope youre skinning on rips 300ft wide and takes you and your partner out. Or, the spine/ridge/safe spot you stopped at sympathetically releases when a slide goes by and you fall over and get taken down too. Or some idiot not from your party drops in on-top of you. Or a bunch of other scenarios. Shit happens, and you try to mitigate risk the best you can. In this instance, risk was not mitgated very well IMO, and the video breaks down the things they wish they had done differently and hopefully are implementing today.

[rod9301]

You say that, till a slope youre skinning on rips 300ft wide and takes you and your partner out. Or, the spine/ridge/safe spot you stopped at sympathetically releases when a slide goes by and you fall over and get taken down too. Or some idiot not from your party drops in on-top of you. Or a bunch of other scenarios. Shit happens, and you try to mitigate risk the best you can. In this instance, risk was not mitgated very well IMO, and the video breaks down the things they wish they had done differently and hopefully are implementing today.

You're right but if the slope rips 300 ft wide, there probably was a weak layer, and I wouldn't be there.

The difference is when you absolutely, positively you have to ski, like when you're guiding.



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[Ermine]

but it is a valid point. i've been cutting mine for years but never considered that your straps could keep you from pulling your airbag release

Only slighly off topic...I've read this a number of times now on this site. People "cut" their pole straps off (or otherwise remove them)? I find they're quite useful for the uphill skinning/booting part of skiing, and most of my "ski" time is spent going upilll. Downhill, I never use them (and yes I've lost two ski poles in different slides over the years). Maybe it's a telemark thang :-)

(examples of ski pole strap uses in Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book)

[plugboots]

I agree, you don’t have to cut off your straps. Just don’t use them if you need to grab an air bag or in trees etc.


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[Core Shot]

Most of the multi-burial drills I've seen / read have said to make sure the first person has a clear airway and then immediately proceed to finding the next... unless you can get the first person out extremely quickly, but otherwise don't waste time.

Agreed, but not in this case where the guy just needs to get his ski out.
Or, just release his binding and he can walk the search.

It seems he was freed, since he is the one doing the final dig with the orange plastic spoon.

[powdork]

For those of you saying just don't use your straps on the down
1. Refer to the post above about releases when you don't expect them; and more importantly
2. have you seen what helmet cam footage looks like with straps flying around in front of everything?

[goldenboy]

Few things in all of skiing are dumber than people cutting off their straps

[summit]

You say that, till a slope youre skinning on rips 300ft wide and takes you and your partner out. Or, the spine/ridge/safe spot you stopped at sympathetically releases when a slide goes by and you fall over and get taken down too. Or some idiot not from your party drops in on-top of you. Or a bunch of other scenarios. Shit happens, and you try to mitigate risk the best you can. In this instance, risk was not mitgated very well IMO, and the video breaks down the things they wish they had done differently and hopefully are implementing today.

Yes. "Shit happens." Shit like exposing multiple people the same avalanche hazard at once and you give examples of this occurring. Is you point that this is acceptable? Or that it is done despite knowing better? Or that people are oblivious?

[californiagrown]

Yes. "Shit happens." Shit like exposing multiple people the same avalanche hazard at once and you give examples of this occurring. Is you point that this is acceptable? Or that it is done despite knowing better? Or that people are oblivious?

My point is that people who speak in absolutes regarding traveling in and around avalanche terrain don't fully appreciate the variability and complexity of traveling in and around avalanche terrain, or aren't thinking in a mentality that translates to the real world.

the name of the game is risk mitigation, not risk elimination.

[summit]

the name of the game is risk mitigation, not risk elimination.

While I agree with that in principle, it is begging the question here. Almost all of the mutli-victim avalanches accidents I've been to or read about did not have reasonable risk mitigation with respect to exposing multiple people to the hazard... by any standard.