J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by verbier_ski_bum

offshore wrote:What about skiing on a piste that has lots of fresh pow on it, surely this is just as dangerous as going off piste?

Admin wrote:

verbier_ski_bum wrote:what on Earth were they thinking, but in terms of being there when they were

Absolutely agree; the emphasis should certainly be on not being there in the first place. But judgement calls can be wrong (and often are, as evidenced by the regularity with which experienced guides and guide-led groups get avalanched).

Also worth remembering that even if you take a safer route, you can still get some fool above you that skis the slope you backed out of.

The kit is essential - if only to limit the time exposed to danger of the brave souls who come to dig out your body. It might help them find you early enough too.

I find it acts as a reminder of the dangers, and TBH have yet to ski with anyone who thought they could take extra risks when wearing a bleeper (and wouldn't ski with them if that were the case!).

verbier_ski_bum wrote:Had they had the equipment the outcome would have likely been the same.

Often the case, but not always. It does seem likely that the poor girl who died after the Tignes avalanche last week would have been found more quickly had she been wearing a transceiver.

And the final point (maybe even the most important) is that if you've got the kit then you can go to the help of others. One particular report from last winter has stuck in my mind; of a group who came across fresh avalanche debris and noticed tracks going under it. One of them switched to search on the off-chance... and they found and dug out (alive) two skiers.

Backing out (when in doubt) saves many, many lives every winter, but bleepers can and do save a few too.

andyhull wrote:Can you back out of Col de Mines? From skiing it last Jan, from what remember you we're committed once you started he traverse.
To ski it in those conditions I'd consider too risky.

Tony_H wrote:Good morning.
There has been some incredible and wonderful snowfall across Europe this past week or two and I as much as anyone is itching to get on it. Those lucky enough to be there at present must be having a great time.
However, there have been some well documented problems and it seems that people are going out to enjoy the amazing conditions but taking risks with it.
Ignoring advice and not listening to people is downright stupid in an alien environment, which is what the mountains are to pretty much all of us.

So, decent skiers like myself get to a stage where they are looking to try something new and different, and the past few seasons I have been venturing off piste. I started this in Verbier with some of the so called marked ski routes and have enjoyed some itinerary routes in St Anton and Alpe d'Huez for example. However, we have also skied on terrain which has been outside of the boundaries of the marked ski area in Zurs which was amazing and great fun, but there is a serious side to all of this as well.

No one, myself included, ever really thinks anything will happen to them. But it could, no matter what you do or how good a skier you are, s**t can happen and as we have seen recently, snow moves fast.

I'd like to consider what should be looked into for those of us looking to venture into the world of off piste skiing to keep it safe but enjoyable. I understand that rules and regulations about where you can and cant ski vary from resort to resort, area to area, country to country. However, lets say for arguments sake that you are looking to ski between pistes, or on a ski trail shown on a map, or a bowl served by a lift with open terrain. What should be considered sensible to do and take with you?

I know for serious tourers and off piste thrill seekers, theres transcievers and shovels for instance. But for us recreational skiers who are just looking to play in some fresh powder, do we need to consider all of this? And is it essential, legal, or suggested to take a guide and do it properly even if you're still learning how to ski in deep and on steeps for example, and you only want to "have a bit of a play in the freshies".

Please dont for one minute think I'm taking any of this lightly as I'm not. I have ventured into territory that would possibly invalidate my insurance without even thinking about it; the rush of seeing something spectacular that you want to ski and you are PROBABLY good enough to handle takes over at times, and those of us who cannot resist need to be advised whats right and wrong, and what should or should not be considered as sensible.

Thanks, and be safe.

AllyG wrote:So does this mean we shouldn't even be ski-ing between pistes without shovel, probe, and transceiver and doing the rest of the avalanche research?

The only thing I have is Recco on my ski boots, and I remember someone saying on here that it's only useful really for finding dead bodies!