Avalanche Awareness - It's no joke......

bandit wrote:How often do you change your batteries in your beep?

Fresh every trip and carry spares; swap the "older" ones out each time to anything less important (torch, alarm clock, etc.). Spending money on a beeper and skimping on batteries would be worthy of a Darwin Award.

As for forgetting to switch it on, or to transmit... just get an Ortovox; simple but brilliant harness switches to Transmit when you put it on, flips straight to Search when you undo it and requires definite action to turn it off.

bandit - nothing wrong with hiring avvy gear; though I think I'd take my own batteries if I did.

Admin wrote:

bandit - nothing wrong with hiring avvy gear; though I think I'd take my own batteries if I did.

A quality Transceiver now costs less than a decent ski jacket. I can see the value in hiring specialist kit like an ABS backpack, or an ice axe (for example) because there are some issues with transportation on commercial airlines in Europe.
I prefer to own my kit, I know how it feels, my harness fits me, it all fits in my pack and everything is familiar.

On my very first off piste day, an ESF French mountain guide issued transceivers to our group, I have no idea if he put in new batteries , and IIRC there was no function check. I would definitely take new batteries. I also use Ortovox kit, IMV functional and sturdy gear.
I know a little more these days, only a little though )

BTW the guide later said that we were the worst group he'd ever taken off piste :mrgreen:

meercat wrote:
Unfortunately, the whole site doesn't translate into English, and also it can be hard to find what you're looking for. So, here is a link to where you start to explore the current snow situation in Switzerland (only) - http://www.slf.ch/swiss-snow/rk50a_snow.html - and for the current avalanche risk - http://www.slf.ch/swiss-snow/rb50dc.html - you can translate the legend 1 to 5 as being none, possible, dangerous, high danger, very dangerous.

Looking at these pages however, is no substitute for checking your immediate locaility's situation - which might be higher than depicted.

During the season this mostly is in English, I have links to local information on my site as well.

Can I just ask you to double check that what you're posting is entirely accurate before submitting though ? There's some inaccurate info slipping by, particularly there's no such thing as a "none" level of risk so that's misrepresenting the scale in a fundamental way. This is life and death after all, if you're not sure about something then ask and (when I get time, it's a bit intense now) I'll try and answer. Otherwise, a great idea to raise awareness, well done !

I have just been told a couple of interesting things:

1 Plas y Brenin, your national mountain centre, and the BMC will be releasing an "Off Piste Essentials" DVD at the Kendal mountain film festival in November. Produced by two of the guides here (for there I currently am) it covers slope assessment, equipment etc. and will no doubt be excellent.

2. The bmc winter lectures will cover winter mountain skills also, taking place in Nov and details on the bmc site thebmc.co.UK/skills aimed at climbers but it ought to interesting for skiers

Good bit of signposting Ise. The line up for the Kendal Mountain Festival is something else. Reinhold Messner alone ~ it is an opportunity for all true mountain lovers. Catherine Destiville, have seen on the box, solo climbing. Don't know the others but they all have strong climbing Cvs.

I had a spell of a couple of (pre-skiing) years at attempting rock climbing, before deciding that my body strength was never going to accumulate in my arms. We used to practice at Leek Roaches, alongside, (he said, nonchelantly,) Joe Brown, Don Whillans. It was when I fell off, and was left dangling on a rope end, I decided there were probably better sports, which led me to fell running.

May well go to Kendal.

I'd just like to clarify a few things before ending my contribution to this thread - which in my first post I indicated that I am no expert - but I offer what I do know......

1. I hire equipment from the guide I pay a large amount of money to. He is a fully fledged affiliated guide - who's *primary* role is the safety of his guests. I rely upon him for safety equipment - and in so doing - assure myself that I have recieved what they who know best can provide.

2. There is such a thing as 'none' when it comes to avalanche danger. When there is no snow at all.

I started this thread to raise awareness - and now get the feeling that others are intent on nit picking on what I did originally spend a lot of time formulating - with emphasis on checking and getting local information and expertise.

Anyway - the subject has been brought into the spot light - and it was high time - those who post here regularly and consider themselves 'experts' - paid due attention to his matter which to date has received insufficient coverage.

Ps. I think we're in for a bumper winter snow fall in Europe... just a guess.

No one is nit picking on what you did. You have received thanks for raising the topic within the thread.

If you are happy to let your guide supply and manage your safety equipment, then fine, it's your personal decision.

Meercat wrote:
I started this thread to raise awareness - and now get the feeling that others are intent on nit picking on what I did originally spend a lot of time formulating - with emphasis on checking and getting local information and expertise.

These local expert's who advised you don't reckon on skiers carrying avvy probes. Please name them, so I can avoid hiring them, yes really.

If you have posted inaccurate information on what is a very serious topic, then you can expect debate as you have posted onto an open forum. Readers may see your posts and think that it is definitive.

As for there being a status of "none" for avalanche risk, there is no 0 on the hazard scale, possibly an acknowledgement that avalanches can be formed from material other than snow.

I would say that no-one who is an expert, would call themselves such, as that would imply that they knew all there was to learn.

I believe that those who post here regularly do give plenty of attention to their own safety in the mountains. Among the correspondents to this thread is someone who undertakes long distance high alpine tours both winter and summer.
Yes, you have offered up what you know, perhaps it's an indication that you have some more to learn. There are plenty of courses on offer.

bandit wrote:No one is nit picking on what you did. You have received thanks for raising the topic within the thread.

If you are happy to let your guide supply and manage your safety equipment, then fine, it's your personal decision.

Meercat wrote:
I started this thread to raise awareness - and now get the feeling that others are intent on nit picking on what I did originally spend a lot of time formulating - with emphasis on checking and getting local information and expertise.

These local expert's who advised you don't reckon on skiers carrying avvy probes. Please name them, so I can avoid hiring them, yes really.

If you have posted inaccurate information on what is a very serious topic, then you can expect debate as you have posted onto an open forum. Readers may see your posts and think that it is definitive.

As for there being a status of "none" for avalanche risk, there is no 0 on the hazard scale, possibly an acknowledgement that avalanches can be formed from material other than snow.

I would say that no-one who is an expert, would call themselves such, as that would imply that they knew all there was to learn.

I believe that those who post here regularly do give plenty of attention to their own safety in the mountains. Among the correspondents to this thread is someone who undertakes long distance high alpine tours both winter and summer.
Yes, you have offered up what you know, perhaps it's an indication that you have some more to learn. There are plenty of courses on offer.

1. I did not say anywhere that I was advised not to carry a probe. That is your presumption. So, Really - you don't have to worry about avoiding anybody.

2. Anyody who reads the post will see - if they can remember it - that this is a personal collection of information and does not amount to being a definitive 'guide'. Indeed - what I posted is peppered with the advice of 'ask those in the know'.

3. Avalanches composed of materials other than snow are outside of what they predict, and any suggestion that people must observe avalanche warnings in determmining land slips, is fatuous.

4. There are people who are experts in avalanche research. They know enough to be able to say that they are.

5. If I need a course - I will surely take one. One course I do not need though, is one telling me to take a course. If, as you say, nobody is an expert, and you choose to make rude comments about my abilities to outline an area sofar not covered here, then maybe you can do better.

Ps. I didn't raise the topic within the thread. I raised the thread as a topic.