Comments on: Backcountry Skiing News Roundup & Shovel Choices

By: Lou

Lou — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 23:46:39 +0000

So, TeleTim, since when did bindings become human?

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 22:01:11 +0000

Maybe I should read a little more of your response. Seems that you answered most of my questions. I agree that there are many areas in backcountry equipment that need to be addressed.

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 21:58:40 +0000

Lou,

Wouldn’t you agree that in a burial situation you would want to extricate the victim in the shortest amount of time possible? Regardless of the condition dead, mangled, untouched, etc. I agree that there are a lot of other important pieces that should be considered in the backcountry. Yet, if the worst case scenario happens, it would sure suck to have a piece of gear that is fairly ineffective in removing avy debris when you ‘might’ have a chance of saving a life.
One of the main reasons I carry the gear is the worst case scenario.

By: TeleTim

TeleTim — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 19:10:32 +0000

Only Lou Dawson could turn an article about shovel construction into a shot at telemark skiers.

Do you ever get tired of grinding that old ax?

By: Lou

Lou — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 01:59:23 +0000

BJ, perhaps “quite a few” would have been a better term, but I firmly believe that it’s easily more than 25%. Also, just think back on all the avy accidents where folks don’t die, are not even buried, but get badly hurt. And we worry about what our shovels are made of?

The main thing is that many people live in this fantasy wherein they’ll ride an avalanche to a gentle burial and their friends will quickly dig them out and joke about it later at the bar and perhaps argue about whether their plastic shovel worked well or not. It just doesn’t work that way. Most of the things are violent — if not, you still suffocate fast.

Perhaps Dale can give us a more definitive answer…