Comments on: Colorado’s October Season of Avalanches

By: Lou

Lou — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:11:02 +0000

Good points there Doug!

By: Doug G.

Doug G. — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:01:16 +0000

I think one of the most dangerous things in the backcounty is people. In highly used areas the presence/evidence of people being there may add a false sense of security to the area-which lures more people to that area. Not only does it do this, but it also can create immediate danger while on a slope. I prefer to stay far away from high use areas because I don’t know/trust that other skiers around me and my group have the judgement and experience to know basic, common sense safety behavior. Another thing that I perceive as being a cause of more people being involved in slides is the overall lack of respect and a change of mentality in the mountains. Those who’s background is one of “bitch slapping” the mountain and cranking their bindings to max so when they back-slap a landing they don’t come out of their skis are in my opinion, dangerous fools. What happens to these people when they get injured an hour or more away from their car? They compromise the safety of others for something stupid that they did. In my opinion, this mentality is due-at least in part, to the availability and ease of use of the new A.T. gear. Ever increasing population growth of urban areas near the mountains doesn’t help either. The yahoos who are used to skiing a manicured, controlled,”safe” ski area are now going into backcountry areas to find freshies and not putting in the milage to learn about route finding, snow analysis, first aid, line selection…
In regards to ski patrollers being experienced with backcountry travel and know-how, anyone who assumes that the two go hand in hand is making some very dangerous assumptions. As mentioned earlier, the handful of trollers out there who consistently ski backcountry zones and know the history of the snow pack in those areas are few and far between. Making assumptions of any kind in avalanche terrain can be a pretty risky thing to do.

By: mitchellskis

mitchellskis — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:27:49 +0000

Scary times in Colorado BC. I must say that I think the rash of incidents is in part the result of the confluence of an above average snowpack exhibiting several different weak layers/upside down pack with the wave of newer, more aggressive backcountry skiers.

When I cut my teeth b/c skiing in CO the prevailing wisdom was to stay away from most more avy prone lines until later in the season. Now it seems that people are swarming all over every steep classic line as soon as enough snowfall comes to mostly keep one off of the rocks. The internet forums have helped feed this phenomenon with the instant publication of powder shots publicizing the glory of fall powder turns. You should see Jones Pass on an October weekend with dozens of skiers or Berthoud Pass after the first big snowfall.

The result it seems to me is that the enthusiasm levels get even more amped up and people are out the door looking to hit a big line. Combine with the fact that in the past few years it seems that the snowpack has been pretty forgiving in the early season and the result is, I think, that many of these backcountry skiers have learned to err on the side of aggressiveness rather than on the side of caution.

Back to my mellow below treeline drifts and low angle ridge shots for now.

By: Le Pistoir

Le Pistoir — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:19:44 +0000

Monday Morning Quarterbacking is the main fear of those who do not report their incidents. It is important that anyone who is brave enough to come forward with their incident report and admit that they messed up should be thanked and praised and reminded how lucky they are. What not to do? Don’t second guess the decisions made that day because they can’t be done over again. All you can do is learn from those mistakes (be thankful you have the opportunity to learn from them) and get back out there a little wiser.
Right now, there’s an obvious strong-over-weak configuration in CO so it is puzzling that people still go for it, especially with stiff slabs, but it’s still up to them.

By: Randonnee

Randonnee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:14:06 +0000

Interesting, me too, Matt- “I endorse solo travel as the apex route finding skill set.” I think that making that decision to enter avy terrain while embracing the concept that a wrong decision WILL BE fatal, that is the true commitment. My theory is that even if one has a crew along of the best rescuers who can shovel like a backhoe, the decision should be in the same context- “if I get this wrong, I die!”

Against all mainstream common sense, I sometimes solo ski quite a bit on avy paths in deep powder after careful evaluation and testing. I solo ski cut quite a few Size 2 slabs, nothing larger in the backcountry. I ski cut nothing big because I stay completely away from that potential when alone. I have hard fast rules that keep me on avy-free terrain when there is a certain threshold of say 7 inches overnight on a potential weak bond or significant winds, warmups, etc.

Again, I think that the decision should be the same alone or with others- get it wrong, you die…