Black Diamond for everything climbing and skiing.    Dynafit -- Speed Up!    Tracker beacons, Stash packs, shovels, more more more.    Terrific deals on randonnee AT rando backcountry skiing gear.    K2 has the skis that stay true to earning your turns.    Garmont boots -- excellent choice for backcountry skiing.

Fourteeners and Avalanches

Bookmark and Share            By Lou

Finally heard from Hamish again (the guy who’s trying to climb all the Colorado 14ers in one calendar winter). He’s doing well — at about the pace I expected considering winter weather and climbing difficulties. Winter fourteeners can be tough — a lot tougher then most people realize. The weather can be arctic, snow conditions vary from bottomless sugar to icy boilerplate, the days are short, trailheads are farther from the peaks.

You’ve got to admire Hamish for what he’s done so far. Cheer him on. More, he’s getting good use our of his backcountry skis with Dynafit bindings, so more power to him! Skis rule as tools for efficient winter climbing — but you have to know how to use the things, and have the correct setup. Sounds like Hamish is covering all that.

On a somber note, yet another expert backcountry skier has been recovered quickly from an avalanche burial — but was dead anyway. And sadly, another in Montana.

It’s becoming all too obvious that the key with snow avalanches is simply not to get caught in them, as the likelihood of death or grievous injury is all too high if you take a ride.

To me, this means those of us in backcountry snow culture need to rethink our tendency to assume we can play with the concept of getting caught in a snow avalanche, so long as we have a beacon, shovel, etc. In other words, would you drive a car differently if you knew that 4 out of 10 accidents would kill you? That’s about what your odds are with avalanches.

Weird ski news department: Raft skiing?

Posted by Lou on January 4, 2005 | Filed Under Fourteeners, avalanches 

previous post: Happy New Year 2005
next post: Backcountry Sking Stats and Numbers

Comments

Comments are closed.

Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information and opinion website. Lou's passion for the past forty years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about backcountry skiing and is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the Fourteeners! Books and free back country information here, and tons of Randonnee rando telemark info.

All material on this website is copyrighted. Permission required for reproduction, electronic or otherwise. That includes publication and display on other websites by whatever means. PLEASE SEE OUR COPYRIGHT INFORMATION.

Backcountry skiing is a dangerous sport. You may be killed or severely injured if you do any form of randone, randonnee and randonnée skiing. The information on this website is intended only as general information. While the authors and editors of the information on this website make every effort to present useful information, due to human error the information, text and images contained within this website may be inaccurate, false, or out-of-date. By using, reading or viewing the information provided on this website, you agree to absolve the owners of Wild Snow as well as content contributors of any liability for injuries or losses incurred while using such information. Furthermore, you agree to use any of this website's information, maps, photos, or binding mounting instructions or templates at your own risk, and waive Wild Snow its owners and contributors of any liability for use of said items for backcountry skiing or any other use.