 Poster: A snowHead
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Edited: removed my own post as irrelevant 
Don't drink tea and type, kids.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 22-02-17 10:51; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Hells Bells, 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@db @scarpa Yes I probably should know more which is why I have booked to go on a Snoworks trip this year rather just doing odd days with guides in resorts. I think they give you a bit more training etc throughout the week.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| maggi wrote: |
It is. But I've found there are still quite a few places where there's no 'phone signal.
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Firstly GPS does not require a phone signal. Secondly without a phone signal you can't call mountain rescue anyway. Thirdly the chances of being able to get a phone signal to call mountain rescue and not get a GPS/Glonass and soon Galileo positioning signal are pretty dam small.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Scarpa wrote: |
But one problem with using the location apps, especially in the high accuracy setting, is that it does use a lot more battery life. Factor in the cold conditions and this could be a deal breaker. |
Hum, what can I say; buy a better phone. I run my waterproof phone all day running SkiTracks (so the GPS is active which means you will get a super GPS lock too) and still have over 50% battery left, which is more than enough to call mountain rescue. This all reminds me of the 2013 Cairngorm incident where a bunch of students got lost in a blizzard called mountain rescue but didn't know where they where. Either the oddest students going not to have a smartphone between them (I work at a university and the idea of even in 2013 of students not having a smartphone is incredulous), or a bunch of complete dim wits. Personally I would bet on the latter.
The moral is have the number for the local mountain rescue in your contacts and make sure you have a simple app that will give you a location so you can tell your rescuers where you are and make sure your phone has a full charge every morning. It's simple it could save your life and it's free.
Finally if you have a poor signal a text message may well get through where the call won't.
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@jabuzzard
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| Firstly GPS does not require a phone signal. |
Yes, I know that.
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| Secondly without a phone signal you can't call mountain rescue anyway. |
That's what I meant!
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| Thirdly the chances of being able to get a phone signal to call mountain rescue and not get a GPS/Glonass and soon Galileo positioning signal are pretty dam small. |
Yes, I agree.
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What a terrible tragedy. It sounds like they were very unfortunate indeed to be where they were when the slide was triggered. I have spent many weeks in EK and I have skied the face des Lavachet a number of times. It is one of my favourite ever off-piste runs in EK. Very sad and very sobering.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@jabuzzard,
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| Thirdly the chances of being able to get a phone signal to call mountain rescue and not get a GPS/Glonass and soon Galileo positioning signal are pretty dam small. |
Walk into a building, just about any building, and you will not get GPS but the chances are you will get 2G or 3G ( 4G probably doesn't give you calls ). There are plenty of places in the mountains you can get mobile coverage but no GPS, or where the GPS position is just plain wrong. With my bike Garmin I just have to have a few trees around me and the position / speed it shows can be out by quite some way.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Hells Bells, 
As with most things it helps to have multiple options available to you.
My phone is a tough outdoor one like a brick with a large capacity battery. But do a multiple day hut to hut tour or go winter camping and battery life conserving is important.
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@Scarpa, I'll check how long it says it will last on 100% in the morning, although it would likely be part-used in any emergency situation. And of course, the cold will limit the battery quite a bit.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Hells Bells, If your 'location' is set to high accuracy then that eats the battery a little faster too.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@jabuzzard, You raise some good points. For a specific off piste day I'd make sure my phone is fully charged, but for day to day local stuff which might involve a few off piste runs I'm happy with it above 50%, it lasts about 5 days between charges.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
The moral is have the number for the local mountain rescue in your contacts and make sure you have a simple app that will give you a location so you can tell your rescuers where you are and make sure your phone has a full charge every morning. It's simple it could save your life and it's free.
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A simple app or a more simple map! No flat battery and good for confirming a nearby feature to make sure your franeusch is not mangled.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@chocksaway, most of us are not keeping track of where we are on a topo. Of course if you have a compass you can triangulate on features that you recognise (ha!) after remembering to take out magnetic variation. If vis is good enough, of course. Or you can fire up an app. That said, on-piste with a topo you probably have a point. But I must admit that it is many years since I had a relevant topo with me whilst skiing. Probably should have had, each time I was off piste.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Again comes down to experience / knowledge and access to gear etc
I use a Suunto Ambit Peak watch and two button presses I get my current location accurate to with 10-15ms
Then in my phone(s) and I carry two (UK & French) I have the rescue number of the PGHM as well as the local Mountain rescue, as again you can save valuable time by ringing them direct, you can find your relevant tel no here http://liste.pghm.tel/
On my smart phone I also run memory map French mapping software which does not need a telephone signal.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Crikey, it's just as well I've decided no longer to venture off-piste, you have to be a flipping technology genius, as well as fit and a brilliant skier, and I am none of those things, especially the first. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Hurtle, trust me, a group of Frenchies we saw today I surmised were inept in all three categories, and I commented that they were the red wine and Camembert brigade, but they were going to have a damn fine picnic up on the mountain!
Like I said, and I mentioned to KenX stuff we were doing today, if you like hill walking was so mellow (apart from the last 50m) and a piece of wee wee to ski.
That said, if someone had done their ACL etc then we would have had to advise the rescue service of where we were but today there was not too much in the way of life threatening snow conditions.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Hurtle wrote: |
| Crikey, it's just as well I've decided no longer to venture off-piste, you have to be a flipping technology genius, as well as fit and a brilliant skier, and I am none of those things, especially the first. |
If you can read a map and have a simple phone then you're fine. However, on skis you can cover distance quite quickly so knowing your exact location can be quite difficult, especially in poor visibility.
In my opinion, if you have no idea where you are or how to get that information the rescue services, you have no right being there.
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@galpinos, I absolutely agree!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Off next week to St. Anton and while Googling to find the mountain rescue number to program into my phone I found this app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.tirol_notfall
Hit the button it sends a txt with the GPS location and then calls the mountain rescue. Only for the Tirol, but you get the picture.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Download the Echo112 app, sends your location at the same time as you call 112............
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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thanks for the reminder Ken - just downloaded it
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@Whitegold, bet he was glad he wasn't on his own. No one used a shovel, I noticed. I can appreciate the need for care not to batter him - especially around the face. But at least someone using a shovel would have cleared him more quickly.
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