Ouch! Not the best route choice for off-piste. Video of some rather harrowing off-piste adventure

A snowHead

What he said. He could kick steps in the snow, but it looked rotten.

If they had rope skills... they'd not be there in the first place, or at least they would not start from this point. If you don't even have an axe then ropes aren't a priority in my view. I doubt either of them would want to share a rope with the other, thinking about it.

You can't really tell, but it didn't look that steep to start with so they could perhaps have just traversed around or sidestepped back up. Perhaps they "knew" that "it went", in which case turning back was probably not an option they gave much thought to. They would have been correct: it did actually "go", and it looked ridable. So I think they probably overestimated their ability, wimped out, and then stuffed up the recovery.

I think someone at least is doing the world a service by publishing that, although if it was me I'm not sure I'd have that type of courage.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Looking at that again, the snow is definitely firm but its not boiler plate. When head cam guy finally slips it looks like either his heels got too high or the snow just gave way on him. He was certainly making nice deep boot holes when he was downclimbing.

First thing I would say is that he definitely had an opportunity to back off by sidestepping up before his made decided to dive down the gulley. He should have done it too - he could see the snow got narrower and steeper below him then disappeared out of sight. An obviously bad call to continue.

Then he took his skis off and started walking down that steep frozen turf face first with no hand hold other than using his skis as a walking stick. I'd say he was bloody lucky not to fall there.

I think he could have side STEPPED (rather than sideslipped) across a mixture of snow, rock and turf. Slipping across that grippy stuff can cause difficulties but skis will hold quite well on rock if you step down cautiously.

If you HAD to downclimb from there I would be looking to get my skis out of the way (rucsac, leave them and come back with a rope, put them on a sling and let them hang below you). without an axe I would seriously consider going out on the rock skiers right of the gulley - the angle is gentler and I reckon I'd get better hand holds. With one axe, even without crampons, I think that snow and angle would be OK to downclimb provided I wasn't trying to juggle skis and poles at the same time. In fairness, I think that delicate little traverse he did across the grass back into the gulley, teetering on his toes and poles was quite neatly done! Like I say I would probably have gone onto the rock the otherside to avoid it.

I don't think a screw would be much use either. You might get some rock gear in somewhere but you are unlikely to have that with you.

My other thought is that anyone who reckons that they would ski that tight section (definitely narrower than your skis) with a MUST DO stop on a small patch of steep, firm snow above god only knows what has definitely got bigger balls than me!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@betterinblack, I would be very happy climbing on that terrain with one axe and crampons, I've climbed countless gullies like that. If he had a couple of slings he may have been able to just loop one around a rock, that can provide enough security in case of a slip when taking skis off. A spare sling is also useful to prevent the skis from making a descent on their own while they are being strapped to a pack.

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Thing is, after seeing his mate slide to what could reasonably have been feared to be his death, the guy probably wasn't thinking too clearly. The only sensible thing to have done would be side-step back up again, then think. But going down after his friend was a natural reaction, in the circumstances, though not a good one.

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Oh dear.

After all it is free

I don't think I would have gone onto a convex hill like that without knowing I could ski out. At the point that he took off his skis I would be sidestepping out and hoping I could traverse across to somewhere I could see down. Even if it took all day! Like them, I haven't mountaineered and wouldn't have assumed I could go down without skis. That's a whole new sport: luge perhaps.

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@clarky999, He clearly knew he wasn't capable of skiing down, and trying to descend that route without his skis and with not even an ice axe was highly likely to end in tears - with them both out of action. If he had no gear/technique to descend safely he really needed to find a safer way down - he was going to be no use to his mate if he knackered himself. And given that the guy was decked out in unnecessary technology (and no ice axe.....) he almost certainly had a phone, which would have enabled him to start the process of alerting people to their predicament. They probably both had phones - certainly somebody called in the chopper.

So yes, I don't think he should have tried to descend that route, in the circs and he needed to get himself out of the immediate danger of doing so accidentally.

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@pam w, I think rather than not being able to ski down he just panicked and stopped thinking properly. He sideslipped the first bit just fine, and he could probably have sideslipped the rest (where the snow should be softer). But a lot of inexperienced skiers choose to walk rather than sideslip, presumably 'cos it feels more natural to them, even though it's more dangerous. You see that even on pistes often enough when people take friends onto slopes they shouldn't be anywhere near.

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I think he took off his skis as there is a patch of actual boiler plate at the thin crux, at around 1.01 on the video. I also suspect he rang his mate on the phone when he took it out, you see his friend using a phone also when he gets down, this explains his lack of panic or shouting to see how he is. So he prob found out then that he had hurt himself and was downclimbing to help him.

I cannot for the life of me figure out how the first faller fell though, he seems to have been on such gentle ground. It almost looks fake the way the two of them seem so nonplussed too!

Agree he should have skied it, (or possibly down climbed down the rocks or grass?) but to be honest rather than focus on what they did wrong its hard to see anything these lads did right.

You know it makes sense.

Thanks all some interesting replies.
I certainly think that the videos OP has helped by putting this out there, my suspicion is that he and friend probably are better skiers and less clueless than the video depicts.
Accidents can happen to anyone and occasionally many of us get carried away and perhaps haven't planned as much as possible.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

@betterinblack, all good thoughts .... I have also been to the climbing wall and got my 'ticket' - simple stuff but I regularly carry rope and gear when skiing off piste so at least I have some idea how to use it. As all will say ... practice is the key ... and I have rigged some test hoists from trees in the garden to simulate crevasse rescue ! very crude but better than nothing.
I have Jimmy Odens book too .... not a great fan of it tbh, but not a lot else that covers the relevant ground.
Also always have IGN maps of where I'm going - but as said above not always easy to judge skiable routes, slopes and traps from the map alone.
Having looked at videao a couple of times .... think it was skiable ... but tough and definitely a lot easier in soft snow. I'd always keep skis on in that situation.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Skiers with not experience or understanding of very basic mountaineering/scrambling. The kit looks like piste skis with basic backpacks (side pockets instead of ski carry straps)? The first skier to fall had navigated into a cul-de-sac and had to cross rock/grass to get back onto snow, although not in the footage it looks like he fell when on the rock/grass, the DIN must have been low for his skis to come off so easily. He would have been better side stepping back up to get back on route staying on the snow.

The second skier front pointing should not have fallen, the snow looked soft enough to work with the very modest kicks he started with , but after a bit he seemed to stop kicking, just trying to place his feet, hence no purchase.

It looks like if the slope had another half metre of snow to cover the rocks it would have been an easyish slope - maybe there was a lot less snow than they expected

A good example of why aspirant back country skiers should learn a bit of mountain craft to go with (or precede) all that gnarly steeps and deeps stuff

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So many times I side step back up (5-10min max) a line that I can't see an exit, only to found out later that it had an easy exit further down.

But I keep telling myself, better miss out on an easy exit than to found out there's no exit at the edge of a 50' cliff.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@OwenM, Thanks for the guidance .... I think when I got the Jimmy Odens book several years ago I probably did not see myself as a Tourer or Mountaineer ! The freeskiing title looked like it hit the spot perfectly .... but have certainly broadened scope since then.

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Ouch! Not the best route choice for off-piste. Video of some rather harrowing off-piste adventure

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