 Poster: A snowHead
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There has been a development relating to the story below. Please scroll to 24 December.
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A snowboarder who strayed from the controlled area of Keystone in Colorado has been rescued after three days in freezing conditions and "hip deep" snow. John Ryan, 31, had entered an area called Jones Gulch, at over 3000 metres, lost his bearings and got stuck. "I froze like crazy" he said, and he may now lose toes to frostbite, though he's now been released from hospital.
Ryan, who was first reported missing last Wednesday night, made a simple shelter from pine branches, heard the snowmobiles and sirens of search teams last Friday, but was not discovered until Saturday. He had been unable to move more than 6m, due to the conditions.
Reports from CNN ... Rocky Mountain News.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 24-12-05 14:28; edited 2 times 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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Makes you wonder whether a simple plastic referee's whistle in his pocket would have been enough to make contact with the rescuers on Friday? Anyone else think that might be a useful bit of kit for anyone likely to venture off the beaten trails? In one article he says he'll take a phone and a flare next time. Have to admit a flare would be good to alert a nearby helicopter but a whistle is a nice low tech bit of safety gear.
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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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... particularly when snowed-in or attacked in the middle of a football pitch.
I agree, Ian. The whistle is a brilliant idea. Simple ideas like these, or avalanche cords, or space blankets, are often ignored in favour of much heavier or more high-tech stuff.
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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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When you read the report in Rocky Mountain News he does come across as a bit of an idiot. Especially as he doesn't rule out heading off into the unknown again, with apparently nil navigational skills, and a granola bar. I wonder how much it cost to find him, and who paid?
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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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David Goldsmith, you might also like a whistle when riding your bike. On a bit of bungy cord hanging ready for a toot or 6 it's far more effective at warning people than a tinkling bell.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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kuwait_ian,
That's not a bad idea - always hate the idea of a bell on the MTB. Cheers
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Caspar, my bit of bungy cord is fixed on the strap of my Camelbak so it's reasonably close to my gob when needed. You can sometimes see a dozy pedestrian incident developing in advance and I've never yet been unable to give a peep when I needed to. I think the idea originally came from bike couriers in the States. The best thing about a whistle c/f a bell is you can go from a gentle 'hey I'm here' toot to a full blown 'out of my way' bundle of blasts depending on what's needed.
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kuwait_ian, I think I shall give that a go. I'm always comfier if I know people are aware of my presence. Most "frustration" incidents are due to dozy pedestrians not having a clue about what is going on around them.
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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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There's a somewhat unusual postscript to this story:
It's now been reported that John Ryan, the snowboarder involved in this incident, has been fined $300 for violating the Colorado Ski Safety Act, and $1000 for "carrying a concealed weapon".
This report from The Denver Channel.
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I have a whistle and space blanket in my pack...no flares tho'...!! altho' I don't recall seeing the whistle on my last pre pre pack, you know the season is getting close when you do this... Found my leatherman tho' so thats a result..
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Strange isn't it when you go fellwalking in this country a standard bit of kit is your whistle but when we go into the big mountains skiing we wouldn't even think of it nor is it recommended as basic kit. Moral of this story to me go and put the whistle from my walking pack into the skiing pile !
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