 Poster: A snowHead
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A friend wrote this the other day. It resonates with me due to one particular kayaking incident, where literally the day after reading about an accident I found myself in exactly the same situation. I've little doubt that having so recently thought about what I might do in that situation helped me stay calm enough to make the decision that got me out of what a pretty life-threatening situation.
http://sportgevity.com/article/panic-risk-factor-backcountry-rescue
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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An interesting article. We think we can predict our behaviour, but we are never 100% sure of how we will respond in a stressful situation, and the response can also change over time. Training drills can help, but the mind can also lead us to make very illogical decisions when overwhelmed.
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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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Great article. It's pretty sobering to realise your ski partner might just leave if something happens to you!
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I'm sure this happens. Perhaps it also explains that Italian Captain abandoning his stricken cruise liner?
The one that scares me with avalanches is the risk of rushing too much, going to far below the buried victim and then struggling to get back up to them as the time ticks away. I wonder if this is as big an issue in real life as in drills (where you don't typically get any visual cues on the avalanche, where you last saw the "skier" etc)
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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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I think one thing you can't simulate in exercises is panic, and in my experience of real rescues (cave/ climb, not ski-related), people do panic when things get serious.
My personal approach is to take charge. There is a sort of compliance you can get which I think is also related to the situation. So if you have someone with some "leadership" stuff, you're in a reasonable place.
I'm not sure I'd want to ride with anyone who I thought would leave me for dead in a slide though, irrespective of the circumstances.
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| philwig wrote: |
I think one thing you can't simulate in exercises is panic, and in my experience of real rescues (cave/ climb, not ski-related), people do panic when things get serious.
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I found that just doing a timed search (where you fail the course if you take too long) was astonishingly stressful. Difficult to imagine how I would respond if I had a mate under the snow relying on me to dig them out. Practice as much as possible in avalanche parks so the actual mechanics of searching become 2nd nature, leaving you with more mental capacity to deal with the your stress and that of other people you are with. Having a clear leader in the situation, as philwig stated, makes it much easier for everyone to play a useful role.
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