 Poster: A snowHead
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No doubt the hard-core people will scoff at this question but I'm brave so here goes ...
I know that avalanches are not a huge concern when you are only an on-piste 'intermediate' like myself. However, I also know that they can happen and I really don't have the first idea about what are the right things to do to avoid/escape etc. one. I've searched the site but most avalanche threads are aimed at off-pister types who are more likely to have need for specialist equipment etc.
So I just wondered if there's any basic stuff I should know or will I go back to ignoring it completely? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| MissRibena wrote: |
| ... or will I go back to ignoring it completely? |
They are so rare that I don't think it is worth thinking about.
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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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MissRibena, I think the question you could ask is " Has anyone ever been caught in an avalanche on piste?"
I'd very much doubt many people have, as rob@rar, says.
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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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MissRibena, If there has been an enormous amount of fresh snow overnight, stay in bed until lunchtime....... 
(Don't do this really - unless of course I am in the same resort. In which case please do, and encourage the rest of your party to stay off the slopes too)
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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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Avalanches hitting the piste are thankfully rare, the main consideration is not to duck the rope onto a closed piste.
As a piste or indeed an off piste skier you are far more likely to be hurt as a result of a collision which generates very little discussion here compared to avalanche risks, but there are very specific tactics that you can adopt to lessen the likely hood.
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That's great. Thanks everyone - knew it was a low risk but didn't want to be stuck in one some day thinking 'I wish I asked the snowheads about this' 
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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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If you see one coming don't just stand and admire it but ski out of the way. I'd say that the way control works it would be a miniscule chance of a slide actually following any length of a piste but of course they can ingress (particularly wet spring slides).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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MissRibena, It's low but not unknown risk. Pistes these days are sited to be as safe as possible, are closed if unsafe, are controlled to be made safe. Mistakes and accidents happen.
That said, (and clearly it happened well early in the morning before the slopes were opened (err, by default really as they woulnd't be opened until after they were made safe) the piste patrol in Chatel somewhat surprised themselves by bringing an entire piste (which haad been open the previous day IIRC) down onto a piste below it. Huge wet snow slide. Didn't get cleared (close to end of season so little point, and the rubble discouraged anyone from going under what was then a questionably stable mudslope) until it all melted.
Other hoary old PDS tales include the pisteurs who blew a cornice off the top of "The Wall" taking out all the chairlift pylons and chairlift station below them. My hearing of the tale had them tucking the wall straight down in from of the slide but that may be romantic exaggeration. & A few years ago and overenthusiastic pisteur took out one of the Machon pylons.
Tea, no biscuits.
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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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MissRibena, I have heard of avalanches reaching the piste the odd occasion, but it's very unusual.
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The ones you see on the piste have normally been set off deliberately before the pistes were opened (but I did see a very small one on the Grand Motte go on piste, carrying the snowoarder who set it off onto the piste buried waist deep. We were a group from SCGB with shovels in our rucksacks, going by on the chairlift lift above (near the top), so we skied down and dug him out.
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You know it makes sense.
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I set off a relatively small wet snow slide on piste one time in mid-april, late in the day. It all happened so quick it was over before I knew it had begun. It didn't hit me.
If you are unlucky enough to get hit on-piste I suppose the advice is the same as for those off-piste: something like kick off your gear and dump the rucksack, make swimming motions, try and stay on top of it etc etc. Pray a bit. And a bit more! I wouldn't worry too much, you're probably more likely to get run over by a piste-basher.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Reached the piste at Lake Louise and Big White this year... I think someone was killed at Big White. Not sure though..
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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MissRibena, To be fair though, there are far greater risks while "on piste". The possibility of collision (not wanting to give you ideas !) is a far greater risk, and you can do things to reduce the consequences ( helmets / body armour / having your wits about you etc. )
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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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| david@mediacopy wrote: |
| MissRibenahaving your wits about you |
NOT WEARING DUCKING HEADPHONES WILL HELP 
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Wasnt there a couple of people killed in Austria or Switzerland a few years ago by an on piste slide?Chances are very small and if an avalanche hits you there is very little you can do or will know about it.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wasn't someone killed on piste is Alpe D'Huez in 2000?
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If it was deliberately triggered in the usual way there was no danger, I presume. Absolutely huge slide, though 
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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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snowball, I think it nearly ran into the ski area, or just did. I don't think they could have anticipated something that size though.
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This big slide happened on December 21st last year - I took the pic from the Mannlichen gondola (Wengen/Grindelwald). The debris easily crossd the piste below. Caused by lots of new snow fallng onto grass, as you can see.
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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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moffatross, pity they didn't take the opportunity to replace that lift with one that goes faster than 0.1 mph
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You know it makes sense.
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telford_mike, but again I would imagine it was deliberately triggered before the lifts opened (?). Avalanches on pistes are very frequent if you count those. Almost all deliberately triggered avalanches are triggered because they threaten pistes. Or was the slide above an afternoon wet-snow avalanche? If so was the piste open? I would doubt it.
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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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| snowball wrote: |
| telford_mike, but again I would imagine it was deliberately triggered before the lifts opened (?). Avalanches on pistes are very frequent if you count those. Almost all deliberately triggered avalanches are triggered because they threaten pistes. Or was the slide above an afternoon wet-snow avalanche? If so was the piste open? I would doubt it. |
Must admit I don't know. If you look closely at the picture you can see at least 2 more areas that look like they're about to go, so if it was triggered deliberately I would have hoped they might have dealt with these at the same time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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moffatross, did the avalanche come down where the nice black run goes (beside the far lift), or only beside the one it has taken out? (Only been to L2A for a couple of days so don't know it that well).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There was a pretty serious avalanche on piste at val thorens in 1992 burying 10 people and killing 7 of them.
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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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| snowball wrote: |
| moffatross, did the avalanche come down where the nice black run goes (beside the far lift), or only beside the one it has taken out? (Only been to L2A for a couple of days so don't know it that well). |
David, that snow came off the slopes just to the right looking up the Thuit run (the picture was taken near the bottom). The black run is actually a red called Voute and was quite gnarly as I remember. When I was there, of the marked blacks, the moguliest run was 'Grand Couloir', the fastest and best conditioned was Super Diable and the most fun was the short, sharp Gours Bis.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
the most fun was the short, sharp Gours Bis
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moffatross, Off topic I know but I loved Gours Bis last year!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| the ice perv wrote: |
| I set off a relatively small wet snow slide on piste one time in mid-april, late in the day. |
I came across a slide like that, in pretty-well nil visibility with a high wind. The debris was across a track that snakes its way across a steep slope. Not any great height of slope above that track though. I was puzzled by it for quite a while. I thought I was confused by the whiteout and strong wind conditions.
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We had one at engleberg a few years back..in early april had 1m dump of fresh snow..didn't see it though as we'd been sking in total white out and only heard the snow creak then a rumble and a hiss and people shouting..
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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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| shoogly wrote: |
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=46178#1103620
Scary...  |
Yes although "inbounds" in the above case would be termed as "offpiste" in Europe.
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It's an interesting question MissRibena, and one I've thought about a few times. Not least because my first experience of skiing was 98/99 when I lived in Austria for a year, the same year of the Galtuer disaster where an avalanche wiped out half the town, so this included people not even skiing, being caught whilst just browsing in shop windows etc.
So yes although on-piste avalanches are undoubtedly rare, as are avys that hit resort villages, it would be useful to know what if anything you can do if you are caught (I don't know the answer by the way), although I suspect there is very little time to think about anything.
Having said that, if there is time to think about anything at all, I bet you nobody will be thinking 'Gosh this is a really rare occurence'.
D
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