 Poster: A snowHead
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I am reading about all the avalanches at the moment and wishing i played golf !!! LOL
seriously though - i am interested in your opinions on how to mitigate the risk with sensible precautions. We are normal family piste skiers. we dont take risks and dont really do serious off piste. We do venture "between pistes" and "in the trees" for a little play sometimes but cetainly dont go a long way off piste near the tops of the mountains. I am off to ADH next week. I am thinking at the moment that I will stick to pistes only and not even go between them as its not worth it.
what other precations can i take or equipement can i buy - i think a tansceiver is OTT in my situation ...but then is it ?
I am always very safety concious in life - i take the view that i cant enjoy my life if I am not around to enjoy it !!
We started wearing helmets last year and wont be without them. we NEVER cross a roped off area unless the slope is closed due to poor snow and its the quickest way down (dont mind dodging a few rocks and mud !).
Other than not going skiing is there anything we can do to lower the risk ?
all opinions gratefully received.
cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you're going to stick to open pistes I wouldn't bother worrying about it as although I don't know the statistics I would have said that you were more likely to die on the way there than by an on piste avalanche.
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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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It is scary stuff isn't it? I'm taking consolation in the fact that the avalanche risks have been pretty high yet people still chose to go off piste. I love skiing and I love being in the mountains but like you, I'm a safety girl and would never have dreamed going off piste in those conditions (or walking up a mountain (Scotland)) when there is a "considerable" risk of avalanche announced. I feel desparately for all those involved in the recent tragedies and my heart goes out to all their friends and relatives because at the end of the day they died doing something they loved while living life to the very full.
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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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Reading Davidofs site (pistehors) in depth is a very good start. There's some very useful info on that about areas in various resorts where you might find yourself and you can get a feel for how a season is shaping up in terms of risk.
and you might want to consider stopping crossing roped off areas at all. It's highly likely that you're not insured if you do so, including public liability, so not only do you get the hospital and rescue bill, but anyone else you injure could conceivably sue you out of house and home.
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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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| Cunners wrote: |
Reading Davidofs site (pistehors) in depth is a very good start. There's some very useful info on that about areas in various resorts where you might find yourself and you can get a feel for how a season is shaping up in terms of risk.
and you might want to consider stopping crossing roped off areas at all. It's highly likely that you're not insured if you do so, including public liability, so not only do you get the hospital and rescue bill, but anyone else you injure could conceivably sue you out of house and home. |
fair point - to be honest I have probably only done it a couple of times but you are right. I will stop. The hassle it would cause me and my family is not worth it. thanks
i will go read pistehors later..cheers
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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backhojo, read a book or two:
Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain
and
Powderguide
are both pretty good. there are plenty of others (there have been a few threads on this) and it's one of those things where you never stop learning
your reaction is quite a normal one. the usual progression is being unaware of the dangers and doing stuff blindly, then becoming aware of the dangers and becoming very risk-averse then hopefully with a bit of experience and knowledge you start to understand and evaluate the risks a bit better.
even if you don't have a clue about the snowpack there are a few things you can do to help judge whether a bit of "between the piste" skiing is dangerous or not:
1. check the published risk warning (sounds like you're doing this already) and read the detailed reports posted around the resort
2. obey warning signs put up by patrollers
3. look at the angle of the slope you would like to ski and the slopes overlooking it. if it's less than 25degrees and doesn't have any steeper slopes overlooking it, it will probably be OK
4. look at the terrain to see how big a slide could be and what the consequences would be. if everything funnels down into a narrow gulley, that would not be good. if you have a short steepish section which could slide but it just dumps you on a wide low angled plane below, the slide is unlikely to get too big and will slow down and deposit itself over a large area => you are unlikely to get buried.
for the latter 2, you develop an eye for these with experience and you don't have to ski the slope to be thinking about angles and consequences - look at terrain from the chairlift and try to imagine whether it would slide and what would happen to someone affected.
finally, quite a lot of resorts run free avalanche education mornings - worth checking out next time you're away
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Other tips
1. Never ski off piste alone.
2. Ski the slope one at a time, stop in an area where if there was an avalance you wouldn't be caught in it
3. Make sure you can see the rest of the group/they can see you whilst skiing
Re crossing roped off areas, loads of guide I go with have ducked ropes, some are there to stop punters dropping off the piste into the off piste, so I'm not sure the comment to never duck ropes is valid....
regards,
Greg
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brian
brian
Guest
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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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| backhojo wrote: |
seriously though - i am interested in your opinions on how to mitigate the risk with sensible precautions. |
Some really simple "punter" tips:
1. Check the route you are going to ski first, there are a lot of cliff bands in alpe d'huez especially in the Vaujany / Oz sector. The signs showing someone tumbling over cliffs are there for a reason
2. Check the avalanche warning flags. If it is yellow (risk 1-2) you will be ok between the pistes in alpe d'Huez
3. and don't ski on slopes more than 30 degrees or with any slopes above this level above you. Use your ski poles to estimate slope angle (isosceles rule) although most between the pistes by blue / red runs should be okay if of a similar angle
4. avoid any terrain traps - where the ground suddenly flattens out, there are pot holes or gulleys
5. avoid convex slopes (one's where you can't see the end)
6. hire a guide or instructor to do some off piste exploration
Have a safe holiday
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| kitenski wrote: |
| Re crossing roped off areas, loads of guide I go with have ducked ropes, some are there to stop punters dropping off the piste into the off piste, so I'm not sure the comment to never duck ropes is valid.... |
agree although it's a good rule of thumb for the beginner off pister
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just back from an off piste course in Chamonix where we had an intro to avalanche awareness.
Dont want to repeat what others have said.... but I took comfort in the fact that we were told that the number of people killed off piste is on average no higher than the number killed on piste in collisions etc. Obviously you need to pay attention to all the comments above - and minimise the risk - but especially at busy times the "between pistes" can be safer - as long as you check out the terrrain. Skiing will never be without risk - but we still want to enjoy it as safely as possible.
I think you need to be careful as well about making assumptions about why runs are closed. You may think it is lack of snow... but it may be that there is stuff above that is a risk - or the slope is unstable. A black run slid earlier this year in Les Arcs... Made me think.
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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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Ducking ropes into off piste is not quite the same as ducking ropes onto a closed run, especially as far as insurance is concerned - Doing the latter negates most policies.
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| jayne durham wrote: |
| but I took comfort in the fact that we were told that the number of people killed off piste is on average no higher than the number killed on piste in collisions etc. . |
Sorry don't think you can take comfort from this
Your risk off piste is still much higher
The numbers may be similar but there are vastly more people on piste.
The only way I would go off piste is with a guide
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
We are normal family piste skiers.
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So what are you worrying about then?
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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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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Quote: |
We are normal family piste skiers.
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So what are you worrying about then? |
The best thing to do if you are normal family piste skiers, is not read Snowheads. You'll worry about avalanches far less.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Actually the photo above illustrates a very valid point... never blindly follow someone elses tracks. In this case the lifts allow an accurate scoping out of the area below the sign whilst you are in a position of safety.
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FAQ
