Touched on in the No fall Zone thread. I don't think I ever have (though I have climbed up with a party through one once, on the Bidean in Glen Coe - with copious use of belays and ropes - not sure I'd be keen to do that these days). I like to stay well away from the edge of a cornice - but this guy went ahead though, having used a saw, and triggered quite a slide. What do you make of what he did? Do you ski over cornices Old video - but I don't remember it being shown before, on sH.
you don't any choice in order to get into a lot of runs in places like Whistler but patrol bombs them to stop them getting too big and dangerous
it looks like this guy was trying to release a small bit of the cornice to test the stability of the slope. only he royally messed it up and ended up sending down much more than he intended! it's also recommended that you belay yourself off something if you are actually going to jump on a cornice to get it to release, which this guy did not. my view - it's certainly a legitimate technique but something to be very careful of both from the point of view of your safety and that of others.
last year when i was skiing with parlor and mrs parlor in Whitewater, we decided not to ski a particular line because we could see a fracture in the snowpack which looked like the slope was ready to slide. we chose another line then went for lunch. when we came out, the line we had avoided had slid massively (covering the bottom of the line we actually skied) and there were some people skiing rather gingerly down what was left of the snow in there. apparently they had sawed a cornice off to test stability/release any dodgy snow and that was the result. thankfully no-one was in the firing line, although ski patrol were having a "quiet word" with those involved
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?
The cornice breaks some distance away to his left and the crack travels towards him. He was very lucky.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Cornice cutting is normal and a preventive safety measure when done in a controlled manner. This stops them getting huge and then breaking causing an avalanche or otehrwise hurting people.
After all it is free
After all it is free
The video above has been discussed in length on epicski. apparently the patrol guy in the vid was very experienced and knew what he was doing. probably didn't expect it to break off so big, but he did have experience of doing that kind of thing.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
There was me thinking that you simply ski over the edge, grab some air and then rip the slope, well thats what they do in movies
Do I need to add a "saw" to the rest of my avy gear?
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
adie, a lot easier to simply use a small stick of explosive on a rope
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.
The best way to "test" a cornice is to send someone else first
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:
and knew what he was doing
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
That guy should have roped up.
Several cornices at Nevis Range when I was there for the Snowheads Scottish weekend. On the main back bowl there were sections that had slumped due to the warm weather, showing a crack line, but not fallen and then frozen again. Obviously a hazard if people went to the edge to look over and the piste patrol guy said he would come back to cut it back before he could open the area. However we both did a little jump off where there wasn't much cornice.
At Easy Gully a bit later in the day there was a big cornice as there almost always is. On the right end a part had split away completely, leaving a big gap, but then frozen like that. My friend and I trimmed the edge a bit with a ski so we could sit on the edge and then slip down and stand in the slot, then ski in under the main cornice (there was a chance the small part would go but really no chance the rest would go too. My friend went first and I offered a rope but he thought it was OK.). A bit of a drop onto the main slope which was very steep at the top, so you had to keep the weight forward. The second time we went in traversing from a few metres left of the cornice to get in. Extremely steep at the start of the traverse (well over 50º), but actually easier.
This was another friend, Craig, skiing in from the left side 5 days earlier. We started even a yard or so further out, so no proper drop at all. You can't see the cornice as a cornice but he's heading to under it. You can, however, see where a bit of the cornice has slumped near him, leaving a partial split - the line of the cornice continues from that.
Edit: You can see the top of the top lift far left. Only a very short walk. I think the short dark line to the right of it it on the horizon might be the top of the piste patrol hut.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Wed 13-04-11 16:17; edited 9 times in total
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Easiest way to ski off a cornice is obliquely - also ensures you aren't under the big chunk that falls off because you've stressed it. I should add that I only consciously choose to dice with cornices in places where they've been controlled.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
fatbob, yes, that is what we did on the main bowl.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Well, I don't have the experience of the likes of snowball, fatbob, and Arno - or the bloke in the video, but if I were 'volunteered' to take out a cornice like that I would want to be roped up. The other thing that strikes me is that I would want to be very sure that the run off of a potential slide was clear of anyone below. Serious stuff. Mind you, that's true of snowball's picture, too! Respect, there.
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?
achilles wrote:
Well, I don't have the experience of the likes of snowball, fatbob, and Arno - or the bloke in the video, but if I were 'volunteered' to take out a cornice like that I would want to be roped up
I'd want a stiff drink and at least a packet of jammy dodgers too.
.... and a new bike, a Russell Hobbs toaster, a Teddy Bear, a ski holiday for two in Tamworth, a Royal wedding mug, a conveyor belt and two sliding doors and .....
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Chamcham wrote:
DB,
Are there cornices in Tamworth?
No just wall-paper, curtains etc without any of that fancy coving stuff.
After all it is free
After all it is free
achilles, agreed on all counts
in the interests of full disclosure, I have unintentionally collapsed a cornice by standing on it. i managed not to fall with it and it was a pretty low consequence place but it certainly taught me a lesson!
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.
Arno wrote:
achilles, agreed on all counts
in the interests of full disclosure, I have unintentionally collapsed a cornice by standing on it. i managed not to fall with it and it was a pretty low consequence place but it certainly taught me a lesson!
Since we're busy disclosing (in an AA kind of way), I too have unintentionally collapsed a cornice by standing on it, though I did fall off with it, somehow got ahead of the big chunk and got chased down the slope by it!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Dropping a hefty cornice down a slope is potentially the best way of checking the stability of the slope below, if a 5m^3 lump of snow doesn't trigger a slide it's very unlikely a skier will. So when I encounter them I normally try and chop off a decent sized section. This is another good use of a rope: you can use it like a cheese wire. I've been known to jump off small ones but normally only onto fairly well skied slopes (although preferably not into a tracked landing) but big ones are effin scary, fortunately I've never seen a massive one in the Alps unlike in Scotland where they get huggggggggggggggggge.
Always worth remembering they will break off a lot further back than you think,
see this diagram (sorry it's a bit small)
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
My first corniche:
I was schussing along the top looking to drop off and I have no idea to this day what happened, but I popped out of the both of my skis and went over face first! Landed in quite a heap!
(Sorry, the pic is huge )
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.
Alexandra, you were right, that pic would have cause a lot of viewers to have to scroll sideways - I've knocked the size down for you.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
achilles, thank you. I posted just before having rush off and I couldn't find the "controls".
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
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