Time to prepare mentally for the forthcoming follies of the Dark Summer
I thought it was a good idea at the time number 1
Ignoring the 'avalanche warning' and 'piste closed' signs since I am well-gnarly and know the resort like the back of my hand - duck under the tape and do the short inter-connect to get to the Toula lift so I can avoid using the bus to get back to the car. Pisteur at the lift gives me a right bollocking since he points up, and there are two pisteurs about to release the slope above using explosives. Heart misses a beat.
I thought it was a good idea at the time number 2
There are tracks, so it's fine. We have travelled a long way to Arolla, and we ARE going to do the powder. Avalanche warning medium rating. We drop into the long traverse and I watch as the top 20cms cracks away behind me. Sh88888t. But committed now. Boy, did I do long wide turns on that slope. Heart misses a beat at the bottom.
anyone else prone to brain fade?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
About 25 years ago at Tignes - before I knew as much as I do now about avalanches, Crystal did a barbeque up the mountain for us, a bit below a piste. It was lovely and sunny for it. After we finished a Rep said to me "you don't have to climb back up. If you go down this gully and traverse off to the left before the rock, you can ski back."
This was off-piste. It had been snowing heavily overnight and was now thawing quite badly: prime avalanche weather.
I skied down but the rock must have been hidden by snow so I went off left possibly later than he meant. It was a convex slope (not good) steep-ish and plunging down to my right. A short way into the traverse there was a loud "crack" and the slope just below me avalanched and disappeared over a cliff onto rock pinnacles. Just above me there was a crack across the slope - the bit I was on had slipped an inch and then stuck.
I tell you. I inched my way across the rest of the slope to some avalanche barriers sooo carefully with my heart in my mouth. 3 people died in avalanches in the Alps that day: I was lucky not to make it 4.
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?
Wow ..that is horrific ..you were so lucky. that was pretty bad advice from the Rep.too .
snowball, I know exactly the sensation of soooo carefully you describe - a sort of 'I can create antigravity under my skis' sort of feeling - a tiptoeing on skis accompanied by 'I'm not here, I'm not here....' squeaking in your head.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Yep....
St Anton, great conditions, hasn't snowed for a few days, steady, cold easterly wind blowing.
Ridden a big bowl a couple of times. Great snow but now getting tracked out. Still lots of lines left on the west aspect though. The one that's been receiving all the snow transported by that steady easterly wind. Sure, it'll be fine.
Start to traverse across. Whole slope "shatters". And, somehow, doesn't move. I still don't understand why. I levitated onto a nearby mini-ridge running down the slope, then minced down the top of that. Mate coming after somehow managed not to heed the signs and got avalanched - fortunately on a very small slope and he was fine.
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.
The day I was really enjoying a powder slope at la Grave that for some reason nobody else had tracked, and suddenly realised the slope had got steep - and extremely steep (curving out of sight) just ahead. I realised I was about to ski off a cliff and stopped quickly. Another turn and it would have been too late. As it was I had to try to get a bit back up the slope in deep, light powder to traverse out. Very difficult and exhausting on a steep slope, even to get up the 3 vertical metres necessary - especially as i couldn't be sure I'd cause all the snow to go over the edge. Finally I could traverse across immediately above a few bushes and get out.
Totally my fault and it taught me a lesson. Never stop thinking (especially at La Grave).
I think they normally put a cord across there now to warn people, but in those days it was the Wild West, far from Health and Safety..
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Wed 17-10-12 12:51; edited 2 times in total
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Steilhang wrote:
You mean like Xavier De Le Rue did?
Or rather the way he didn't.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowball, I Guess Xavier's still got a thing or two to learn then.
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.
Steilhang, yeah I could teach him loads...
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
Not sure there were any skiable ridges, or if there were that they led to anywhere but a drop-off. Just finding something skiable is about all the choice there is on something so steep. However it still isn't an example of someone skiing along ridges since he didn't.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
“Confidence the feeling you experience before you realise the gravity of the situation you are in”
1)Skiing a very quiet looking Kill the Banker in Revelstoke, dropped into the conifers of Gnarnia and the area at full pelt only to discover it is an un skiable mix of breakable crud, icy patches and slush. Ended up having to drop a cliff way out of my comfort zone as I noticed it way to late & lost the two people I was with. In the end we all emerged unscathed but it was a horrible experience. To be honest it was more out of concern for the others than me.
Getting smashed in a small avalanche, in a controlled inbounds open area of a, N.American resort! Had two options a narrow steep pitch between rock which led to an open bowl or a milder direct line into the same bowl. My company went for the steep option and pulled up on the right I went for the easier option and about 4 turns in heard Crack, seen the fracture line probably soiled my underwear and the lights went out.
Thankfully when I came to a stop I was the right way up and above the snow, my lucky day I guess. Dug myself out and once my companions had realized all was safe and I was out the joking started.
Piste Patrol were amazing once we got hold of them, talked us through the whole thing the next day over lunch courtesy of the resort and, gave me some valuable avi advice. I can only hope it is the only one of these I will experience.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Skiing a well know short cut where you need a load of speed to not have to pole on the way out at the end. This was the first time using it since last time I was at the resort. Light was not great but not totally flat. Gained the necessary speed and proceeded to ski into a big hole they dug probably for avalanche or piste restructure purposes
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:
You mean like Xavier De Le Rue did?
That guy was way off base taking that line - you could see the slope had let loose above where he cut in. There was safer pack to his left but he just wanted the shot regardless.
Also off-piste rule No1. "Don't ski where you can't see - you do, you eventually die" (Army training manual circa .... a while ago)
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Steilhang wrote:
snowball, I Guess Xavier's still got a thing or two to learn then.
I'm guessing he learned a thing or two that day... But EVERYONE has things they can still learn about avi safety, as sadly evidenced by Remy Lecluse and the others in the Himalayas recently. The mountain doesn't know you're an expert etc...
Sometimes it can be a good idea to stay away from ridges too though - if the snow is shallower on them/rock is exposed in places heat can affect or be conducted through that part of the snowpack more, one side might be wind-loaded, if there's been any creep and glide (more of a concern late season usually) the snow on the top of the ridge is likely to be more stressed, similarly if the ridge is at all convex... I guess at least any avalanches triggered there would normally be relatively small, you've potentially got two ways to try and ski out of a slide, and you're more 'out of the line of fire' if a crack propogates and the whole face goes though... Complicated
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?
First time I ever went skiing at Easter to Avoriaz. I hated wearing sunglasses so I didn't bother for the day. Anyway, got back to the chalet, and my eyes started burning. After about 30 minutes I was in agony and had to go for a lie down, but couldnt close my eyes as my eye lids were all burnt to a crisp. I also suffered retina burn and for 48 hours I was in sheer agony.
Ricklovesthepowder's tip for the day - always wear sunglasses or goggles
...and here's one which was someone else's 'it seemed like a good idea at the time....'
I do an ego-boosting run down the Nationale piste and, obviously, nail it in exactly Lindsey Vonn's style since she'd been down it two days before. As I trickle round the corner at the bottom, pompous and idiotic, not really paying attention to anything, I fail to notice that someone has just had a good idea. To enable them to drive across the piste and access a frozen track, someone has emptied three or four sackfuls of granite chippings onto the surface. Trying to get some air whilst moving at 1m a hour is well nigh impossible, so I hop up, get a good 20cms off the ground, but my momentum is so poor that I simply come back to earth in the middle of the broad band of razor edge chippings. These proceed to insert a form of structure into my bases which I have never really experienced before - deep 5mm gouges across the entire surface. I try to stop the next skier, and the next, but people are just hurtling round the corner and can't stop in time, or look at us thinking 'what are they on about? ' and then realise a second later why we we saying 'stop stop' as their bases are ripped off.
., someone has emptied three or four sackfuls of granite chippings onto the surface.
Who the hell thought THAT was a good idea???
A group action to sue them FEELS like it would be a good idea - but in practice would not be a good idea either.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Decided to go out for a few drinks after bruising both knees on first ski trip to Soll and ended up dancing!
I was in agony the next morning and missed half a days skiing.
After all it is free
After all it is free
On a track in the 3 Valleys very poor visibility. Wife was leading the way followed by 7 year old daughter, then 5 year old then me. Noticed 5 year old was gaining speed told her to do a turn...didn't mention that it should be INTO the hill! She disappears off the edge with a horrible scream. Couldn't see her and just wanted to vomit I was so scared! Luckily it was just a short drop into a big mound of powder, I have been a LOT more specific with my instructions ever since!
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Poster: A snowHead
