I put on a few hats at Jackson......funnest gig was snowcat operating BITD circa 1990. Guys whom taught me and I worked with = best on the planet ......
Ah yes, let's continue to go skiing in the back-country! Good but deadly times folks!!
- Thread starter TheGLOV
- Start date
I put on a few hats at Jackson......funnest gig was snowcat operating BITD circa 1990. Guys whom taught me and I worked with = best on the planet ......
Special snow board that can split in half. You put climbing skins on the bottoms when split so you can get uphill traction. This way you can use the board as cross country skis to a certain extent as most of the day is spent going up hill. When you reach the top you put the board back together using split hooks. I believe they go across the board when each side is attached together to keep it rigid. with your board setup again, you take a ride down the mountain side. Its apparently a pretty popular way to explore back country.
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Thought it was something like that. Must have a great fastening system to withstand the pressures of a downhill run.
They are pretty expensive. I agree they system must be excellent to hold it all together.
When I was at college went skiing for the second time. Left early. Drove through a big snow storm. We get to the place and there was just one car in the lot and the lifts weren’t running. Figured we drove through that just to find out the place was closed. Were standing around trying to decide what to do next when the door opened and someone yelled out ‘you guys come to ski?’ We asked are you open? And she said, ‘Yes just tell us when you’re ready and we will turn on the lifts! ‘ Awesome day......er.......gnarly day!
Does this happen every year? I don't follow this sort of thing but, since it was first posted on here, I keep seeing these stories.
Four dead in Utah avalanche.
Four dead in Utah avalanche.
Here's a story about the skier killed in the East Vail chutes. Should be a warning to all that even excellent experienced skiers die in the back country. Be careful out there.
www.vaildaily.com
East Vail avalanche victim Johnny Kuo remembered by skiers, family
VAIL — When Johnny Kuo passed you in his ski boots on the staircase to East Vail, you rarely heard him coming.
www.vaildaily.com
Glove you've lost it.
Have you seen the videos of guys and gals doing extreme mt bike descents? Or those sky flying through arches? Many people live for the thrill of living, it is the rush they live for... what makes people become fighter pilots? Pilots who want to fly off and land on aircraft carriers?
These are special people, people many don't understand... kind of like Prince to tie back to other threads.
You don't have to like them, you don't have to respect them, but you damn sure don't have any right to pass judgement on them. We live in The USA, we have the Freedom to make our own choices and live our lives the way WE choose.
Have you seen the videos of guys and gals doing extreme mt bike descents? Or those sky flying through arches? Many people live for the thrill of living, it is the rush they live for... what makes people become fighter pilots? Pilots who want to fly off and land on aircraft carriers?
These are special people, people many don't understand... kind of like Prince to tie back to other threads.
You don't have to like them, you don't have to respect them, but you damn sure don't have any right to pass judgement on them. We live in The USA, we have the Freedom to make our own choices and live our lives the way WE choose.
I agree with most of what you say - people are free to do as they please but when they do some of this stuff they put others in danger who have to go get them after say an avalanche - or if they get hurt in a dangerous area to retrieve them - it's like the people who refuse to leave when a hurricane comes and then call 911 in the middle of it to get rescued - you chose you fate so you are on your own..
Well spoken sir.
I do understand your point of you.
I do appreciate your response and discussion.
I am going to post something that I have a strong desire to do and yes, it could get me killed but oh the rush!!!
I'll post it on the weekend.
Yep, I'm sure people will take me to task.
All the best to you and yours sir.
Talk about surprises!
www.nbcnews.com
Skier rescued in Alaska backcountry after bear attack
A group of three was hiking up a mountain and unknowingly happened on the bear's den, troopers said.
www.nbcnews.com
Talk about surprises!
Skier rescued in Alaska backcountry after bear attack
A group of three was hiking up a mountain and unknowingly happened on the bear's den, troopers said.
Yes, I saw that too but forgot to post it.
If it ain't one thing, in the back-country, it's another!
But there-in lies you fallacy as well. The 'rescuers' chose their profession because that is their passion as well.
See we have people of all walks of life, of all various professions... it is what makes this country great.
Its the risk you take. Im getting older so I do not ski the back country as much as I used to. Sucks when people die, but they knew the risk. I climb a lot also, we lose guys every year. With both hobbies, it is people who are either crazy or too stupid the scale their progression. Both hobbies are relatively safe if you start slow and stay within your limits.
Close this content, you can also use the Escape key at anytime
Deaths highlight once-in-a-decade Rockies avalanche danger
This image provided by Colorado Avalanche Information Center shows an avalanche that killed an unidentified snowboarder on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, near the town of Winter Park in Colorado. The deaths of two Colorado men caught in avalanches and a third in Montana over the frigid Presidents Day weekend underscore the danger of backcountry conditions in the Rocky Mountains, where skiers and snowboarders risk triggering exceptionally weak layers of snow that are the most hazardous conditions in a decade (Colorado Avalanche Information Center via AP)
JAMES ANDERSON
Mon, February 15, 2021, 2:40 PM
DENVER (AP) — The deaths of two Colorado men caught in avalanches and a third in Montana over the frigid Presidents Day weekend show how backcountry skiers and others in the Rocky Mountain wilderness risk triggering weak layers of snow that have created the most hazardous conditions in a decade, forecasters say.
At least 25 people have been killed in avalanches in the United States so far this year — more than the 23 who died last winter. Typically, 27 people die in avalanches in the U.S. annually.
Avalanche forecasters say they have rarely seen the danger as high as it is now — and it will grow as more snow moves into the Rockies, adding weight and stress on a weak, granular base layer of snow that’s susceptible to breaking apart and triggering especially wide slides on steep slopes.
The main culprit is that ground layer of snow that dropped in October. A dry November weakened it, which is anywhere from several inches (centimeters) to several feet (meters) thick, and despite more snow falling, it's stayed the consistency of granular sugar, said Dave Zinn, an avalanche forecaster for the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center in southwestern Montana.
“That layer consists of large, sugary crystals that don’t bond together well. It’s impossible to make a snowball from it. And when it becomes weighted down, it becomes fragile and breaks,” bringing down the heavier layers on top of it, Zinn said.
“It’s the weakest link in the chain. When you pile on more snow, there’s always one spot that’s going to break,” said Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
On Sunday, backcountry skier Craig Kitto, 45, of Bozeman, Montana, was fatally injured when the forest slope he and a companion were climbing cracked without warning, collapsed and swept him downhill into a tree. The other person wasn't hurt.
Similar conditions may have led to the death of 57-year-old David Heide, a backcountry skier whose body was found in an avalanche debris field Sunday in central Colorado’s Clear Creek County. In neighboring Grand County, an avalanche carried a snowmobiler onto a frozen lake Sunday, and his body was found buried in snow. A coroner is investigating.
On Feb. 6, Utah saw its deadliest avalanche in about 30 years when four backcountry skiers in their 20s died and another four dug themselves out of a 1,000-foot (300-meter) slide east of Salt Lake City.
Several factors are at play in the rash of deaths: The snowpack, which can be affected by windstorms shifting and piling snow atop weak layers; weather conditions that can change rapidly in the high altitudes of the Rockies; and the availability of public lands in the U.S. West, where people often take advantage of easily accessible national forest.
In contrast, ski areas have long ensured their slopes are groomed, potential avalanches in their areas are triggered, and nearby backcountry areas are closed before the first customers hit the lift lines. It’s not uncommon for skiers at Colorado’s Loveland Ski Area to hear an occasional howitzer targeting danger-prone areas on wind-blown peaks approaching 13,000 feet (3,950 meters) along the Continental Divide.
“The ski patrols do lots of work to mitigate hazards,” Zinn said. “But in the backcountry, we have to be our own avalanche experts.”
Avalanche centers in Colorado, Montana and Utah, as well as the U.S. Forest Service National Avalanche Center, issue daily advisories on conditions and risk levels, as well as safety and training resources.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and the state parks and wildlife agency urged residents to check conditions this holiday weekend, citing the high danger. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued a special advisory Monday, warning that “large, wide and long-running natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely.”
Are people getting the message?
“That’s a hard one to answer,” Greene acknowledged Monday. “Yesterday was tragic, a horrible thing. We don’t know how many got the messages and pursued some other type of recreation. We don't know how many made it out safely.”
Forecasters emphasize standard precautions before heading into the backcountry:
— Have rescue gear: A beacon, a probe to check snow conditions, a shovel. Know how to use them.
— Check daily forecasts.
— Keep an eye out for recent avalanche activity.
— Take a guided tour.
— Don’t go it alone if possible. Make sure only one person in your party is in exposed terrain at any given time.
“The bottom line is that partner rescue is the only way we have positive outcomes in the backcountry,” Zinn said.
Record cold temperatures in much of the Rockies “reduce your margin for error,” Zinn added. "If you have an accident, minor injuries become serious ones, and serious ones become deadly with the compounding factor of hypothermia.”
Greene said that while there's adventure in the wildest parts of public lands, “having the freedom to go where you want comes the responsibility of taking care of yourself."
Deaths highlight once-in-a-decade Rockies avalanche danger
This image provided by Colorado Avalanche Information Center shows an avalanche that killed an unidentified snowboarder on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, near the town of Winter Park in Colorado. The deaths of two Colorado men caught in avalanches and a third in Montana over the frigid Presidents Day weekend underscore the danger of backcountry conditions in the Rocky Mountains, where skiers and snowboarders risk triggering exceptionally weak layers of snow that are the most hazardous conditions in a decade (Colorado Avalanche Information Center via AP)
JAMES ANDERSON
Mon, February 15, 2021, 2:40 PM
DENVER (AP) — The deaths of two Colorado men caught in avalanches and a third in Montana over the frigid Presidents Day weekend show how backcountry skiers and others in the Rocky Mountain wilderness risk triggering weak layers of snow that have created the most hazardous conditions in a decade, forecasters say.
At least 25 people have been killed in avalanches in the United States so far this year — more than the 23 who died last winter. Typically, 27 people die in avalanches in the U.S. annually.
Avalanche forecasters say they have rarely seen the danger as high as it is now — and it will grow as more snow moves into the Rockies, adding weight and stress on a weak, granular base layer of snow that’s susceptible to breaking apart and triggering especially wide slides on steep slopes.
The main culprit is that ground layer of snow that dropped in October. A dry November weakened it, which is anywhere from several inches (centimeters) to several feet (meters) thick, and despite more snow falling, it's stayed the consistency of granular sugar, said Dave Zinn, an avalanche forecaster for the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center in southwestern Montana.
“That layer consists of large, sugary crystals that don’t bond together well. It’s impossible to make a snowball from it. And when it becomes weighted down, it becomes fragile and breaks,” bringing down the heavier layers on top of it, Zinn said.
“It’s the weakest link in the chain. When you pile on more snow, there’s always one spot that’s going to break,” said Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
On Sunday, backcountry skier Craig Kitto, 45, of Bozeman, Montana, was fatally injured when the forest slope he and a companion were climbing cracked without warning, collapsed and swept him downhill into a tree. The other person wasn't hurt.
Similar conditions may have led to the death of 57-year-old David Heide, a backcountry skier whose body was found in an avalanche debris field Sunday in central Colorado’s Clear Creek County. In neighboring Grand County, an avalanche carried a snowmobiler onto a frozen lake Sunday, and his body was found buried in snow. A coroner is investigating.
On Feb. 6, Utah saw its deadliest avalanche in about 30 years when four backcountry skiers in their 20s died and another four dug themselves out of a 1,000-foot (300-meter) slide east of Salt Lake City.
Several factors are at play in the rash of deaths: The snowpack, which can be affected by windstorms shifting and piling snow atop weak layers; weather conditions that can change rapidly in the high altitudes of the Rockies; and the availability of public lands in the U.S. West, where people often take advantage of easily accessible national forest.
In contrast, ski areas have long ensured their slopes are groomed, potential avalanches in their areas are triggered, and nearby backcountry areas are closed before the first customers hit the lift lines. It’s not uncommon for skiers at Colorado’s Loveland Ski Area to hear an occasional howitzer targeting danger-prone areas on wind-blown peaks approaching 13,000 feet (3,950 meters) along the Continental Divide.
“The ski patrols do lots of work to mitigate hazards,” Zinn said. “But in the backcountry, we have to be our own avalanche experts.”
Avalanche centers in Colorado, Montana and Utah, as well as the U.S. Forest Service National Avalanche Center, issue daily advisories on conditions and risk levels, as well as safety and training resources.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and the state parks and wildlife agency urged residents to check conditions this holiday weekend, citing the high danger. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued a special advisory Monday, warning that “large, wide and long-running natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely.”
Are people getting the message?
“That’s a hard one to answer,” Greene acknowledged Monday. “Yesterday was tragic, a horrible thing. We don’t know how many got the messages and pursued some other type of recreation. We don't know how many made it out safely.”
Forecasters emphasize standard precautions before heading into the backcountry:
— Have rescue gear: A beacon, a probe to check snow conditions, a shovel. Know how to use them.
— Check daily forecasts.
— Keep an eye out for recent avalanche activity.
— Take a guided tour.
— Don’t go it alone if possible. Make sure only one person in your party is in exposed terrain at any given time.
“The bottom line is that partner rescue is the only way we have positive outcomes in the backcountry,” Zinn said.
Record cold temperatures in much of the Rockies “reduce your margin for error,” Zinn added. "If you have an accident, minor injuries become serious ones, and serious ones become deadly with the compounding factor of hypothermia.”
Greene said that while there's adventure in the wildest parts of public lands, “having the freedom to go where you want comes the responsibility of taking care of yourself."
Latest report on the East Vail death.
Report details factors in East Vail slide that killed one
EAGLE — Vail local Johnny Kuo, an experienced backcountry skier who was a regular in the East Vail Chutes, felt he was in a safe zone when he was engulfed by snow in the...
www.summitdaily.com
The death toll keeps rising.
Be careful out there.
www.vaildaily.com
Be careful out there.
Snowboarder, snowmobiler killed in two separate Colorado avalanches on Sunday
The death toll from avalanches in Colorado climbed to 10 on Sunday.
www.vaildaily.com
The death toll keeps rising.
Be careful out there.
Snowboarder, snowmobiler killed in two separate Colorado avalanches on Sunday
The death toll from avalanches in Colorado climbed to 10 on Sunday.
Hopefully, snow-bunny boy was not one of them.
The hits keep coming. Very dangerous and deadly year. Ties for the worst on record for CO. Pretty much sure to break that record. Be careful out there.
www.vaildaily.com
Avalanche-trained dog locates body of snowmobiler killed in Jackson County slide
Editor’s note: The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at coloradosun.com.
www.vaildaily.com
Avalanches are actually eco-healthy. Much like wildfires, the massive banks of snow help clear mountainsides of excess vegetation and ignorant skiers.
Life springs anew.
Blow by blow description of a March 22 death not far from me.
www.vaildaily.com
Report details fatal avalanche near Beaver Creek
A report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center published Monday details the circumstances that led to the death of local backcountry adventurer Gary Smith near Beaver Creek on March 22.
www.vaildaily.com
Those poor evergreen trees getting snapped like a freshly used toothpick
Son 1 says s... it G. Greetings from big sky b tch
Just make sure son 1 stays on the approved trails sir.
B tch out!
Baby Shark do do do do do do....I wouldn’t be so quick to put this in the avalanche category. Soooo many possibilities..............
