Backcountry Beacon

Everyone loves fresh powder and solitude, but not everybody loves hiking for hours to enjoy a sliver of untouched pow. This is why skiers started rigging up rope-tows powered by dilapidated tractors back in the day. But with chairlifts come crowds, and with crowds come antsy skiers and boarders looking for that next stash of pow. These days, passholders can often step just outside the resort boundaries into the “sidecountry” for pristine snow and untouched bliss, and then simply ride back to the lifts for another lap. With this easily accessible terrain just outside the gates, it seems that skiers and riders can have their cake and eat it too: fresh, unspoiled pow with little to no hiking. But at what risk? If done right, sidecountry—or slackcountry—skiing rewards us with potentially dream-like conditions. It’s like the poor man’s heli-skiing: you drive a car to a mountain pass or ride the lift up to a backcountry access point, then make fresh pow turns all the way down. And then repeat the process until your legs give out. But when we leave the resort—and even when we’re in the resort—once we venture off the groomed trail, things can easily go very wrong.

2008 – 2009 Season

Date	Location	State	Description	Link
12/27	Jackson Hole	WY	2 inbounds skiers caught, 1 buried and killed	Avalanche.org report
12/25	Squaw Valley	CA	1 inbounds skier caught, buried, and killed	Avalanche.org report
12/17	Northwest of Crested Butte	CO	1 snowboarder caught, buried, and killed	CAIC report
12/14	Near Aspen Ski Area	CO	1 skier caught, buried, and killed	CAIC report
12/14	Snowbird Ski Area	UT	1 inbounds skier caught, buried, and killed	Avalanche.org report

(Source: Colorado Avalanche Information Center,

http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub/accidents_us.php)

As of January 15^th, during the 2008-09 season alone the U.S. has seen 5 avalanche deaths of skiers and snowboarders inside and outside of ski resorts, a third of last year’s total. This begs a few important questions: where do we draw the line between resort and out-of-bounds terrain? How do we proceed in those areas? If you hike to it, but it’s technically inbounds, do you need a transceiver? Should you always carry avie gear, inbounds or out?

First, let’s get one thing out of the way: if you travel outside the resort boundaries—sidecountry, backcountry, whatever—if you’re even thinking about it, you absolutely must carry a beacon, shovel, and probe. Period. These three pieces of gear represent the absolute bare minimum for backcountry travel. Don’t be that weekend warrior in Loveland or that tourist in Jackson or that teenager in the Wasatch who ignorantly drops into avalanche terrain without any gear. If you do, you’re endangering yourself, those around you, and everyone who might be enlisted to come save you in the event of an accident.

Second, just because you have the latest beacon and a shiny new Avalung, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re any safer. The most expensive gear is useless if you don’t know how to use it. Regular practice conducting transceiver searches, probing, and digging are essential to staying safe in the avalanche zones. Even so, “experienced” backcountry travelers are the most at risk. Such riders are often blinded by their own perceived expertise and are more willing to take risks, particularly when skiing with groups of equally knowledgeable partners. So beware the dreaded groupthink, respect the mountain, practice avalanche scenarios, and learn as much as you can about the terrain.

The best investment an aspiring backcountry rider can make beyond the initial gear purchase is to take at least an Avalanche 1 course. These courses usually consist of one or two classroom sessions and two days in the field putting the book learning into practice. An avie course will provide you with the basic skills to use your gear and a starting point from which to begin the lifetime learning process of staying safe in avalanche terrain. At the very least, you will emerge from a course knowing what you don’t know, and a wanting to learn more.

Beyond the avalanche problem, sidecountry zones make us think we can ski more aggressively, and take more risks. We won’t need that emergency gear, extra clothing, food, or water. After all, a ski patrol sled and first aid is just a stone’s throw away, right? We often forget or neglect to realize that a bone fracture that would be a simple ski patrol call inside the resort can quickly become a life-threatening situation just outside the boundaries. In these situations, we may as well be miles deep into the backcountry.

And the inbounds pow-stashes? Well, those present a unique and dangerous set of challenges. The most prominent of which is the false sense of security that comes with being close to the resort. You can see buildings, lifts, people, and cars; you feel safer than riding in a remote wilderness area. But in reality, this probably is not the case. Ski patrol can never make everything 100% safe. All it takes is being at the wrong place at the wrong time. In an avalanche burial scenario, a victim’s chance of survival drops precipitously after fifteen minutes under the snow (Source: Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, Bruce Tremper, 2001). And it can often take at least fifteen minutes for ski patrol or search and rescue to arrive on scene, and it usually takes a matter of hours if not days or longer, to recover your body if you’re not wearing a beacon. You do the math.

Bottom Line:

All backcountry and slackcountry missions demand a beacon, probe, and shovel at the very least. Many avalanche experts strongly recommend carrying climbing skins and freeheel bindings of some kind each time you venture into the backcountry. The ability to travel uphill efficiently can mean the difference from digging out a grateful companion and conducting a body recovery. Another useful tool is a snowsaw for digging pits and evaluating the snowpack as well as sawing through rock-hard avalanche rubble. An inclinometer and compass help you accurately measure slope angle and aspect, key information in evaluating a route’s avalanche hazard. Extra food, clothing, and water can save lives if an incident leaves you out in the elements longer than planned. A first aid kit and some parachute cord and/or duct tape to turn skis and packs into a rudimentary rescue sled also come highly recommended.

When you’re inbounds, wearing a transceiver can never hurt and could save your life. Sure, maybe you don’t need it when conditions are rock hard, but you just never know. And considering that you probably dropped over $300 on the thing, you might as well get your money’s worth. For those who don’t own a beacon, gear equipped with RECCO reflectors is the next best option. RECCO is a distant second in terms of effectiveness in locating lost or buried victims when compared to beacon searching, but every little bit helps and loads of companies are including reflectors as standard features on their products these days. Most importantly, remember that just because you’re inside a resort boundary doesn’t mean you are 100% safe all the time. Traveling in steep, avalanche prone terrain demands caution, prudence, and preparedness no matter where you are.

Beacons:

Backcountry Access Tracker DTS – This beacon is a classic. Sets the standard as an intuitive, simple, user-friendly, no frills standby.

Pieps DSP Smart Transmitter – The original all-digital triple-antenna beacon (if you don’t know what we’re talking about, just trust us when we say it’s sweet). Excellent multiple-burial features.

Mammut Pulse Barryvox — With a 360 degree directional indicator, this beeper lets you go straight to the victim without following flux lines or grid searching. The motion sensor lets your rescuers know you’re alive should you find yourself buried.

Shovels:

Black Diamond Deploy 3 Shovel – This shovel takes a whole new approach to telescoping design and compacts to 17.3 x 8.5-inch package, handle and all. No more messing around with separate parts or jammed buttons. And it weighs in at just 20oz. A great lightweight choice of slackcountry bandits carrying smaller packs.

Backcountry Access Chugach Pro EXT Shovel – Big shovel blades move big loads of snow. With a 12.5 x 11.5-inch blade, this shovel rules for building kickers and snow caves, digging snow pits, and conducting rescues. It’s an avalanche professional favorite. Looking for serious shoveling power? Look no further.

G3 Spadetech Shovel – A traditional, simple, and burly design make this shovel a winner. The rounded, low-profile blade cuts through avalanche rubble, TIG welds provide durability, and the lightweight, compact design fits nicely in your pack.

Probes:

Backcountry Access Carbon 260 Avalanche Probe – This probe uses carbon fiber onstruction to give you long reach (8 feet, 6 inches) without weighing a ton. The Quickie tensioning system means you can get this probe ready for action in seconds. A great choice for those who routinely go on longer tours or climb lots of vert.

Ortovox 320cm Steel Pro Avalanche Probe – No B.S. steel construction means killer durability. It may weigh a bit more, but unlike carbon this probe won’t break or deflect in hard avalanche debris.

Black Diamond QuickDraw Guide Probe 300 – Made of aluminum, this extra-long probe mixes light weight with durability and is ideal for skiing in regions with deep snowpacks. The one-motion deployment design means super fast setup.

Extras:

G3 Bonesaw – Snow saws make digging pit profiles and conducting stability test much easier. This one includes a crystal card on the blade for more advanced snow analysis and can be attached to a ski pole or probe for use cutting cornices. Snow saws also help moving rock-hard avalanche debris by letting you cut blocks for removal. You can even cut wood in emergency situations.

Black Diamond Avalung – The Avalung lets buried victims breathe longer under by expelling poisonous carbon dioxide away from the airway and drawing oxygen out of the surrounding snow. This innovative device has been proven to increase victim’s chances of surviving a burial. Don’t believe us? Click here for some amazing footage of the Avalung in action.

Brunton 15TDCL Mirrored Compass – Classic compass lets you accurately read maps, plot courses, and generally not get totally lost in the backcountry. The slope meter lets you measure slope angle, which combined with aspect make up two of the most import pieces of information in assessing a slope’s avalanche hazard.

Useful Links:

BCA Education – Great resources for proper search and digging techniques

Avalanche.org

Utah Avalanche Center

Forest Service National Avalanche Center

Required Reading:

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain – Bruce Tremper

The ABCs of Avalanche Safety – Sue Ferguson and Edward LaChapelle

Snow Sense: A Guide to Evaluating Snow Avalanche Hazard – Jill Fredston and Doug Fesler

Free Skiing – How to Adapt to the Mountain – Jimmy Oden