Avalanche awareness

[alp75]

Hey guys, I know that some of you spend time in the back country during the winter months, many of you don't, but many of you have friends that do. Please take the time to remind them of the extreme avalanche danger that is persistent in the back country right now. It is an extremely dangerous time to be on or near any slopes approaching 30 degrees or more. Christmas eve two young lives were lost and tonight a good friend of mine lost his 15 year old son in an avalanche. All avalanche deaths are avoidable. I can't imagine losing one of my boys, friends, or other family members. Please pass on the information to any of your friends or family that spend time in the back country during the winter months.

 

[apollosmith]

15 deaths in less than 10 days in the Rockies. This is totally out of control. The back country avy danger is worse than I've EVER seen it. If you must go snowmobiling or whatever, please be VERY careful and if it looks like the hill might slide once a century, chances are this is the year it will happen. Be safe!

 

[MuskegMan]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-30-08 AT 11:40AM (MST)[p]Looks like 18 deaths in the last couple of weeks.

http://www.avalanche.org/av-reports/index.html

They are still looking for another snow machiner in B.C.

I've taken avvy training with my son, who does a bit of backcountry and out-of-bounds skiing.

w/o a beacon and shovel and at least one partner w/same, you're pretty much screwed.

Local ski area is putting in a "beacon park" where you can practice locating buried beacons. I great idea. I need to put my training time in pronto.