Random Thought Thread

Murphjd25 said:
16 avalanche deaths this year so far. Dang 😔
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It’s pretty sad when people ignore “high risk of avalanche” warnings and wind up paying the ultimate price.

Coastal areas see the same issues when they try to warn people about staying out of the water in certain areas, or due to inclement weather, but people ignore those and wind up drowning.
 
bluemax_1 said:
It’s pretty sad when people ignore “high risk of avalanche” warnings and wind up paying the ultimate price.

Coastal areas see the same issues when they try to warn people about staying out of the water in certain areas, or due to inclement weather, but people ignore those and wind up drowning.
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I know, I’ll still go out but I sure as hell ain’t high marking or going up any sketchy hills on those days. I’ll stay in the open meadows. My cousin almost got swallowed in one in Idaho last week. He’s lucky to be alive, but he’s also crazier then me lol.
 
Murphjd25 said:
I know, I’ll still go out but I sure as hell ain’t high marking or going up any sketchy hills on those days. I’ll stay in the open meadows. My cousin almost got swallowed in one in Idaho last week. He’s lucky to be alive, but he’s also crazier then me lol.
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The thing is, they’re pretty good at estimating avalanche risks nowadays. A layer of loose, granular snow, then heavy snowpack on top of that = high risk of a bad avalanche.

The other crazy thing is, available tech nowadays. If someone really wants to take those risks, they have those self inflating avalanche airbags, that can greatly reduce the risk of being buried deep enough to asphyxiate.

As old Mr Miyagi put it, though, “Best defense; no be there”
 
ferider said:
Serious question: in the Alps, I used to carry an avalanche beep - these things save many lives. Do people do this here ? Never heard of it here.
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Yes, there are EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) specifically meant for avalanche location. They tend to help more in more highly frequented areas, where rescuers can respond to an avalanche quickly to find buried victims faster, before they expire (vs the old school approach of a row of people with snow probes).

With backcountry skiing, like in these incidents though, they’re more likely to come in handy to find the bodies.

The avalanche airbags greatly increase the likelihood of staying near the surface, so the person can self rescue.
 
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bluemax_1 said:
Yes, there are EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) specifically meant for avalanche location. They tend to help more in more highly frequented areas, where rescuers can respond to an avalanche quickly, to find buried victims faster, before they expire (vs the old school approach of a row of people with snow probes).

With backcountry skiing, like in these incidents though, they’re more likely to come in handy to find the bodies.

The avalanche airbags greatly increase the likelihood of staying near the surface, so the person can self rescue.
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I guess that explains it: helicopter rescue (always with dogs) is fast in the alps (smaller / more populated compared to many areas in the US).

I know about the airbags. They didn't exist back then ....
 
ferider said:
Serious question: in the Alps, I used to carry an avalanche beep - these things save many lives. Do people do this here ? Never heard of it here.
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Yes most people use them here nowadays. I finally got one. I still don’t have a avi bag though, can’t justify the cost of one. Hopefully I’m found by friends before it’s too late.
 
Casinostocks said:
I try to be a neutral arbiter and while I fond some of the words used by the Englanders baffling, there are also some American versions which do not make sense to me. High on the list is your "biscuit" which is naturally a scone! Never managed to wrap my head around that one, TBH!
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Don’t take it too hard. Having traveled extensively, even I tend to mix in terms from other places.

It’s even more confusing when different areas of the US, have their own different colloquialisms (eg. What do locals call a carbonated beverage? Soda? Pop? Coke?).

Is that winter head covering a stocking cap, watch cap, toboggan, toboggan cap, beanie?
 
bluemax_1 said:
Don’t take it too hard. Having traveled extensively, even I tend to mix in terms from other places.

It’s even more confusing when different areas of the US, have their own different colloquialisms (eg. What do locals call a carbonated beverage? Soda? Pop? Coke?).

Is that winter head covering a stocking cap, watch cap, toboggan, toboggan cap, beanie?
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Don't forget about the toque, eh?
 
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