Thundercat 60 Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Sad news but it seems that there has already been an avalanche casualty this winter. Quote: Man killed after avalanche strikes group of skiers, snowboarders Tuesday 30th November, 02:22 PM JST TOYAMA — One man died and four others were injured Tuesday after a group of six skiers and snowboarders became caught in an avalanche on a mountain in central Japan. A 32-year-old company employee from Tokyo, Hiroshi Takeda, died in the accident that occurred shortly before 9 a.m. while the six were climbing the northern slope of 2,621-meter Mt. Kunimi in the Tateyama Mountain Range, according to Toyama prefectural police. Two men are in serious condition and two others sustained injuries that are not life-threatening, they said. Keep your head up and stay safe! Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Yup. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 +1 Considerable danger out there NOW. Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Have just seen this on the evening news. A bloody good reminder that i need to go on an avi course and sort myself out with a transceiver!! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Good reminder to me to stick with the slack country, I am not prepared for the ramifications of a bad decision in the back country. I got kids to raise. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Just watched this on the news Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Originally Posted By: Mamabear Good reminder to me to stick with the slack country, I am not prepared for the ramifications of a bad decision in the back country. I got kids to raise. Avies occur there and within resort boundaries as well (though patrol typically closes off areas when conditions are prime so cases are few but...), thinking like that is what gets people into dangerous situations. Bad decisions occur everywhere. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Yeah sod the kids Mamabear. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Originally Posted By: Creek Boy Originally Posted By: Mamabear Good reminder to me to stick with the slack country, I am not prepared for the ramifications of a bad decision in the back country. I got kids to raise. Avies occur there and within resort boundaries as well (though patrol typically closes off areas when conditions are prime so cases are few but...), thinking like that is what gets people into dangerous situations. Bad decisions occur everywhere. Yeah. I know (about avies occurring anywhere). But ya gotta admit the guidance is usually there within the resort. And if ropes are closed I am not ducking anyway. The level of skill required to get out safely goes up significantly when you start hiking it. I don't think I am prepared. Therefore I wont go there. Enough people with loads of skill and experience get caught out - I reckon getting plenty of experience at making good decisions in slack country/out gates/inbounds is the best preparation for making good decisions in the real back country. Is that not intelligent (if cautious) thinking? Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 hopefully just got your guys (well HokkPowTours) to try and pencil in dates for an AST B course around 11th and 12th january. Just got to find a cheap beacon, a cheap shovel, a cheap bakpack, cheap probe (and some cheap trekking shoes and cheap poles and/or cheap splitboard) and im all set! well, that and cheap food, and a cheap map, and a cheap compass, and a cheap course on learning to not get lost reading a map, and a cheap snow checking kit, and a cheap everything in the whole damn world that i havent thought of... oooh! a first aid kit! and something for insulation :| Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Don't worry about it too much MB. Stick to some of the easier to access gates at Niseko and you should be fine. People love to carry on about safety but let's face it there's not been an avi death in Niseko since 1998 and that's after literally 1000's and 1000's of people skiing the slackcountry out through the gates and off the peak. Most who have no gear whatsoever or any avie knowledge. That's pretty damned safe in my opinion. I think it's more risky me driving to Hanazono from Kutchan than skiing off the peak without avi gear. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 I'm all for safety GN. And I am not doing stuff that isn't within reason. Not a big risk taker, me! I am not worried about Niseko. Happy to stick to Miharashi, Strawberries, a few of the gates, and if we get the right conditions, the peak. But thanks for the encouragement. I was getting keen to do some bigger stuff, but I am really getting a buzz still with the things we have already done. No need to increase the risk just to say it has been done, is there. This thread was just a reminder for me that for us it is all about fun and sticking with what we know and are comfortable is within our skill parameters. Link to post Share on other sites
mitchpee 10 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Utah has already had two deaths from avy's so far...not a good start to the season. Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 It is always good to be reminded that we aren't invincible. That there are repercussions for actions. There are lots of people who would mourn anyones death (Hopefully). And I don't think it would be a very nice way to die unless of course you were really old and were about to die anyway and you went out in a blaze of glory. Stay safe Seemore Link to post Share on other sites
panhead_pete 27 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Plenty risks inbounds from non avi stuff too. Guy died on the glacier when I was there 2 weeks ago, broken neck. Really sad. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Around 3000 people die every day in car accidents. A timely reminder to be safe on those roads guys! It's so sad, etc, etc... Link to post Share on other sites
gnarly-dude 1 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 You're just nowhere near gnarly enough, Mamabear. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Around 1,100 people die each day from slipping over in their bath or shower. A timely reminder to be careful whilst washing people! And if you shower/bath more than once a day you are increasing your risk greatly. Wash less to live longer!! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Link to post Share on other sites
best skier in hakuba 5 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Ahhh, but what percentage of people take a bath or shower compared to the percentage of people who partake in winter sports? Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 In the UK, probably about the same Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Originally Posted By: best skier in hakuba Ahhh, but what percentage of people take a bath or shower compared to the percentage of people who partake in winter sports? Ahhh who the hell cares? I just get amused that with just about every avie death somewhere in the world we always need to get 'timely reminders'. Just getting out of bed having a shower and driving to work is pretty damned dangerous. It's not like we post about about every death from slipping in the shower or every car accident that results in a fatality every day do we? 10's of thousands of people die every single day oftentimes in the most ridiculous ways. Most we never hear about or couldn't care less about, some we even make fun of in things like the Darwin Awards. Avie deaths worldwide each year would be what? Barely a few hundred people? Not even as many that die each and every day from something as mundane as slipping in the shower. I just don't get why we need to have timely reminders every time someone dies in the mountains. Sure it can be dangerous out there. Thanks for pointing it out, I never realised skiing could be dangerous! Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 Make light of it all you want GN but the reason for starting this thread is to remind people to be safe. It's not to scare people into being less adventurous or to say that you are going to die in an avalanche while skiing this winter, etc etc. We take risk in everything we do but that doesn't mean we need to be reckless. The argument you are putting forward is a little strange I think. It's like saying, hey, only 3 matadors die fighting bulls every year so it's obviously not that risky to pick up a red cape and jump in the bull ring (because more people die in car accidents, you know!). Personally, I'm one of those people that likes to take risks... but that doesn't mean they aren't calculated risks. I try to make sure my actions don't effect others and if an accident does happen I'm prepared to accept responsibility for it. The same can't be said for a lot of other adventurous people. Link to post Share on other sites
best skier in hakuba 5 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 I was just kidding really. BUT. You know, you can usually carve out whatever the heck you want from statistics. You being anyone of course. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Originally Posted By: big-will In the UK, probably about the same Hey, I'm sure that more than half of the people I know back home have a shower or bath at least once a week!! Link to post Share on other sites
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