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The auto-revert feature could be useful but I don't think beginners or people unfamiliar with their beacons should be using it. A beacon going back to transmit and messing up a search is a far bigger risk than a second avalanche. It’s one more thing you have to remember in the crazy stress of a rescue situation; you are not going to be thinking clearly. Time is extremely critical so this could potentially make the difference between life and death for the buried victim.

 

Another thing to consider is that the safety of the rescuers comes first. The first thing you have to do is assess whether the area is safe before doing a rescue. If there is a high risk of a second avalanche burying the rescuers, you probably shouldn’t attempt a rescue. If the rescuers get buried, who is going to rescue them? You could get someone to not join the rescue and just keep a watch out for any other avalanches coming and warn the rescuers if one does. Whether the rescuers would be able to outrun another avalanche is another matter. These are hard decisions but things would only get worse if more people end up buried.

 

This is why making the right decisions before getting into an avalanche in the backcountry is so crucial. Self rescue using a beacon, probe and shovel just isn’t very effective. If you make poor terrain choices and end up in a terrain trap, you would most likely be buried so deep that there would be very little chance of you being alive when you get dug out. Only 4% of people who were alive when dug out were buried below 2 m.

 

If you are alive when you get dug out, that is just the beginning. You may have lost your skis / board or have injuries, either of which could prevent you from being able to move through the terrain. How are you going to get back to civilisation and get medical support?

 

Avalanches are avoidable so just don’t risk it if you aren’t sure about the stability of a slope. It’s not worth it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

"Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain" by Bruce Tremper is what most people consider the "bible".

 

http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/1594850844

 

It's worth having a look on the web too as there's some fantastic online avalanche resources e.g. http://www.avalanche...g/online-course

 

http://www.avalanche.net.nz/education/Online-Avalanche-Course/Intro.asp

 

http://utahavalanchecenter.org/tutorials

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@ seemore, you need more than a book. focused education and experience, lots of experience. there are no shortcuts.

Go to nz or canada and do an avalance course. there any many courses run during each winter.

 

you seem like a nice guy, I dont wont to be on the end of a shovel digging you out because you or somone in your party made a bad decision.

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yeah I don't really venture out of bounds but when we were riding last year gozaimaas pointed out a crack that I would have ridden over so just a bit of knowledge would be a good start.

on what to look out for.

Maybe a trip to NZ may be on the cards in few years when I retire and need something to occupy my time

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i did the 4 day avalanche course in NZ which covers ast1&2. i highly recommend it. you're actually out in the field all day everyday and then discuss things further at night in the hut.

also you can actually find the ast1 course on youtube

another video series which is really good is throttle decisions on vimeo. its geared towards sleds but all the information is the basically the same.

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You can take Avalanche Safety Trainling (AST) level 1 and 2 in Japan, both in Hakuba and Niseko. I don't know about AST 2 but you can take AST 1 in Australia as well. They are all the Canadian model course. You don't need to go to NZ or Canada to take the recreational level courses (though that would be fun too).

 

I would highly recommend getting AST 1.

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^^^ Wrong.

 

You don't get avi education for the certificate. It is for obtaining knowledge and then gaining experience of applying that knowledge in the field: doing a realistic rescue practice, for example. One of the most important parts of dealing with avalanche hazard is terrain management. This can't be taught in books or videos, you have to get experience travelling through the BC safely, preferably with somebody with a lot of backcountry experience. Watching a video doesn't give you any experience, only knowledge.

 

If you want to gain knowledge, videos are a good place to start. Even better is to go through the free online course that the Canadian Avalanche Association does and / or read Bruce Tremper's Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. This is just a start, however, you have to apply that knowledge in the backcountry and gain experience. In fact, most of the avalanche safety videos make a point of saying that the video is not enough and that you need to get some education.

 

If you end up not taking the course, watching the videos and reading up on avalanches is better than nothing. Just don't expect that to be anywhere near equal to the experience you will gain taking an actual avalanche safety course.

 

Not wanting to miss ski days by taking a course is a problem, especially if you are on are short holiday. The course is still really fun though and there is a different pleasure you can get from improving your avalanche awareness and travelling more safely in the backcountry. Maybe do it a different year in a different place where you don't have to travel from Rusutsu to Niseko to do the course. Maybe spend some time in Niseko or Hakuba, where they do courses.

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you dont need to tell me any of that. i already recommended the 4 day course in NZ. everyone else has already said what you've said.

 

im simply saying if he's not gonna do the actual course, why not watch it online which for day 1 of ast1 is sitting in a classroom listening to a guy talk. 95% of the experience.

day 2 is the only difference and you still gain tons of knowledge watching them dig the pits etc.

 

its far better watching the whole ast1 course on youtube than not watching it at all.

 

how is that wrong.

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Haha, except I 'aint an avi educator. No extra pocket money for me unfortunately.

 

Please fogive the tendencies of a pedant. I wasn't trying to tell this stuff to you. Instead it was directed at the other people reading this thread without avi education who might have gotten the wrong idea from your post.

 

I agree that watching the videos is better than nothing and I even said that in my post above as well. Saying that you get 95% of the experience of the course from watching a video is just a misrepresentation, however. Agreed, day 1 is just gaining knowledge as it is normally just a lecture and could be learned by reading, and probably in more depth too. Day 2 is in the field though and you can only gain experience by doing it, not watching a video. That's pretty self explanatory. So you don't really gain any of the experience watching it, just the knowledge. We are arguing semantics, but it is still important to make the distinction.

 

Better than taking a course, which is only really a very basic starting point, would be to find a friend who is experienced in the backcountry and willing to go touring with you. Experience of making good decisions in the backcountry far outweighs any learning from a book or in a classroom. The alternative is booking some time with a qualified backcountry guide but that could get expensive.

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  • 4 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

just wanted to share that during a beacon test in greenland with my team that my old bca tracker was by far the worst performing beacon compared to everyone elses new ones.

im definitely upgrading to a newer one.

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In the end, bought a Mammut Baryvox Element beacon. It was highly recommended to me by friends, plus in sale a few weeks ago (when I bought it).

 

Next, probe and shovel!

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  • 3 months later...

Great work Sapporo!

 

I've also just kitted out with a beacon. One for me, one for PB.

Pieps dsp Pro.

Also got a backcountry pack, probe and shovel for PB for Fathers Day.

I've got a pack....hoping someone buys me the probe and shovel for Christmas :D

 

Hope I never need them :)

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