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There is something that puzzled me last weekend when I was digging a snowpit and would like to hear what others do in the same situation.

After you dig a snowpit, do you cover it up or leave it the way it was when you finished?

After I got some worrying results last Sat, I left my snowpit as it was as a warning to the people that might came thinking to ski down the slope after me.There was a depth hoar/facets layer that was failing even wile cutting the column to do some compression test and staff. After seeing that, I turned around and skied on top of a ridge inside the trees avoiding at all open slopes.

Apparently someone almost fell in the pit and had that happened I would feel worst than the person that got physically hurt.

Still I thought that it would be great source of information for someone that knows what I had been up against in that pit, so I took the decision not to cover it. Still, I should had at least mark it somehow so that someone did not accidentally ski over it.

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I would recommend you put a few death spikes at the bottom of the hole in order to make sure that the unlucky sod who falls into it impales him/herself and does not make it out of it alive. There are too many people in the BC anyway. ;\)

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your snowpit is a hazard in the back country? Crickey, how big is it?

 

Honestly, as a skier, i would prefer you leave it empty. i will dig my own, but if you bury it, then it gets buffed out by wind, I won't know where to dig to find an undisturbed batch of snow.

 

the bc is a pretty big place, I've never given it a thought, actually.

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I recognize that it was a mistake not to cover it, I was just too eager to help.

 

ps: As a kid I used to dig pits in the sand at the beach, cover them and waited to see people fall in... :p

Mom said she had hard time controlling me.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by tsondaboy:
After I got some worrying results last Sat, I left my snowpit as it was as a warning to the people that might came thinking to ski down the slope after me.
I always bury it, mainly by shovelling snow back in that I dug out and collapsing the top and sides in a bit. It would still suck to ski into it but not as bad as an open hole. Leaving it might be valuable if someone came past in the next few minutes, but the newly exposed snow will often quickly change to make the pit walls useless anyway. E.g. if you dug a pit on a south slope with direct sun on the wall and someone came past the next day do you think the exposed wall would reflect what's happening below the surface in buried layers?
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 Quote:
Originally posted by Legion:
E.g. if you dug a pit on a south slope with direct sun on the wall and someone came past the next day do you think the exposed wall would reflect what's happening below the surface in buried layers?
Thanks Legion, that’s a really good point. I didn’t give much thought about it.
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Same thing will happen to a lesser extent with a shaded pit exposed to air. E.g. right down at the ground interface is usually 0°C, right? Well say it was -10°C or -20°C air temperature when you dug the pit. That's a big difference you're exposing the snow down there to from it's insulated (buried) state. It won't change instantly, but it will change fairly rapidly. The sun on a south facing slope is the most obvious though - the next day it'll probably be melted then refrozen to a wall of ice.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by montoya:
my two cents: it was not fun cleaning up that pit on Sunday, took us 15 minutes among 3 people. please use more common sense next time.
I thought you were joking but apparently not. You guys must be slow diggers. That's a pretty small pit that wouldn't take the pit digger more than 5-10min alone.

And I usually try to pick a location that's not likely to be skied. E.g. I wouldn't dig a pit in the middle of a prime chute or slope. I'd pick a spot above or below a rock or tree, as close as possible to a representative depth (i.e. not so close that you're over shallow rocks). That way you can leave your pit and no-one should ever ski into it.
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There is not smoke without a fire.

I did that pit on a slope that sees heavy traffic, but of course not in the middle of the slope. I picked a location about 5 m down from the tree area were people stop to rest and regroup, and not on the main path down but in an area that is mostly used for hiking up. Some people use it also for going down but it is not the most popular spot.

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Ok, I am posting some picks so that we don’t vaguely speak about a pit.

 

I did the pit about where the arrow points, in the area where the tracks start.

This pick is taken early in the morning so we did the first tracks at the far left side of the slope, skiers right if you are going down.

befor.jpg

 

This is how the slope looks in the afternoon taken from a bit different angle, clearly there are many people using it.

You can see the trees close to where the pit was at the side left corner.

after.jpg

 

 

I am not a kid that will do the opposite from what is being told only because it is being scolded. I understand that leaving a pit open it is a potential danger for someone that is charging down a slope without first taking a look what’s below him and plan his root. I also understand that is not the nicest thing to leave a mess and expect others to clean up after you. I will definitely be more careful in the future and cover up the area where I have worked.

 

Still it is not a very diplomatic way to say to someone “cover your pit because its common sense” and definitely it is not a friendly way to say it.

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Tsonda you did your compression test etc? So was there about 40cm of fluff on the top? Although your pit was 1.5m deep, I think I few rider would be able to recover from a 1.1m drop into more pow, moguls are that size with no give. Also I am sure you left tracks around it and it was visible, people on such a slope are avoiding tracks trying to make their own line so I doubt many people would fall into your devious boobie trap.

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I see no problem with your pit location, except it's not really representative of the slope below (from the picture anyway) so compression and/or rutschblock tests might not be as accurate as lower down. But to get an idea of layering or do a shear test, sure.

 

If other people's pits bother you, surely the 100+ tracks would bother you too. Maybe it's time to find a less popular area or get up earlier.

 

I feel no responsibility towards filling in my pits, although I do a quick job as mentioned. In terms of backcountry etiquette, I'm far more concerned with (a) other people causing me danger by dropping in above me (like in the picture) and (B) people postholing skintracks, which I will always tell people off about. I don't even care if I see people with no gear, although I'll avoid them so if something happens I don't have to waste time probing for them if they've got no transceiver (I know some people get very bothered to see others without gear).

 

Pits will generally be up the top of a slope so you can see them and avoid them before you're going too fast. If someone dug one halfway down a slope or near the bottom and I hit it, sure I'd be upset, but what's the point of digging a pit down there?

 

To me, the pit thing is a non-issue. Fill it in or leave it, I personally don't care.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by montoya:
samurai, it's not exactly in the deep wilderness. on the weekends that area probably sees +100 people up there. Can you imagine what it'd be like if everyone dug a pit and left it open?
yeah, I can imagine what it would be like... if they all left their 100 pits, I would know where to look for a good sample that hasn't been disturbed and then burried, then buffed out by the wind, giving me a false sample of the snowpack.

I consider you covering your pit as being discourteous to fellow riders. mad.gif

"somebody might fall into it." = GAY :rolleyes:

covering your pee in the snow is respectful, covering your pit is deceiving us. get over it. ;\)
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I say again if you felt that it was dangerous to be there you get off the slope and dont worry about filling it in.

 

When you can you should fill them in.

 

I do pits on the slope that I want to ski many times. I dont care if it wrecks that slope for a strom cycle.

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I think it is common sense to fill in your pit. You dug a hole, why would you leave it? yes, people can fall in. Samurai you want to take your samples from someone else's pit?? or you're scared that you'll dig in the exact same spot as someone did a couple of days before? what are the odds?

Tsondaboy didn't you guys fill in your pits on the evergreen course? we did. the reason we were told was precisely 'so that someone doesn't fall in'.

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