Backcountry Access - Latest Comments

Re: An AK April

Rita Damico — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:20:55 -0000

this is so awesome.

Re: An AK April

Kerbeck11@msn.com — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:14:37 -0000

Reading your blog and seeing the pictures makes me want to go on an adventure.
You guys are so lucky. The force was with you. love, kathy

Re: An AK April

Kaz4snow — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:33:01 -0000

Yeah guys- you rocked it! Alaska blew my mind and forever raised the bar. If we don't backpack together this summer, then I have a feeling we will reunite in Alaska someday! I felt so much safer on those insanely intimidating mountains with my BCA float pack:)

Re: Avalanche Rescue Caught on Video

Duffyww1 — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:17:44 -0000

They pulled off an amazing rescue. Being trained in rescue makes all the difference.

Re: Avalanche Rescue Caught on Video

Edge — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:25:59 -0000

You got to hand it to these guys for getting the job done without a beacon. They must have located him by probing near the sled, which was smart. The one thing I noticed was that the searcher ditched one of his gloves when he started searching. This glove will be sorely missed when it's time to start shoveling...

Re: Avalanche Rescue Caught on Video

Donny Roth — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:02:51 -0000

The guy that lead the search was awesome. The broken gear, the oversights in preparation, and the terrified girlfriend are all realities that add to the tension and create panic. The leader stayed on task and got the team working the best it could. That can't be easy.

Re: Back from AK

Donny Roth — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:52:42 -0000

Edge - it was a fantastic trip! The other athletes were: Carston Oliver, Drew Stoecklein, and Zack Giffin. The cinematographers were Ben and Zac from Sweetgrass and Jay Beyer was shooting stills.

The next film will be released in the fall of 2013, and it will be based on two years of filming in Canada and Alaska. There will be a ton of powder skiing and big mountain skiing. It will also have a little more of a story line than is typical of ski movies, and will definitely be a crazy film. It's been fun to be a part of!

Re: Back from AK

Edge — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:16:56 -0000

Awesome, Donny. Who else was in the Sweetgrass crew with you and what's the theme of their next film?

Re: Rutschblock Test with Donny Roth

Donny Roth — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:57:33 -0000

Booty -

I would call this an RB3 as WHEN it failed is relevant - as is how it failed. In this case, it failed, but did not slide out easily.

My "conclusion" is this: There was a storm slab present on that terrain feature. It happened at a density change that occurred during the storm, meaning I can expect that it would be uniform if related to temperature, or variable if related to wind. In Bariloche both could be suspected.

It wasn't incredibly reactive at that slope angle, but at a higher slope angle, or with a larger load, it would probably be easier to trigger. So I start to "draw the map" in my mind and look for where that storm slab could be reactive.

On this day, we had a group of about six people out touring - mixed ability levels, people prone to crashing, and a couple dogs. Nobody had anything to prove; we went and played in the Lenga trees on a slope that was slightly lower angled. It was a fun day. We saw no signs of instability.

Would I have skied that slope with one other solid partner? Definitely. BECAUSE the overall slope angle was actually lower, I had found a small roll for the demo. With just two people we could have avoided the small "pockets" of hazard. Now, add terrain traps or some of the higher consequence terrain in the alpine and the equation changes. I think I would have waited to see that storm snow become more uniform.

I hope this helps.

Have fun!

Re: Rutschblock Test with Donny Roth

Booty — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:15:15 -0000

It looks like the mid-storm weak layer failed when you made your first jump, then it slid on the second jump. Would you call the Rutschblock score a 3 or a 4 and what's your conclusion based on that result? Would you ski this slope?

Re: Rutschblock Test with Donny Roth

Donny Roth — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:42:00 -0000

Elijah,

Yes, you can. BUT you have to make sure to cut the side wall at an angle that allows the block to slide out. For example, since the probes are two-meters apart in the back, make the face of the RB 210-cm wide. Technically, this changes the results slightly, but it does still work. Thanks for the great question.

Re: Rutschblock Test with Donny Roth

Elijah — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:48:36 -0000

Can you just cut out the front and one side? And use the cable to not only saw the back out but saw the side out you are too lazy to dig? Will this compromise the results?

Thanks guys!

Re: BCA gets patent for Float airbag

Shame_on_BCA — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:48:57 -0000

This set up cost less than $100 to make. You know this system works, and you are gouging people on price. Three people died last weekend who would have had a fighting chance if they had airbags. The one survior, who had an airbag, was a sponsored pro who didn't have to pay for it. It's time BCA found it's moral compass and made these airbags accessable to those who arn't super rich or sponsored. Shame on you BCA. There is room for corporate profits, but some things are more important.

Re: Statement from BCA about “viral” airbag video

guest — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:05:43 -0000

just curious, not to blast but rather educate myself, did you guys dig a pit? if so, what test and what results did you get? it doesn't seem that there was a terrain trap, def a good thing for a high risk line. was there any loading? what was the rating? thanks a ton. lately I've been curious about how 6 sigma relates to avys.

Re: ISPO Part 2: Float airbag video rocks Munich

William — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:42:35 -0000

She is beautiful.

Re: Statement from BCA about “viral” airbag video

White Mountain Apache — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:51:39 -0000

Im just glad Meesh is safe. It really disgusts me that the first thing some people say when they hear about an avalanche victim is how stupid they are.

Re: New airbag rules to hit commercial airlines

dave_reed — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:49:44 -0000

Thanks for the heads up Imel, should be fixed now.

Re: Statement from BCA about “viral” airbag video

Jesse Logan — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:56:14 -0000

Interesting you call Froto a moron. Unless I missed something here, he was not the one caght in an avalanche!

Re: New airbag rules to hit commercial airlines

Imel — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:15:31 -0000

Link to download IATA reg returned a 404 message 2/15/2012

Re: Pro snowboarder saved by Float

Will — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:07:02 -0000

Telluride avalanche this week: "Soules was riding alone when the avalanche occurred. He was fully equipped with an avalanche beacon, an Avalung, and an ABS Air Bag System, which had been deployed, although it had been “shredded."

Re: Statement from BCA about “viral” airbag video

Beth Cline — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:39:04 -0000

Why exactly do you have to take an opportunity to discuss a situation into a personal affront or attack Dmb? Why are you not man or woman enough to properly identify yourself when you attack others? Why does it matter what angle a person skis as it pertains to this particular video? I will readily admit to skiing 25 - 30 degree slopes on high hazard days such as the one in the video, to reduce my exposure to avalanches. There are plenty of days that I will ski above 30 degrees, if the conditions warrant. The decision to ski a lower angle slope is one of great intelligence in using the back country to your advantage, not one to be thrown in the face of someone else implying that they are not good enough to share a ski slope. Please check yourself and your attitude because there are plenty of dead people out there who may have been killed by avalanches, but it was their hubris that ultimately got them killed!

Re: Statement from BCA about “viral” airbag video

Beth Cline — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:32:06 -0000

Just as long as BCA does not reward this type of behavior with a sponsorship, I will continue to support BCA with my consumerism. I say this because I firmly believe that this was a stunt completed to attain more attention for a little-known rider. I too have ridden the exact same line up Dear Creek, but did so on a day with low avalanche hazard, not high hazard as was seen on the 25th. Had her actions not ended up as she and her group had planned, then an entire crew of local avalanche professionals would have been dispatched to recover her body. These professionals, who also use BCA products, would have been placed in a dangerous position and risked their lives just to bring her family back her BODY; this is something people in the back country do not understand fully. By the way, the most recent avalanche in the side country outside of Telluride could give a glimpse of how the Montezuma snowboarder could have turned out. While BCA produces amazing products, nothing is ever 100%. Just as the inflatable pack is one piece of the safety gear, so is a person's head!

Re: Statement from BCA about “viral” airbag video

Guest — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:15:40 -0000

Huh? Really? That's waaay out on an extreme of interpretation. Settle down please.

Re: Statement from BCA about “viral” airbag video

Ryancruze — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:06:50 -0000

To froto, I was there that morning and Helped make the decision to ski cut and ride the slope, you don't know the variables or the situation that was going on, so just chill out on the hating and go ride your green slopes. We made all proper protocol to keep everyone else safe, she didn't jeopardize any one else's life, so thanks for your opinion that is based on knowing nothing about the situation.

Re: Statement from BCA about “viral” airbag video

Ellen — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:01:26 -0000

As important as avy education is, I feel like what's missing in our 'education' is the psychology and the group dynamics behind backcountry skiing, especially in larger groups or with folks you don't know. Or even if you're a solo skier, being able to be honest with yourself and what drives you. That's the lesson which needs to be taught more.