Love you guys. Im re reading my fav book about avalanche workers. It is surprising how this very practical, and Im sure, for many ignorant people sesmingly "easy" actions need plenty of profound theory. Plus enormous intuition and courage.
I work as an avalanche practitioner, but when I’m skiing recreationally I hardly ever use the tools I do in bounds. After falling off a cornice on a control route with an airbag, a backpack full of shots and pro patrollers to back me up I realized it’s a crap shoot even when you’ve been monitoring the same zone every day all season. Much less when touring in a zone that you ski occasionally.
@@alexanderosherow2064 These rules discussed here are good rules to follow but id rather just not put myself into a position where i feel i need a ski cut to be safe. As for kicking cornice as a similar method of avalanche mitigation, yes it is a crap shoot. It can be done reasonably safely in bounds, when the slope below has been mitigated, but cornices still break unpredictably, as can ski cuts. You may be confident that a slab your cutting wouldn't bury you, but if it twists your leg in Pin bindings and you blow out your knee, you're still in a bad position
Some great content for sure but ski cutting while on belay is way safer provided that the anchor is solid and at the right place. A deep persistent slab can pull way back so don't get lured into thinking that your anchor is safe because it is a ways behind the top of the convexity. And yes, ski cutting is not an exact science. No result in a ski cut does not mean it is safe. So dig and test the layers, ideally while on belay. Digging 1 meter deep is usually all what's needed. About the persistent and deep persistent slab problems, one has to be cognisant that these are found "almost" everywhere. Features that slough and slab avalanche frequently like couloirs, are less likely to have these problems. A bulletin covers the area, not every terrain feature. And yes, having two way communication other than yelling and whistles with your ski partners makes things a lot smoother.
Love you guys. Im re reading my fav book about avalanche workers. It is surprising how this very practical, and Im sure, for many ignorant people sesmingly "easy" actions need plenty of profound theory. Plus enormous intuition and courage.
Very well said. Thank you for the succinct presentation.
Great video. I don't plan on using any of this information anytime soon, but it's still good to know as much as possible about staying safe out there.
I work as an avalanche practitioner, but when I’m skiing recreationally I hardly ever use the tools I do in bounds. After falling off a cornice on a control route with an airbag, a backpack full of shots and pro patrollers to back me up I realized it’s a crap shoot even when you’ve been monitoring the same zone every day all season. Much less when touring in a zone that you ski occasionally.
so its basically a crapshoot? Can you expand here?
@@alexanderosherow2064 These rules discussed here are good rules to follow but id rather just not put myself into a position where i feel i need a ski cut to be safe. As for kicking cornice as a similar method of avalanche mitigation, yes it is a crap shoot. It can be done reasonably safely in bounds, when the slope below has been mitigated, but cornices still break unpredictably, as can ski cuts. You may be confident that a slab your cutting wouldn't bury you, but if it twists your leg in Pin bindings and you blow out your knee, you're still in a bad position
@@hankisdank1 thank you for clarifying, makes a lot more sense now. Very logical point of view.
Absolutely great information. Nice job!
Some great content for sure but ski cutting while on belay is way safer provided that the anchor is solid and at the right place. A deep persistent slab can pull way back so don't get lured into thinking that your anchor is safe because it is a ways behind the top of the convexity. And yes, ski cutting is not an exact science. No result in a ski cut does not mean it is safe. So dig and test the layers, ideally while on belay. Digging 1 meter deep is usually all what's needed. About the persistent and deep persistent slab problems, one has to be cognisant that these are found "almost" everywhere. Features that slough and slab avalanche frequently like couloirs, are less likely to have these problems. A bulletin covers the area, not every terrain feature. And yes, having two way communication other than yelling and whistles with your ski partners makes things a lot smoother.
great presentation thanks