Quote:
Originally Posted by GGG
It great to see the people survive here.
One thing that always bugs me in these types of reports is that it focuses on the safety gear people are carryingZ. The articles mention Spot, Avy Beacons, Probes and shovels and how they were used to save a life: That's great but what isn't discussed and should be is Did they make good risk based decisions before exposing themselves to avalanche terrain.
Did they evaluate snow pack
Did they monitor change of temperature
Did they consider solar and wind affects
Were they all trained in Avalanche safety and all took part in the decision to evaluate the risk?
The biggest factor in avoiding avalanches is making a good risk based decision on when to enter avalanche terrain. It bothers me that it isn't discussed and the articles imply that having the right Gear is the key aspect in safety.
Could to see people surviving though. Avalanches are a difficult risk to manage once you decide to enter avalanche terrain.
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You are right, a lot more goes into it than just have a beacon and probe and shovel that I feel like so many people think is all you need and are good to go. Training and practice(!!) are extremely important.
For this avalanche they were boot packing up a gully in the Alpine - warning at the time was '3 - Considerable' in the Alpine.
Edit: Just read that it actually occurred on saturday not sunday, where the rating was a '2 - Moderate' to start the day., but later changed. Just goes to show the importance of monitoring the weather and changing conditions.