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New Strategies for Avalanche Survival? | UNITED STATES, WYOMING | 01/30/2009, by Ski Waheenie
Sometimes we, as backcountry skiers, can get carried away with talking about safety. We say things like, "If only they had known about the depth hoar and re-examined that Q6 Rutschblock result, we might not have had to use our multiple burial function on our S1, Blah Blah Blah...."
We carry around magnifying glasses to study snow crystals in our spare time. We scoff at the concept of plastic shovels. We bury powerful people under 6 feet of snow, just to see how long they can survive!
Risk Statistics
Statistically, driving to go backcountry skiing is more dangerous than actually skiing in the backcountry. This statement is almost cliché, but here is the math:
22 car-accident fatalities/100,000 licensed drivers = .022% chance of death
Nobody seems to know how many people are backcountry skiers, but the ski industry reports $139 million of backcountry gear sold in 2007. Let's be generous and assume that each backcountry skier spent $1000. One can interpret this to mean that there are 139,000 backcountry skiers in the US.
On average over the past 10 years, the US has had 25 avalanche deaths each year.
25 avalanche deaths/139,000 backcountry skiers = about .018% chance of dying in an avalanche. (That's .00018)
The risk of driving is higher, but I know that I spend more time worrying about and trying to avoid death by avalanche.
Risk Reduction
I'll be the first person to call BS on statistics. They are manipulative, yada yada yada. All I know is that I don't want to get caught in an avalanche. I'm scared. So what should I do?
Here's what we've been hearing for the last 10, 20, 30? years:
Beacon ($300) + Shovel ($50) + Probe ($50) + Education ($300).
Although these things have no doubt saved many many lives, some statistics show that backcountry skiers are unrelentlessly stupid. We don't know how to use our beacons, we aren't strong enough to shovel, we ignore everything that we learn and mortality rates have failed to improve. In fact, the more safety knowledge that we have, the more likely we are to get caught in an avalanche! Is that $700 well spent?
Avalanche Airbags ($1000), on the other hand, reduce avalanche mortality rates from about 35% to 1.3%!!! So here is an open question:
Should we, as a backcountry skiing community, re-think avalanche safety?
Could it possibly be as easy as wearing an avalanche airbag?
(The American pill popping dream come true...)Please comment below! Our intention here is simply to invoke meaningful conversation and awareness- we are not advocating for or against any particular solution...
That's Our Opinion. What's Yours?
Eric wrote on 01/30/09 at 07:31:20 am pst:
That's real interesting. I think beacons are definitely a waste of money for snowmobilers becuase no one else has them. So I would rather have an airbag.
John wrote on 01/30/09 at 11:37:18 am pst:
Nothing beats good ole common sense.
Montana Kristi wrote on 01/30/09 at 11:51:30 am pst:
I guess an avalanche airbag makes sense if your ski partners/snowmobiles partners are idiots. It's a proactive solution.
But let's not be too quick to downplay avalanche education!
David Belden wrote on 01/30/09 at 12:02:03 am pst:
I think nothing beats a good Avy education. The name of the game is to avoid getting in one in the first place. But if you're going to be in harms way, which most of us in the backcountry are, I'd suggest all 4: beacon, shovel, probe, and airbag pack! That's what I ski with the the backcountry. For people who ski solo in the backcountry, an airbag sounds fantastic. The other key is that you have to be able to deploy the airbag. AT least one snowmobiler buried this year was buried with an airbag pack on because he didn't pull the handle.
freeheelgirl wrote on 01/31/09 at 01:59:25 am pst:
If I don't expose myself to hazardous conditions, then I probably won't get caught in an avalanche, right?
It seems to me that all the safety gear in the world won't do you a lick of good if you don't know how, when and where to use it, or - here's the biggie - why the heck you're wearing it in the first place.
Perhaps I'm biased, but I think EDUCATION should come first on the list of avalanche safety items. Everything else is icing on the cake.
That said, however - if you HAVE to be in hazardous terrain and can't mitigate the risks, I'd sure think about taking an airbag along with all of my other gear...especially if they become cheaper and more available in the U.S.
John wrote on 01/31/09 at 08:11:59 am pst:
@Lee why is the quote retarded,it is a proven fact that the majority of avalanche incidents are triggered by the victims party.
Swiss Miss wrote on 01/31/09 at 8:13:59 pm pst:
Avalanche airbags are obviously another huge step in the right direction for avy safety. Should we be re-thinking whether to carry a beacon, shovel, and probe OR an avy airbag? Absolutely not! At least not for a few years. If my avy airbag prevents me from burial, great! But what about my partner who just got buried without one...? Even if airbags become the new standard and everyone has one, I don't think beacons will ever go away. And most importantly, neither will avalanche education. As others here have said, not getting caught in the first place is the ultimate goal.
Ski Waheenie wrote on 02/03/09 at 10:17:10 am pst:
Hey Lee,
We are not trying to provoke emotional response. I'll be the first to admit that I have been unrelentlessy stupid in many aspects of my life.
These stats and that "retarded quote" is the sad truth for backcountry users as a whole. We are not saying you personally are stupid, but as John put it, the majority of avalanche victims admit to seeing red flags and ignoring them.
You can ask your local avalanche forecaster to back up these stats if you want sources.
Case and point the recent colorado burials. http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub/accidents_co.php?accident=20090116.
And I agree with you that learning to avoid getting caught in the first place in priority numero uno.
John wrote on 02/03/09 at 10:35:30 am pst:
Seems to me that is whole point of the article. Education doesn't seem to work as well as we would hope. So is the airbag an easy way out?
I think the reason why the education is not working as good as it ought to is because there is a difference between education and wisdom.
And how the hect do you teach wisdom. I know I have always had to learn the hard way. So maybe the airbag is a good idea for mongoloids like myself.
Ski Waheenie wrote on 02/03/09 at 4:47:58 pm pst:
Hey Lee,
Not sure where you are getting confused. I am not arguing one way or the other, as stated at the bottom of the article, we just want to see what all of you think.
Not sure why you think I made up statistics. Especially when you yourself verified them via the link posted. Anyway, Thanks for contributing and Happy Skiing.
ChuckG wrote on 02/03/09 at 7:40:35 pm pst:
Airbags are not new, they are just new to North America. And yes they will change avalanche safety and already are in certain segments.
Here is a link to where the above stats about airbags came from. They also examine traditional safety gear.www.sunrockice.com
A good article on heuristic traps can be found here. http://avalancheinfo.net/Newsletters%20and%20Articles/Articles/McCammonHTraps.pdf
And yes statistically speaking the more avalanche education you get the more likely you are to be involved in an avalanche. Having said that i am not sure that this applies to the snowmobiling community which generally has a very different attitude than the backcountry skier.
depthhoar wrote on 02/04/09 at 08:49:02 am pst:
One thing that needs to be mentioned is experience. I agree that on going avalanche education, carrying a shovel, beacon and probe, and practicing with them regularly are all essential to backcountry skiing and other mountain winter pastimes. However, I believe a person should make a conscious effort to link up with more experienced individuals so that they can learn to apply their avalanche education to decision making in the backcountry. One needs to gain more experience along with education so that they can better interpret what they have been taught to look out for in their educational course. Most importantly, a person needs to be realistic about their experience level with mitigation and avoidance. Just because you are an expert skier does not mean you are an expert with avalanche avoidance.
Secondly, it is imperative that a backcountry skier be aware of the fact that humans make bad decisions regardless of previous traing or experience. Recognizing this fact and keeping it in mind as we make a "go" or "no go" decision should be part of a checklist that every single party member goes through prior to committing to a slope. I am sure most have seen the 30 minute video, if not check out "A Dozen More Turns". Ask yourself, is the reward worth the current risk level, am I willing to potentially die or severly injure myself for this ski run, is it worth putting the rest of my party in a bad spot if something does happen, etc . . .
Regarding airbags, sounds like they do help avoid complete burial when deployed properly which is "statistically" key to surviving an avalanche. However, it would be a perfect example of bad decision making if a person decided to ski simply because they were wearing an airbag. Also, an airbag is not going to protect your femur when you get dragged through those trees in the middle of the path. I compare it to being "stupid" hiking in grizzly terrain. Just because you have a .44 strapped to your hip does not mean that it is ok to surprise a momma with cubs, you still need to know how to travel safely and avoid the bears. The .44 is just a last resort tool that MIGHT keep you alive if you end up in a bad situation. By the way, I prefer pepper spray, I would just shoot my own foot off.
My long winded opinion.
Taku wrote on 02/08/09 at 6:03:11 pm pst:
Airbags will certainly be one of the tools to use for avalanche areas. However, think about how many folks are injured/killed due to traumatic injuries during slides. Will an airbag keep you out of the trees and rocks? If not, you had better still do some critical thinking about where/when you choose to take your chances.
Dyingtolivetoski wrote on 03/10/09 at 8:03:18 pm pst:
What about route finding? I think that mountain knowledge and knowing terrain limits in various conditions is and always will be the ultimate avalanche survival strategy. I feel a lot safer by myself without an avalung/beacon/shovel/probe/abs in the right terrain, than with a group of punters, skiing a 35 degree terrain trap, who cannot assess the dangers in the mountains.
That being said, nothing beats travelling with a good, knowledgeable partner who can not only pull you out if you can get buried but can also help you assess terrain/pull you out of a treewell/or go for help if you get hurt.
People need to remember that airbags and beacons are your last line of defense if everything else fails, and not rely on some bullshit statistics about the survival of avalanche dolls. Do the airbags prevent you from getting wrapped around a tree at the end of a runout?
Until someone invents a jetpack that you can fly out of the startzone with I think that my avalanche survival strategy will continue to be to live and learn the complexities of the mountains and remember the dangers that lurk within.
Editors wrote on 03/10/09 at 8:47:40 pm pst:
@ Dyingtolivetoski. Great point! We're hoping that someone invents that jetpack soon. Hopefully we'll be able to use it to get up the hill too!
