Well, I guess my post yesterday about lightweight snow shovels was timely.  Just after the article hit the site, two skiers in Montana and three snowmobilers in Wyoming were reported killed by big slides.  Did you know that 25 people a year are killed by avalanches in the western United States?  Yep.  It’s true.

I know a little bit about avalanche safety.  I got some training from Rainier Mountaineering my first time on Mount Rainier.  I got some from my National Ski Patrol training and I a little more from my work with Mountain Rescue and the Forest service.  Here is what I know for sure, avalanches are deadly and extremely difficult to predict, even for experts. 

Here is a relevant story for you.  My second time on Rainier was an unguided attempt with a very solid group of guys.  Tom Pendley, Chuck Clover, Gary Weesner, Erik Filsinger and I were going for the summit via the Disappointment Cleaver route.  We were taking a breather just below the rim of the crater at about 13,900 around 10:30am or so if memory serves.  We were all feeling pretty good, strong, making good time and confident that we would get to the true summit with no problems.  It was nice and sunny but much warmer than expected.  There was some discussion amongst our rope team of potential avalanche.  There had been one earlier in the week that killed a climber and injured a couple others.  We had heard things crashing down throughout the night from our tents at Camp Muir but it wasn’t something that I was particularly worried about.  Besides, Tom wasn’t concerned and I had a habit of following him pretty much anywhere.  Erik had a lot of time on fourteeners and Gary was a volcanologist, geologist and hydrologist.  They were a whole lot more knowledgeable than me.  We were commenting to each other about the inconsistency of the snow and how odd it felt.  At the same time, a couple hundred yards below us was a Rainier Mountaineering group led by what was supposed to be their hot shot avalanche expert.  I knew those guys and how conservative they were and commented out loud that as long as they were still up here we were fine.  As his clients rested, the RMI Guide dug an observation pit.  When he finished he stood up, scratched his head and walked over about 20 yards to dig another pit.  We were ready to start up again but were curious what the Guide was up to so we continued to watch.  All of a sudden the RMI Guide looked like he had been shot out of cannon.  He was gesturing wildly with his arms and moving quickly towards his group.  They got up, donned their packs and headed back down in less than a minute.  We sat there looking at each other, silently trying to comprehend what had just happened and what it meant for us.  The ensuing conversation between the five of us resulted in the cutting of our rope and the splitting up of our rope team.  The three married guys turned back.  The two single guys continued on to the summit.  They were successful and we joined back up at Ingraham Flats that afternoon. 

I wasn’t happy about giving up the summit but I was very pleased about two things.  First, I had proved to myself that I was capable of making a decision based on what was best for me despite my ego and a strong sense of loyalty to people I respected and admired.  On that day, for me, the summit was not worth the risk of dying.  This was not a mission.  This was for fun and experience.  I didn’t need to push the envelope.  Second, I learned that good men can look at the same situation, reach different conclusions, make their own decisions and still be respectful and civil to each other.  It was a good trip.

Look folks, I am not telling you not to take risks.  That would be hypocritical of me.  For many of you, risk or high risk is part of the job description.  It is how you make a living.  But, if you are going to be out on snow covered slopes or mountains, you need to get some avalanche training, carry shovels and beacons and know how to use them.  I want to really like the Ortovox S1 but for now I am going to stick with my tried and true F1 Focus beacon and the Ortovox Professional alu shovel.  Then you need to take a healthy dose of common sense.  This goes double for going out of bounds, which, according to the reports that I read, was the situation in Montana.  So, once again, good people are put in harm’s way because of the poor decision making and lack of preparedness of others. 

Please check out the The National Avalanche Center or the Mountain Rescue Association websites for more information.  Suffocating underneath tons of snow strikes me as something to be avoided.

Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.