Always a fan of any message that helps increase avalanche awareness and promotes safe backcountry travel. This is a cool video put out by Black Diamond.
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I was talking to one of my bros the other day about backcountry shred essentials and I thought this would be a great list to put together to share with everyone; so here it goes. In the simplest form you need four items to safely use the backcountry. You need an avalanche beacon, an avalanche probe, a shovel, and a bag to carry it all. I just want to say right now that just having the right gear doesn't make you safe, you also need to know how to use it. It's not only your life that matters. And just because you have the right gear doesn't mean it will save your life. Really, you need to be able to rescue your friends and they need to be able to rescue you. If one member of a backcountry group does not have all the essentials and have the knowledge to use them it puts every member of the group at risk.  Mammut makes world class gear and the Pulse-Barryvox beacon is second to none. With lots of fancy features in an easy intuitive package, its the one that we use. There are many other beacons out there and they all are great pieces of equipment. The important thing is that you have one and you know how to use it. We don't have any in stock right now since not many of you have come in to even ask for one, but we can order beacons from BCA, Mammut, Ortovox, and Pieps at any time.  There are a lot of bags out there that will work. You don't necessarily need a bag that can carry your board but it's a nice feature to have. We like these bags from Burton, they have compartments for all your stuff and can carry the board horizontally for snow machining. A vertical carry system works great for hiking but makes sled use extremely difficult.  Over the past few years there's been a few items that we have found to be very useful for backcountry travel even if they aren't absolute necessities. If you have a sled, then buying a Cheetah Factory Rack will change your life. The board bracket keeps the snowboard out of your way so you can focus on getting in to get the goods. CFR also makes other sled accessories to help store or haul all kinds of backcountry equipment.  Avalanche Airbags have grown in popularity a great deal as more and more brands begin to offer them. Avalanche airbags can be deployed if a rider is caught in a slide and the airbag that inflates around the riders head serves to help a rider maintain buoyancy in sliding snow. Studies have shown them to be very effective, although a specific survival rate percentage is currently controversial. An airbag SHOULD NOT replace proper decision making while in the backcountry. Riders should not feel overly confident because of their gear in any situation. BCA and Mammut make some great bags that we can currently order. Black Diamond has one in the works that will be really cool because it won't use compressed air but rather will make use of a fan that will recharge the airbag several times on one charge.  If you don't have a sled and aren't real excited about having to hike or boot-pack everywhere you go in the backcountry then you need to getcha a pair of MTN Approach Skis or a splitboard. MTN Approach skis are skis for snowboarders! Sounds funny but they fold up in thirds and stow away in a backpack. They are very light, close to 3 lbs. each so when you are "skinning" up-hill they seem to have almost no weight at all. Having the weight of your board on your back, instead of all on your feet makes touring up-hill much easier. The skins on the bottom are also permanent so you never have to worry about taking the skins on or off. We have used the MTN Approach system with great success. The biggest advantage to the MTN Approach skis is that by using them to hike up that means you can use any shred stick you want to ride down! The only disadvantage we have experienced with them is that with both skis in your bag it seems a little heavy for the ride down. Splitboards are still the popular choice and are available from a number of brands. We offer splitboards from Burton and Nitro. We are also a dealer for splitboard bindings from Spark R&D. If you intend to ride in the backcountry and don't have any or all of this gear then head on in to the Sled Shed and we'll be sure to get you outfitted with the proper gear to help you keep shredding year after year! If you think you might be interested in backcountry riding but aren't ready to make the full financial commitment then we can rent you a bag, beacon, shovel, probe, splitboard, or MTN Approach Skis!
We are experiencing Deep Slab Instability RIGHT NOW! Avalanche conditions have been at Considerable for some time now and the reason is that we are still suffering from those weak layers of snow that are near ground level. This video does a good job of pointing out that sometimes stronger thicker slabs trick us and lure us out into dangerous terrain. As he explains though we have some weak layers at the bottom of the snowpack and there are often trigger points or spots that have thinner slabs on top of them and if disturbed those spots can quickly propagate and cause large and dangerous avalanches. It takes a long time for this type of snowpack to heal and become stable. Be sure to keep all of these things in mind when traveling in the backcountry!
This avalanche pit was dug near the top of Avalanche Gulch on Targhee Pass on the 26th of January 2012. There are some definite weak layers and faceted snow that are still haunting our snowpack.
Be sure to check the avalanche forecast before getting out! The Link for the Tetons and Western WY is jhavalanche.org This is a link for Island Park/Yellowstone/Montana area mtavalanche.com/ And for the Sawtooths/Central Idaho area sawtoothavalanche.com/ Educate yourself before going out and take necessary precautions while travelling in the backcountry. Be conservative and live to ride another day!  We all need to be safe out in the backcountry! What I think is important for people to realize is that they really don't wear avalanche safety gear for themselves. Obviously having the beacon will be your best hope of being found alive if you are buried, the fact is that most of this stuff is to help your friends in the event that THEY are buried, not you. If you are going to travel in the backcountry then it is imperative that you not only be equipped with all the items in the photo above, but that you also be very familiar with how to use them. In the event of an avalanche you can't wonder what it is you need to do. You need to already know!
Also, while talking about knowing how to use this stuff it's even better to know how to avoid needing to use it! "Know before you go!" as they say. Keep yourself informed of snowpack conditions all season long. Sometimes a bad layer of snow can plague the snowpack all year long. Constantly watch the local avalanche report to know what the conditions are and what the current avalanche hazard is. We hope everyone stays safe so that everyone can have fun, enjoy the incredible terrain we have in the area, and get stoked! Check our Rentals page for pricing! Lani and Wray Landon are hosting the 3rd Annual Avalanche Awareness Class on Wednesday, December 7th from 7pm to 9pm at the Taylorview Jr High in Idaho Falls. The class will be taught by our friends at the American Avalanche Institute. A nice raffle will follow and include prizes from 460 Bread, Mammut, Targhee Ski Resort, Sun Valley Ski Resort, and other generous donations from our supportive community.
This is important in so many ways. Even if you know everything about snow safety please attend if for nothing other than showing your support for the Landon’s and their effort to bring this class to the Snake River Valley. Additional information about this class can be found on the Events page in the top menu bar. We hope to see many of you there to support this worthwhile event! Spread the word… |
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