Backcountry Question

how good of a rider are you? and i prefer natural features, make sure to bring lots of warm clothing food that wont go stale and a tent pm me if you have any more questions good luck.

andrethegiant , It say you're from the east coast, im from NC, anywhere to free ride over here?

Avalanche beacon, probe, and rescue shovel are a must. Practice with these before you go out. Bury the beacon in a backpack and locate it with probes. Take turns till everyone in your crew can locate it quickly, every second counts.

Depending on where you are going a GPS is nice. ALWAYS ride with a crew, preferably someone that knows the area. Always notify someone in the real world where you are going and when you plan to be back. *Side note* Don't get drunk and forget to call the person you told where you are going when you get back, it freaks 'em out lol**

Warm clothes, survival gear to survive a night in the wild, alpine sleeping bag, stuff to make/start a fire, and food. I always carry a 9mm auto too, just in case.

We ride snowmobiles cause we're lazy lol. As far as shovels go, anything that is lightweight and can be assembled/un-folded quickly. I use a knock off military entrenching tool with a rounded blade.

ive always wanted to ride backcountry but i think i need a lot more practice before I start :/ gl when you go!

 

Originally posted by evl4fun I always carry a 9mm auto too, just in case.

I'm sorry but really, is it necessary to carry a gun with you whilst snowboarding? Just in case wild animals attack? 

I dont know if a water filter would work so well considering most of it is frozen. Just bringing the normal camping gear + snowboard gear + extra warm clothing. Just make sure you do research on the mountain before you head out.

taking a backcountry course that includes avalanche education is a must, and never go alone, but if you do, make sure someone knows exactly where you are going to be(so they can find your corpse).

i lived in CO for 20yrs innocence, i have spent a lot of time in some of the worlds most dangerous backcountry, and a question like this is really absurd if you think about it. Best case scenerio in an avalanche, and you're buried, 20 mins tops.

if anyone has expirence with this and wants to take a newbie next year let me know, i think besides the avalanche safty course im pretty set ive gone snowshoeing, am an eagel scout and have over 5 years of riding exp.

And don't forget the backpack.  I use "Dakine HeloPro DLX16".  It will come in very handy.  It can carry a pair of skis or a snowboard with lots of features.

bizzump because theres a whole issue im itching to find out about.

(definitely taking an avi course, so likely itll be explained there).

Ive been reading a few threads lately, and a common thing is experienced bc guys watching new guys to backcountry doing stupid crap. I think back to last year outside the gates at niseko and i cant see any stupid crap i did, but i know for a fact that im very likely one of the idiots these guys are staring at in disbelief :)

Im curious what the stupid stuff we inexperienced people do that has more experienced guys and girls jaw on the floor. Obvious stuff and less obvious welcome. Its all helping to build up my knowledge on it. :) Basically whats worrying me is that i dont know im doing it when im doing it :)

Cheers dude, so i guess step 1 of all that is understanding the key features to look out for to recognise an avy prone slope :)

Originally posted by snowboard_ski And don't forget the backpack.  I use "Dakine HeloPro DLX16".  It will come in very handy.  It can carry a pair of skis or a snowboard with lots of features.

Of course a backpack is needed, but if you go with a split-board you don't need to worry about carrying the board on your back while you traverse up the mountain! The thing with splitboards though, they freakin' cost a lot right now.  At least $1,000 for everything all total.  Still, it's a good way to cut down on gear and lets you shred anything you can hike to.

shouldnt the current weather report also be something to keep an eye on? 

Originally posted by derbytownjoe shouldnt the current weather report also be something to keep an eye on?

Yes that is yet another thing.  Especially if it's predicted to be snowing hard and/or lots of wind during a snow storm.  If it's snowing at 1" and hour for over six hours, avalanche danger is going to become dangerous very quickly.  At 2" an hour it gets crazy in under half that time.  In other words, it's time to choose your terrain very carefully or go to the bar.

Wind can be even worse.  It can take transport snow from a windward side to a lee side in huge amounts.  Often times 10X the amount of snow that fell from the sky on any given slope.  Creating pillows, wind slabs, and other things that are just waiting for the weight of a snowboarder to get them to rip loose. 

Like Jeremy Jones says, there are 20 things that he is looking for and if one of them is a red flag, he'll pull the plug on the line they are attempting.  I would say there is at least that much you are looking for everytime you are out there. 

Don't get me started on temperature...

First off, you want to check everything surrounding the day.  What is the avalanche report for the day?  Are there signs of recent avalanche activity?  If I see recent avalanche activity, that is a big no go red flag.  Pick a different safer line.  Even lightly forested slopes are way safer than an open bowl. Whumpfing, shooting cracks are also big red flags.  If you see this, choose a safer line or go home.

When you are at the digging a pit phase, you are looking for clues to not do your intended line.  Not the opposite.  So this is where it gets a bit dicey.  There is no better slope to dig on than the one you intend to do.  So if the slope is a bit suspect dig at the top of the slope.  Have a spotter in a safe zone watching you.  If it rips, hopefully it's going to rip out below you.  Leaving maybe streaks in your shorts, but otherwise unharmed.  If you get no red flags with your tests in the (rutchsblock, Extended Column Test, Column test etc...), move out more onto and down on the slope and dig another pit.  This is where the spotter is key.  If you are not comfortable doing this, than this is probably not the day to do your intended line.  You can also have someone belay you, if they can have a good anchor to do this from.

Finally, cornice bombs are a great way to test a slope.  Just make sure you are far back from the cornice when you cut it free.  They have a nasty way of breaking way further back than you think is possible and pulling you over the edge.  I've seen this happen.  I've dug down to dirt or anchored into trees to do this.  If you can drop a bus sized cornice onto a slope and not set it off, you are probably not going to set it off by riding it. 

If you do decide to run it, talk about your escape plans and safe zones.  The first person down should do a big, hard slope cut with an out as a final test.  Know what your plans are should everything go south before you are on the slope.  That sort of thing can make the difference between life and death.  If there are any high consequence obstacles, like cliffs, rocks, or trees to run into should it go bad, I will make damn sure that I am sure it won't slide before doing it.  Any questions and I am doing something else. 

Generally speaking when I go to do something, I have two or three alternatives in mind should conditions turn out to not be ideal for doing the line safely.  One of those alternatives might be back to the car and off to the bar, but it's a safer alternative. 

Once again though, recent avalanche activity, danger ratings, whumpfing, shooting cracks, supersedes any false negatives you get with your pit or cornice bombs.

Sunny slopes, at least around here tend to be more stable mid winter.  More of a freeze thaw thing going on.  The main problem with them is that new snow doesn't tend to bond well initially.  So you can get new snow to slide on the harder crust layer.  In a wetter climate like the PNW, you could be worried about the snow getting water percolating through it and setting up wet slide potential.  That should be obvious is you are up against this, and timing is everything.  Get your routes done early.  In the spring time here, it means that you are done by 11am. 

Unfortunately the Forest Service and other law enforcement agents do not look favorably on people using explosives in the backcountry.  Take baby steps out there, you'll get consistently better with experience. 

Cornice bombs are an absolute blast to drop in the backcountry.  We've dropped some big ones over the years. 

Where are your backcountry adventures going to be taking place?