>>485000>trips check'dPerfect example of a loose-wet slab avalanche... typical in spring/warmer conditions due to solar heating of the upper layers of snow. Snow melts, turns to water, water permeates through to a harder layer in the snow, then with a trigger (like a guy on a snowboard) that cohesive wet shit on top slides on the water-lubricated harder layer below the snow.
That's the sort of avalanche conditions that cancelled the snowmobile race this week.
Fortunately for that rider, loose wet slabs aren't terribly deep, and he didn't find himself in a terrain trap that could have ended a lot differently.
Carry a transceiver, shovel, probe, and educate yourself on how to use them. Make sure the guys you're riding with have the same equipment/skills.
Snowmobiler in AK got killed a few weeks back, he was the only one in his group with a beacon. The guys he was riding with found another group that had a beacon, but that was ~10mins after the slide. Location, probe strike to his boot, and dig out 6-7 feet of snow to clear an airway took another 10-20 minutes.
Rider airlifted off the mountain in critical condition, passed a few days later.
>Pic relatedShit like that's why I won't ride with you if you don't have a beacon/shovel/probe, check beacons in the parking lot (and bring an extra in case one isn't working), also why I have a $1000 airbag pack on me when i'm riding. Might come across as a dick in the parking lot about it, but I wanna go home at the end of the day.
