AVALANCHE AWARENESS
During the past 20 years spent on my board I witnessed more than once Nature warnings or have been responsible of many mistakes. Each of those could have been lethal.
The conclusion to it has always been the same: « I have been damn lucky... ».
All that luck allowed me, year after year, to gain experience. It is that knowledge that I try to spread around. Because every mountain man, every guide or real freerider got an elder who taught him and shared his knowledge with him. That is the natural process to get an old happy freerider. ‘Cause as the saying goes: « a good freerider is an OLD freerider... »
Another point which is linked to prevention is nutrition. Most of the population isn’t eating well. But aliments and liquids is the fuel for our body. If you want to learn more about it, check the « Health » page.
« whale mouth » (sliding on the ground) wind slide (accumulated snow) Wind blown snow (strong winds!)
WRONG IDEAS
If a slope is already tracked, no avalanche danger !!! WRONG !!!
Explanation: very often, the runs are first-
« light » on their boards and they know how to avoid most of what avalanche experts name the « hot spots »
Often temperature rises and so does the weight of the snow layer, which finally is too heavy to stay stable.
Sometimes, without any logical explanation an avalanche goes after 40 riders. A friend rider died that way.
If there are trees, no avalanche danger !!! WRONG !!!
Explanation: it is only when the forest is so dense that you cannot ride through it, that it prevents an
avalanche to start. Au contraire,spacious forest or random trees act like walnuts in a chocolate plate. The
avalanche fracture will propagate from tree to tree... Not even to mention the risk to be crashed against logs.
If the weather is cold, no avalanche danger !!! WRONG !!!
Explanation: fresh pow needs many days and a bit of sun or temperature to stabilize and get linked to the
ancient snowlayer. If the temperatures are cold or if the slope is in the shade (northern slope) the danger
can remain high for weeks..
ADVICES / ATTITUDE
gear = Avalanche trasceiver (Pieps) filled with new batteries on the rider and swithed on! A backpack with
probe and shovel to locate precisely the victim and to dig him out. In the bag you should add an emergency
blanket, cereal bars, a thermos filled with tee, a candle and a lighter, a pair of spare thin gloves and spare
pieces to repair a boot or a binding.
Be able to use that gear and locate an avalanche victim within 3 minutes = a trasceiver has 3 nobs,
so for the ones saying it is hard to use... Come on! You all use cam recorders, computer and mobile phones
on a daily basis and those devices all have hundreds of functions and programs... Here we’re talking about
saving lives! That’s why one should train at least once a month!!!
inform = your parents, a friend or a snow patroller about your itinerary. But don’t forget to ALWAYS
announce that you are back home safe. Unless the rescuers might search you for hours while you are
safely drinking a beer at a friend’s...
prepare = ever heard of a jet pilot, a F1 or a rallye driver leaving without having prepared his drive/flight/
mission, or having checked the route and the weather forecast...? Me neither! So check the actual snow
conditions, weather and scope your route on a map. The best way to get exact informations is to talk with
snow patrollers or local freeriders.
never alone = ok, you don’t put other people in a tricky situation, but what if you crash in a tree/rock or
crevasse..? You’ll freeze, get asleep and die. Cool...NOT!
one by one = never together in the run. One by one is the correct behaviour. You always keep your riding
partners in sight while they are riding. If an avalanche goes, you shout or whistle to warn him. If he get
caught you know where to start the research from as you saw him disapear at a certain point. You’ll gain
time which means higher chances to find him alive!
never stop in the middle of a run = if you want or have to stop, pick the right spot: atop of a massive
nob or right bellow a big rock. Never in an open field.
don’t follow tracks = for the past 2-
with a small parachute. Their tracks lead straight to cliffs and ice chutes because that’s the essence of
this sport. Ride and fly... There is also the possibility that the tracks have been made by a former winner
of the Verbier Xtreme (...). Those guys like to track sick lines. Not cool to be there if you don’t have their
level. Not cool at all...
say no = the mountains will still be there tomorrow and after... Even a few million years, but your life might
end today because you forced the destiny when you should have waited for the right day. Turning your back
to a potential danger is the wiser thing to do. It brings you more pride than to « do a first track »...
NEGATIVE ELEMENTS
size of the group = 3 is perfect , 2 is the minimum, more than 8... Forget it!
level differences within the group = the stronger rider HAS TO take in consideration the less
experienced rider’s level. The runs choice has to fit to his level.
« drop in, you chicken ...! » = that’s the stupid asshole that pushes the other riders to make a mistake.
Freeriding is a game for yourself, it shouldn’t be a way to prove anything to others.
an old crust of ice, then fresh snow atop of it = the new snow has no grip on it, just as on a mirror...
Danger!!!
ALARM SIGNS
Wind !!! (photo 3. The wind is blowing hard, cornices get created, snow acummulates « below the wind ».
Those amounts of snow are not stable becasue the cristal’s branches has been broken during their transport
by the wind.
Bad feeling !!! A weird feeling, deep inside your stomach. You feel like a heavy weight on your head or
belly. An opressing feeling that reduces your mental abilities, sometimes even your hearing.
Destiny !!! You forgot your boots or your purse back home. Your binding is broken. You fell in the
staircase. You drove into somebody’s car at the parking lot. Those things happen as you rush to get to the
cable car on the first nice day after a snowfall... Take the time to think. If all that happen to you, there might
be an explanation. Maybe someone, up there, is helping you not to be killed. And even if you don’t agree
with this para-
good day for you... Don’t go!
USEFUL ADDRESSES
www.slf.ch = avalanche report. Weather conditions. A lot of informations regarding the snowlayer.
www.meteosuisse.ch = official Swiss weather website. Temperature, wind... A lot of useful info.
www.snow-
www.alpdidact.ch = courses, games to learn more about snow, correct behaviour while freeriding,...
www.thefreeday.ch = informations, pictures and much more.
