Author Topic: The Ski Locker thread  (Read 127044 times)

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #200 on: 15 January, 2013, 02:48:24 pm »
Avalanche transcievers on piste?

It's been a while since I skied regularly and then I only used one off piste, but has the thinking changed?

The reason I ask is we're going skiing at the end of March with friends and my (non skiing) wife has just had an e-mail from the friends suggesting that we get hold of some for me and my son - who, to date, has had 6 dry slope sessions! So is our friend being over cautious? Or is current best practice to always wear one?

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #201 on: 15 January, 2013, 03:11:37 pm »
Perhaps your friend has some plans for you  :thumbsup:

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #202 on: 15 January, 2013, 03:28:30 pm »
Perhaps your friend has some plans for you  :thumbsup:

Well she mentioned the Vallée Blanche...

I can understand me needing one but seems overkill for my son!

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #203 on: 15 January, 2013, 03:30:06 pm »
No.
I've never, ever come across these in use on-piste.

If you are a group going into deep back-country, then you might want to consider them.
But a few things to consider are:

You, and everyone in your group, need to learn the correct method of using them.
It's a mountain skill that rerquires training and practice.
( They don't point directly to the victim, for example: they take you in a loop, following the flux-lines from the transmitter. )
You all need to practice using them; ( many resorts have practice areas, with buried transponders for you to practice with );
You need to have probes and shuvvels, know how to use them too, and enough people to use them effectively.
The first few minutes are critical.


Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #204 on: 15 January, 2013, 03:31:30 pm »
Not unless you're going off piste. I normally have a Recco tab somewhere on me, but that's only because it comes in the clothing.  If you're going to go for the Vallee Blanche it might be an idea, but no way will your son get there.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #205 on: 15 January, 2013, 03:33:40 pm »
[Well she mentioned the Vallée Blanche...

That's another matter.

You'll probably want to do this as a guided route.
There are many crevasses on the glacier, and the guides know the safe way through them.

When we did this, we were issued with transcievers by our guide.
We were also roped together for the initial walk out of the top station down the shoulder to where you put your skis on.

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #206 on: 15 January, 2013, 03:33:58 pm »
Thanks - confirmed what I thought!


Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #207 on: 15 January, 2013, 03:35:47 pm »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/7zyGdJ2_eCM&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/7zyGdJ2_eCM&rel=1</a>

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #208 on: 15 January, 2013, 03:36:01 pm »
[Well she mentioned the Vallée Blanche...

That's another matter.

You'll probably want to do this as a guided route.
There are many crevasses on the glacier, and the guides know the safe way through them.

When we did this, we were issued with transcievers by our guide.
We were also roped together for the initial walk out of the top station down the shoulder to where you put your skis on.

Am expecting to do it with a guide, but the friend and her sister both have apartments in Chamonix and spend most of the season out there so may feel confident about the route

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #209 on: 16 January, 2013, 12:21:38 am »
Avalanche transcievers on piste?

It's been a while since I skied regularly and then I only used one off piste, but has the thinking changed?

The reason I ask is we're going skiing at the end of March with friends and my (non skiing) wife has just had an e-mail from the friends suggesting that we get hold of some for me and my son - who, to date, has had 6 dry slope sessions! So is our friend being over cautious? Or is current best practice to always wear one?

Over cautious. Where you will be skiing with mini-F there will be other things to worry about more than getting hit by an avalanche.

Having said that, as long as it's not half-term you can borrow mine.
Rust never sleeps

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #210 on: 16 January, 2013, 06:56:06 am »
Avalanche transcievers on piste?

It's been a while since I skied regularly and then I only used one off piste, but has the thinking changed?

The reason I ask is we're going skiing at the end of March with friends and my (non skiing) wife has just had an e-mail from the friends suggesting that we get hold of some for me and my son - who, to date, has had 6 dry slope sessions! So is our friend being over cautious? Or is current best practice to always wear one?

Over cautious. Where you will be skiing with mini-F there will be other things to worry about more than getting hit by an avalanche.

Having said that, as long as it's not half-term you can borrow mine.

Thanks as it'll be over Easter I'll take you up on that :thumbsup:

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #211 on: 16 January, 2013, 08:05:03 am »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zyGdJ2_eCM

There's a lot of Sahara dust on that film, horrible stuff which slows you down no end. We've done both Valle Blanche routes. The last time we went on the higher route, and one of our party did his cruciate ligament in on a simple fall on a compression, and was helicoptered off. He was an athletics coach who's now a director of sport for a small nation, and he was talking one of his athletes through a similar problem while he had his leg up in the back of the minibus. He was a 400 metre hurdler, and was the least flexible person I've ever seen try to do kick turns while touring, it was excruciating to watch.

The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #212 on: 16 January, 2013, 08:14:36 am »
Avalanche transceivers on-piste is definitely over-cautious. It's certainly not common practice.

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #213 on: 16 January, 2013, 10:57:21 am »
Will having people cruising around the mountain with tranceviers active not cause signal problems with any adjacent rescue areas? A party with active transceviers passing over any search on the typical 'glory run' under a chairlift would surely have an impact, or something like Grand Couloir at 1850 is right on a piste as an example? I know the range is very poor and directional but it seems it could potentially increase other peoples risk?

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #214 on: 18 January, 2013, 12:52:33 am »
Just back from four days in France. Great snow, and still falling when we left. My first non-family ski trip for a number of years. Boy, do I ache.
Rust never sleeps

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #215 on: 18 January, 2013, 10:17:12 am »
Just back from four days in France. Great snow, and still falling when we left. My first non-family ski trip for a number of years. Boy, do I ache.

That because you were doing the falling as well ? ;)

(Where were you?)

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #216 on: 18 January, 2013, 11:40:59 am »
Just back from four days in France. Great snow, and still falling when we left. My first non-family ski trip for a number of years. Boy, do I ache.
That because you were doing the falling as well ? ;)

(Where were you?)

Leg ache a result of it being a non-family skiing event (and skiing with someone 10 years my junior).
Back ache and scuffed nose a result of my falling. I took a couple of heavyish falls (poor vis, unknown slopes and fresh powder fuelled enthusiasm are not great bed fellows). Knees are OK (I bust one many years ago), but back and nose are suffering (head first when returning on to softish piste at about 30mph ).

Flaine. Ugly as sin but great skiing.
Rust never sleeps

Jakob

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #217 on: 18 January, 2013, 08:59:42 pm »
Not unless you're going off piste. I normally have a Recco tab somewhere on me, but that's only because it comes in the clothing.  If you're going to go for the Vallee Blanche it might be an idea, but no way will your son get there.

According to a snowpatroller/avid backcountry skier friend, they get a stronger signal of people's mobile phones than they do from the Recco tabs.

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #218 on: 18 January, 2013, 09:16:23 pm »
Not unless you're going off piste. I normally have a Recco tab somewhere on me, but that's only because it comes in the clothing.  If you're going to go for the Vallee Blanche it might be an idea, but no way will your son get there.

According to a snowpatroller/avid backcountry skier friend, they get a stronger signal of people's mobile phones than they do from the Recco tabs.

Bloody glad I havent paid for them, then. (except as o ne does for ski gear anyhow

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #219 on: 19 January, 2013, 12:40:52 am »
When Recco tabs first started showing up in ski clothing in the US, they would set off the anti-shoplifting alarms in the ski shop where I worked when people walked out with their purchases. Apparently the Recco tabs are the same kind of RF reflector diodes as the anti-theft tags.
According to a snowpatroller/avid backcountry skier friend, they get a stronger signal of people's mobile phones than they do from the Recco tabs.

The Recco signal has to go from a transceiver held by a rescue worker through whatever amount of densely packed snow/ice the victim is buried under, bounce off a reflector that may or may not be oriented optimally to reflect the signal, and return to the transceiver. I'm not a bit surprised that a mobile phone sends out a stronger signal.



Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #220 on: 19 January, 2013, 02:10:26 am »
Recco tags given they are just a tiny unpowered reflector are at best body location devices, you want a proper active transmitter to have any chance of being found by someone with a receiver (and who knows how to use it).

Jakob

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #221 on: 24 January, 2013, 08:51:13 am »


:D

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #222 on: 24 January, 2013, 09:44:36 am »
Love it! shame the signs aren't any larger, they obviously ran out of room. Somewhere is should have also included "Just over the ridge, a bunch of snowboaders sitting spread out over the entire width of the slope"

Where ?

The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #223 on: 24 January, 2013, 11:39:38 am »
That's good. Tells it like it is. Trouble with "bunch of snowboarders sitting down across entire width of piste" is that it could apply to any piste of any difficulty in any resort.

And in case anybody missed it, we went skiing last weekend. In our own woods!  I can't go skiing properly any more due to knees being held together by bits of metal and screws, but pottering down our woods and meadows was good fun.



Spinning, but not cycling...

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #224 on: 24 January, 2013, 11:54:21 am »
Yes, well spotted.
That's pretty much down at the base station at 1650.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/258247523
Ah, nostalgia! I haven't been to Courchevel since 2001, & looking at that trace brings back memories.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897