There are a few basic but necessary items to carry whilst skiing in the back country. These will make your experience much safer in the event of an avalanche emergency. The pieces of gear to get are a Beacon or Transceiver, Shovel and Probe.
THE BEACON:
Everyone travelling in the backcountry should wear avalanche beacons at all times. They are used to locate people buried under the snow. They work using electromagnetic signals; the victim’s transceiver emits a signal, which can be picked up by any other transceivers on ‘search’ mode. This is the first thing avalanche rescuers do when arriving at a scene. Martin Papillon, Ski Patrol supervisor from Banff, says “This is referred to as the signal search, so we are looking for a signal for our avalanche transceivers. If there is anybody that was part of the party it is always good information to know if the person was carrying an avalanche transceiver or not so then that would adjust the way we go about our search”
THE PROBE:
Once a person has been identified under the snow with the beacon signals, the probe is used to make contact with them. This means the rescuers know exactly where to start digging and it also ensures the victim that help is on its way. Amie Engerbretson remembers being struck by a probe when she was buried in avalanche debris: “I felt a probe strike in my left shoulder and at that point that was a big moment. I was like ‘ok, at least they found me’. Then I could hear them digging and I could feel the snow getting lighter.”
THE SHOVEL:
The shovel is then used to dig the snow debris away from the victim. But the right shovel has to be used to get the victim out quickly. Statistics show that after 45 minutes, only 25% of victims are pulled out alive. An aluminium shovel blade is recommended as smaller, lighter plastic shovels can fail under extreme pressures and temperatures. Back Country Access, the biggest and most trusted name in snow safety, say “we’ve designed our latest line of shovels to dig in the most efficient way possible, saving you valuable time and energy.”
In the video below, Ian and his colleague Ross, from Glenmore Lodge in Scotland, demonstrate how to use these three important items.
The North Face Avalanche Awareness Lecture Series. 1st December 2014 from Mollie Perella on Vimeo.