While we don’t know exactly where this video was filmed… We do know it is somewhere in Caribbean not too far from the SGT headquarters in the Rincon Surf School. Thank you SURFER Magazine for sharing this video.
Mirage of the Caribbean from SURFER Magazine on Vimeo.
Author: Taran Volckhausen
Time to hit the backcountry
And then there were two… At this point if you’re skiing in Colorado, you’ve probably noticed that majority of the ski areas have shut down their lifts. Unless you’re trying to ski Loveland or Arapahoe Basin, it’s gonna be on you to get your ass to the top of the mountain. You know what that means? Backcountry spring season is upon us!
While we’ve talked a little bit about avalanche safety at this point, in this post we will cover what gear you will need to hit the backcountry in a reasonably safe and sane manner. The biggest single difference between the resorts and the backcountry (besides the absurd abundance of freshies in the backcountry) is the fact that nobody is controlling avalanches when you exit the gates. That means you must invest in gear so that you can survive and rescue friends the event of said avalanche. As far as gear goes, let’s start with the most important – avalanche safety gear.
How do you do that? As any backcountry skier worth their salt will tell you, the first backcountry investment is a three part combo: “beacon-shovel-probe.” What does that mean you ask? Here let me explain.
First off, avalanche beacons are radio transceivers you strap under you coat so that in the event of avalanche engulfment, buried you may be located underneath the snow by rescuers on the surface. You will need a beacon that can both receive and transmit a signal so that in addition to being found, you may also help to rescue a less fortunate friend who has been swallowed by cascading snowpack. While you should take AIARE Level One course or come down to Argentina this summer to understand how your beacon works, for now just know that you will need to own a beacon if you want to hit the backcountry. Check out Back Country Access (BCA) for more information on quality avalanche beacons.
Anyway let’s say in the event of avalanche, you have located the signal of your buried friend with your trusty avalanche beacon, but they are still buried under anywhere from one to ten feet of snow. This is why you must also carry a probe and shovel if you’re heading to the backcountry – to locate the exact location of your friend and then dig through the snow that is suffocating the trapped backcountry skier. Use the probe after you pinpoint the signal from your buried friend on the surface to find out exactly where and how deep your friend is buried. When it comes to shovels make sure you have something sturdy that can move up thousands of pounds of snow without breaking. Plastic shovels, while lighter than metal, are not advisable because plastic may break under duress, therefore screwing your friend. Bring a metal shovel that can be assembled on spot and learn digging techniques so that you may uncover your unfortunate friend as fast as possible.
In addition to avalanche safety gear, unless you are versed in telemark technique, you will want an All-Terrain (AT) bindings and boots so that you may unlock your heals for the ascent and clamp them down when it’s time to shred the gnar. The decks, while hopefully light for an easier ascent, should be beefy enough to handle steep terrain in all conditions – especially powder!
Backcountry snowboarders will need a split board with base plates to attach your bindings. In Argentina this summer, SGT’s very own Tony Pavlantos will be teaching courses on how to build your very own split board.
To ascend the slop you will need to invest in skins so that gravity does not slide you down the hill backwards when you try to take a step up. Imagine skins as a strip of deer hide you glue to the bottom of your ski. The hairs all smooth down when moving forward but will stick in the snow, stopping your descent, if the ski tries to go backward. In backcountry skiing, a good pair of skins are definitely your friends.
To carry all this stuff, you will need a backcountry backpack. Maybe you feel like getting all fancy and purchase a BCA float air bag that can be inflated from your backpack in case of avalanche, hopefully keeping the skier closer to the surface of the snow debris. Otherwise, just make sure you have backpack that can carry: beacon, shovel, probe, layers, food, water, and a place to strap your skis. You will want sunglasses in addition to your goggles that tend to fog up when you’re sweating it out on the ascent. With all these things you should be set.
Let’s recap what you need to make the leap from resort skiing to backcountry:
- Beacon
- Shovel
- Probe
- Skins
- All Terrain / telemark/ splitboard set up
- Backcountry skiing appropriate backpack
- Food, water, sunscreen, sunglasses, goggles, knife, warm layers, hats, flashlight, duct tape, toilet paper, etc.
5Point Film Festival: Sure to feature some bad ass backcountry films
At SGT, we know a thing or two about backcountry. Those inspired by art and adventure in the backcountry should check out the 5Point Film Festival in Carbondale, CO. While you’re there you’ll want to check out The Crash Reel that chronicles the story of pro snowboarder Kevin Pearce and his recovery from a traumatic crash. Here is a short from the festival:
And here is a trailer for the festival itself:
2013 5Point Film Festival Trailer from 5Point Film Festival on Vimeo.
Life Lost on Loveland Pass
A senseless marathon massacre. Shooting at 420. And the mountains take the lives of five backcountry snowboarders, etc. Agggghhhhhh! All dreadful news for one week. But in each crisis… we see an opportunity to do something different.
They say hindsight is 20/20. Looking at the avalanche information from our perspective, we remove time, emotion and consequence. Abstracting a story, we hope to gather all the clues to piece together our wide angle shot so that we may grow from experience.
The backcountry snowboarders were apparently skinning up Sheep Creek near Loveland when a four foot deep and 500 feet wide slab of heavy spring snowpack broke free above, cascading down the mountain side with the force of a hurricane. In a matter of seconds, the snow fall swallowed the six little snowboarders in its path. Only one would live to ski another day.
According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), the avalanche danger for Vail area that day was considerable because of persistant weak layers – hair triggers – hidden deep below the surface of the snowpack. Waiting in silence ready to break away from the mountain and slide into the valley below at any time. The Sheep Creek bowl is a well established avalanche danger zone. In retrospect, it would have been best if the backcountry explorers had avoided exposure to the slope altogether under those conditions.
Troubling as it is that one of the deceased was a backcountry guide, we must understand and accept that momentary lapses in judgement happen to everyone from the homeless guy on the corner to the president of the United States. Living means making mistakes and sometimes those mistakes mean death. It’s sad but there is really nothing to do but keep breathing, keep moving forward, trying our best not to make the same mistakes twice.
To sum everything up, here are some safety precautions to take on backcountry days with a considerable risk avalanche:
- Carry and know how to use you avalanche-beacon-probe (which won’t necessarily save you but will keep you safer)
- Read avalanche report/ look at maps the night before if available
- Once you’re at the trailhead, make a plan and discuss which slopes are safe and which are not before you set out
- Avoid exposure to long steep slopes (30+ degrees) especially when there are no trees on them
- Take into account aspect (which direction the slope faces the sun) and recognize that persistant slabs generally develop on shadier slopes (north or east facing)
- Avoid exposure to terrain traps in a possible avalanche path such as tree below or gullies
- When crossing possible avalanche terrain, go one-at-a-time
Before you go out into the backcountry (especially if you are without an expert SGT guide who does this everyday) understand you must trust your decision making abilities with your life. That means you must recognize dangerous situations and make decisions accordingly.
Know the facts. Be aware. Ski another day
Our hearts go out the friends and family of our respected backcountry brethren who may now rest in peace.
Steamboat Social Problems … Include giraffes
Ever wondered what kind of problems the Steamboat public service encounters? Featured in Steamboat Today, read this police record top to bottom for a chuckle or two
Amazing timelapse at Whistler
Spend a second and let these melting images of Whistler capture your wonder.
Whistler – Deep Sky from David McColm on Vimeo.
Greg Long discusses big wave surfing
Greg Long discusses the changing face of big wave surfing in a video interview with SURFER Magazine. At the same time as we make advancements in safety, we are continually pushed to keep pushing the envelope. “Every single year we say, have we reached the ceiling the limit of what we can do? But with every passing year we’re realizing there is still more to improve on and to learn.”
She’s crazy about couloirs
Giulia Monego crushing backcountry skiing in the Dolomites of Italy… The advantage of being a backcountry skier and a bad ass? First tracks all day!
How to recognize danger in the backcountry: Persistent slab
The resort is just too controlled, too populated with tourists cramping your style, too many industrialists trying to squeeze every penny from a good thing. You’re sick of it and you want to hit the backcountry. But you don’t want to die – at least not today. Well then you and your backcountry buddies best adquire a deeper knowledge of snow conditions before going out there or you will face the “no bueno”.
As part of SGT’s Argentina education program, the American Institute for Avalanche Education (AIARE) instructs aspiring backcountry skiers and winter sports enthusiasts how to recognize the signs of persistant slab. It’s important to know this stuff because while backcountry skiing is fun, it’s always best to leave grievous injury and death for another day.
To understand persistant slab, let’s first start talking about snowpack. What is snowpack? Basically, it’s the snow “packed” down sitting on the mountain. You know, the stuff the sharp side of your deck slices like fresh baked bread while your silly ass pretends to fly.
Snowpack is composed of various layers. The layers form when progressive storms leave snow sitting long enough to form cohesive chunks. Through the winter as snow continues to fall on the slope, new layers are continually set. These layers eventually form bonds with one another like the icing binds the layers of a cake. The slab avalanche occurs when one layer in the snowpack breaks its bond with another weaker layer below, unleashing an awesome tour de force from our old friend gravity. Depending where this avalanche is going, it has the power to kill you.
A persistant slab forms in the snowpack when a stronger heavier layer of snow rests on a weaker layer below. Under stress, the weak layer is liable to break it’s bond with the upper layer and release an avalanche. Nobody wants to get caught in avalanche, even if you have one of these nifty flotation backpacks by BCA.
So how do you protect yourself from persistant slab in the backcountry?
- Stay up to date on weather conditions in the mountains throughout the season. If possible, check avalanche reports before heading up.
- Before you set out on the trail, with your backcountry team, make a plan based on your knowledge of the conditions. What is probably going to be cool to hit? What is not going to be cool to hit? Write it down and refer back when in the field.
- Recognize signs of instability in the snow packs ie. “wumfing”, propagation of cracks, facets, warm temperatures, angle of the slope, aspect or slope direction to the sun.
- Dig a snow pit to examine firsthand the layers of the snowpack, looking for weak layers or faceting that may increase the risk of slab avalanche.
- Whenever you encounter a slope of significant grade in the backcountry, take a second to weigh out risk vs reward before entering any potential avalanche terrain. Also, be prepared to tell your friends to shut it if you know they are being foolish.
When you enter the backcountry, you must trust yourself and your team to make good decisions or else you should stick to something safer. It’s not that hard, but it’s also not always that easy. The best way to cover your bases before going out into the backcountry is to take AIARE”s Level One avalanche safety certification course offered by SGT education program in Argentina this summer!
Shredding lines in Antartica
Would you ride Antartica if given the chance? Check out Xavier de Le Rue‘s gnarly sequences on the most “rewarding trip” of his entire career. The film comes out next fall 2013.
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