Avalanche
If you’re in the backcountry and one of your partners gets hurt, you’re best bet on getting them to definitive care is building a rescue sled from your skis. Â Once built, you can throw your buddy on the sled and start dragging him/her out to safety.
WIthout a rescue sled, you really don’t have an efficient of extracting an injured skier/rider from the backcountry. Â Hypothermia sets in quickly on an injured human. Â Leaving someone out overnight while you go to get help isn’t a great option. Â Thus, we need to know how to build a rescue sled and get our patient out.
learn more about Brooks Range’s rescue sled setup: Â http://brooks-range.com/Rescue/
Both of these videos display products that you may not have but watching them will get your mind in the right place to create a sled with your own skis. Â After watching these videos, we recommend getting your gear out and making a sled out of your skis at home. Â If it doesn’t work quite right, go out and get the gear needed to finish the job and keep that gear with you whenever you ski out of bounds.
One great tip: Â if your skis don’t have holes in the tips and tails, you can just drill them in there yourself.
For AT pin-tech style back country skis, there is a new device out there that snaps directly into the pin-tech bindings, saving time making a sled. The Snap Evac device makes a solid sled, and they are introducing a model this year with a full bivy wrap component. http://www.snapevac.com
how do i build one when I’m a snowboarder?
With a split board I think the process would be similar. I think the key is too get all your gear out and see what kind of a sled you can create. thanks, miles.
If you are snowborder and if you have another snowborder in your group, you could make simpe (and comfortable 😉 ) sled. You need 2 snowboards, a long rope (about 10 meters), a pair of trekking poles or some handles from avalanche shovels or another kind of strong sticks.
Put snowboards together (front edges together) , high-backs should be raised and located out from your sled. Put 2-3 sticks on the bindings and tie them with snowboards by the rope. Fix backpack with some extra clothes above bindings – sled will be soft, so you could enjoy evacuation 😉
Sorry for my English, I am russian skier. 🙂