self rescue Archives

Backcountry Skiers Caught in BC Avalanche Escape Uninjured after Performing Self-Rescue

A group of backcountry skiers had to dig themselves out of an avalanche on Hollyburn Mountain, BC Saturday morning, reports nsnews.com. The group were caught in a size 1.5 slide just after 9am which was triggered when they transitioned from climbing to skiing the slope, according to their report. All had proper training and equipment. After their self-rescue, they reported the […]

Avalanche

Steven Agar | February 1, 2018

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Backcountry Skier Survives after getting Lost and Spending the Night Outdoors | If You Only Read One Thing Today, Read This

As reported in the Aspen Times on Monday, a man got lost on Saturday whilst skiing in the backcountry alone and had to spend the night outdoors before finally ‘self-rescuing’ and emerging unharmed. That man has since come forward and written his own humble version of events, on what went wrong, what he would do differently and his appreciation for […]

Backcountry

Steven Agar | January 24, 2018

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“What Rescue Gear Do You Take Into the Backcountry?”

Many of us spend a lot of time in the backcountry without thinking of self rescue. If something does go wrong it can go exponentially wrong and your partner’s life can end up resting square in your hands. If your partner gets hurt, you’re certainly going to ask yourself these 3 important questions below. I asked these three questions to my ski partners today and below are their answers. There is some great insight into what rescue gear we should all be carrying when we venture into the backcountry. Q1. What rescue gear do you have with you in the backcountry? Q2. Can you […]

Could You Self Rescue in the Backcountry?

I love skiing in the backcountry. Touring, helidrops, slack country laps off the ski area boundary…all offer us a chance to get out into the mountain environment and play. Nothing, however, is without risk. Even when we take steps to mitigate our risk, be it through good decision making, proper equipment or looking at the snow, we can never truly eliminate danger in these pursuits; residual risk will always be present. This can be from injury, malfunctioning gear or just simple accidents due to bad luck. What kills me, especially from the viewpoint of a rescue professional, is that so […]