Avalanche
Report from January 18, 2022
I was caught in an avalanche in the Revelstoke BC backcountry.
I had just skied the same run about 10′ to the right and my guard was 100% down.
Honestly, I didn’t even think about avalanches before dropping into this line.
I felt like we’d already made our assessment and the snow was stable enough to ski this zone.
There were also tracks everywhere luring me into a false sense of security.
I was wrong.
I ripped out a 10″ deep, 50′ wide class 1 avalanche that took me for a 200′ ride.
I was able to stay over my skis and ski out of the avalanche.
I was able to pull my avalanche airbag backpack while in the slide.
The experience was harrowing. I got going damn fast and snow was starting to come up over my body and splash my face. I was able to stay calm and focused on escaping the avalanche.
To me, it felt huge and scary and like I was going to be buried if I didn’t release from the avalanche.
Today was a lesson learned.
I’m going to try to always keep my guard up and always reassess every slope before I drop in.
Thanks to my strong partners today for being ready to rock in every situation.
I have 2 different perspectives of the avalanche in this post – forward and backwards for learning.
Thanks for the kind words, Myles. I don’t think the airbag did anything in this situation as I was still over my skis and sitting up and I don’t thing the bag was interacting with the snow. Glad I had it tho! thx
Glad you are okay! Yes lots of people riding Kokanee bowl that day (myself included) which lead to a false sense of security. Did you feel like the airbag help keep you afloat or do you think without it you may of been buried? Thanks for posting! Myles
Miles, I’m glad that you came thru in style. And what do I know? Next to nothing except what I saw in your video. Perhaps that little clump of vegetation you skied to had been acting like a snow fence contributing to localized loading and weak snowpack structure. Rollovers, rockbands, and vegetation are suspect in my book. Just a thought.
Regardless of whether “professional skier and guide” was in reference to the comment’s author or to Miles, are you disputing that the use of pole straps in avalanche terrain can present a hazard? Being a transplant or not is irrelevant; it’s simply safer to avoid pole straps when skiing potential avalanche slopes or trees.
Don’t listen to the ‘professional skier and guide,’ he’s probably a transplant, ugh.
Colorado that’s called a sluff and you handled it perfect.
Did you create a MIN report on Avalanche Canada? I couldn’t find it. Would be helpful for others to know exactly where in the backcountry this occurred.
I did. It’s under 1/18/22. Thanks.
Glad you’re alright. Sharing lessons learned is important. I was surprised to see you wearing pole straps. As a professional skier and guide, I would have thought you would know how dangerous pole straps are in avalanche terrain. Remember folks, pole straps around your wrists can cause your arms to be pulled by the avalanche. This means you can’t “swim” out of the slide or use your hands to protect your airway and get a hand up when the slide comes to a stop.
Thanks for the comment. My ski pole straps are special and break away when pulled on.
Glad you are safe. Alpride E1 packs are great. What is your camera setup?
Thanks, Kristian. Camera is an Insta360 ONE X2.
Really glad you’re fine!!! A great learning experience for us all!!