P
I bet its way lighter now. Just buff those scratches out. She'll be good as new! BTW I have your hotdogger. When I was trying to get the loose stuff off I took that. Still has a hot pocket in it! Not hot though.
should you buy an ABS pack? Mine saved my life today, I vote yes.
- Thread starter backcountryislife
- Start date
Well....
I'll agree that JUST a pack isn't worth SQUAT. The thing between your ears needs to work too, but NOT using all the tools at your disposal is just plain ignorant.
Without the pack though... I'd be another one of those trauma deaths.
I stopped right next to this bush. Look at the slope below it... do you think I would have stopped on the next pitch? NO WAY. After that was the cliff.
Had I not been able to swim, I would not have stopped there.
The ability to have SOME control in an avy is HUGE. If you want to argue that the pack won't prevent trauma deaths... I call BS. PLAIN & SIMPLE. (hey, you can always just NOT pull the trigger!)
I was getting POUNDED until I pulled the trigger, POUNDED.
I used to fight full contact & I can tell you that today I feel like I took a fight again yesterday. (aside from not taking any torso or head shots that is!)
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out of hand
dude:
seen your truck with just abby's sled on it heading home from testing at corona. figured your sled was still broke; guess i was right sort of. i'm kind of joking but not really when we call jones and urad "death on a stick" and that's when there is visibility! glad you made it out okay. i'm sure the pack helped but it wasn't your time. even as well as you know that place, certain factors can up the ante. a good lesson again for all of us with a happy ending. it's even a happy ending for your sled. that clapped out rig needed to be put out of it's misery!
jeff
dude:
seen your truck with just abby's sled on it heading home from testing at corona. figured your sled was still broke; guess i was right sort of. i'm kind of joking but not really when we call jones and urad "death on a stick" and that's when there is visibility! glad you made it out okay. i'm sure the pack helped but it wasn't your time. even as well as you know that place, certain factors can up the ante. a good lesson again for all of us with a happy ending. it's even a happy ending for your sled. that clapped out rig needed to be put out of it's misery!
jeff
The shape I would be in had I gone with the sled...
It looks a lot better than I thought it would.
So did it go off the rock ledge?
yeah, went down about 600 feet after it went off.
look for the rock that is to the right of the center & touches the horizon of the snow, it went off to the right of that rock.
This face is a lot steeper & bigger than it looks in this pic, wish I had a profile shot of this face to show, it's pretty big. 600 is pretty conservative.
look for the rock that is to the right of the center & touches the horizon of the snow, it went off to the right of that rock.
This face is a lot steeper & bigger than it looks in this pic, wish I had a profile shot of this face to show, it's pretty big. 600 is pretty conservative.
Really glad you're all right CHEESEHEAD! Makes a man think. Those Avy classes by Duffy are worth their weight in gold. Once you have had the classsroom make sure you do his field class also. I thought I knew what I was doing but after taking the field class I was suprised how inept I really was. We are having a few of his classes, both classroom and field at the lodge this winter. How about we use you for a real life prop? Makes me very glad Mike sold me a bag. Hope I never have to use it but am glad you told us how well it worked. Oh, and as for the sled, that will buff right out.
Z
Glad to have you with us! Crazy story, thanks for sharing and I definately want a pack now... If I lived out west, and rode there consistantly i would be buying one tomorrow, but for a once a year flattlander, it might take me awhile to save up.
S
scary sh!t.
did ya mess your britches?
did ya mess your britches?
Damn, dude! I had one of those a few years ago, but yours looks so much meaner. That cliff has teeth!
Just read this for the first time. Glad you are good Kaleb and we are all not talking a different story. I agree with you on the ABS bag. I have one. I hear others say they can't afford it or they really don't need it for the riding they do. I would like to see packs get down below $500. I think if you are going to be in this sport you have to have the goods. It's that time of year, let's hope the others will be prepared as well.
S
Kaleb! You know better than to snowmobile in the winter!
Thanks for sharing this and glad you're alive. Avalanches are not 100% predictable and that is why I have been a big advocate of avalanche airbag packs. They work. It's your best chance for surviving an avalanche. Impressed with your composure to pull the handle when you were getting pounded underneath the snow and also to swim to the side. Excellent job of self rescuing (must be from all those years of running class V). Take care.
Mike
Thanks for sharing this and glad you're alive. Avalanches are not 100% predictable and that is why I have been a big advocate of avalanche airbag packs. They work. It's your best chance for surviving an avalanche. Impressed with your composure to pull the handle when you were getting pounded underneath the snow and also to swim to the side. Excellent job of self rescuing (must be from all those years of running class V). Take care.
Mike
umm...
The lower 1/2 of my body & my hands tell me it was a V+ swim... not just V.
Gotta be honest though... swimming big Whitewater is still more frightening, at least the snow stops eventually. It was exactly like a WW swim though, the first 1/2 was like not having a PFD, then when I got to the top, the swim was just a freestyle type swim to get to the edge... not really that different from being in the water.
H
glad your ok lil short track guy:face-icon-small-hap, its sad the safety industry is truly nothing but a cash cow, next will (is) the going-green movement
anyway, ive had one for 3 years, hope i never get to use it
anyway, ive had one for 3 years, hope i never get to use it
S
I do not think the safety industry is a cash cow. The cost of developing and manufacturing these packs is very high. The margins are slim.
Your life should be worth at least $699. Think of how much you pay in car insurance each year and never have a claim. For those of you who say you only go out west once a year and can't justify it, well I'm glad you can choose when your accidents occur. In reality, it could happen on that one week you are out there and is probably more likely to happen to you since you may not know the area as well and will ride every day since it's your only chance to ride for the year.
I look at Kaleb's photos of the chute the sled went down. If he was not able to get out of the avalanche when he did, he would have never survived.
Your life should be worth at least $699. Think of how much you pay in car insurance each year and never have a claim. For those of you who say you only go out west once a year and can't justify it, well I'm glad you can choose when your accidents occur. In reality, it could happen on that one week you are out there and is probably more likely to happen to you since you may not know the area as well and will ride every day since it's your only chance to ride for the year.
I look at Kaleb's photos of the chute the sled went down. If he was not able to get out of the avalanche when he did, he would have never survived.
S
Skidooboyedk,
I appreciate all you guys waiting for me to show up. Thanks for being patient. Thanks to Ron Perrin for setting up the class.
Getting to Grand Rapids wasn't nearly as hard as getting to Elk River, MN the next day. Left class in Grand Rapids, got my luggage in Kalamazoo around midnight and drove to Milwaukee to catch an 8:30am flight. Some sections of the road were really bad around 2-3:00 am. Ron Perrin and the crew were ahead of me headed to WY and CO to ride. Lots of trucks off the road. Hope they have a great time riding. The snow is great out west right now. Thanks to all those who came to the class in Grand Rapids.
I appreciate all you guys waiting for me to show up. Thanks for being patient. Thanks to Ron Perrin for setting up the class.
Getting to Grand Rapids wasn't nearly as hard as getting to Elk River, MN the next day. Left class in Grand Rapids, got my luggage in Kalamazoo around midnight and drove to Milwaukee to catch an 8:30am flight. Some sections of the road were really bad around 2-3:00 am. Ron Perrin and the crew were ahead of me headed to WY and CO to ride. Lots of trucks off the road. Hope they have a great time riding. The snow is great out west right now. Thanks to all those who came to the class in Grand Rapids.
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Just glad you are OK. The sled looks like it is DOA, but that can be redone! Good write up and a strong endorsement for the avy packs!!!!!!
C
That is UGLY! :face-icon-small-sho
The shape I would be in had I gone with the sled...
It looks a lot better than I thought it would.
C
Well....
I'll agree that JUST a pack isn't worth SQUAT. The thing between your ears needs to work too, but NOT using all the tools at your disposal is just plain ignorant.
Without the pack though... I'd be another one of those trauma deaths.
I stopped right next to this bush. Look at the slope below it... do you think I would have stopped on the next pitch? NO WAY. After that was the cliff.
Had I not been able to swim, I would not have stopped there.
The ability to have SOME control in an avy is HUGE. If you want to argue that the pack won't prevent trauma deaths... I call BS. PLAIN & SIMPLE. (hey, you can always just NOT pull the trigger!)
I was getting POUNDED until I pulled the trigger, POUNDED.
I used to fight full contact & I can tell you that today I feel like I took a fight again yesterday. (aside from not taking any torso or head shots that is!)
I totally agree that packs are a great thing, I ride with one, I just don't want people to think a pack is all they need. Most likely you would have ended up next to your sled without the pack. How did you find your sled? Was it partially exposed? Thanks again for sharing your story.
cpatts
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