should you buy an ABS pack? Mine saved my life today, I vote yes.

[backcountryislife]

got ya! Agree 150%.

I actually didn't go up there, some of my friends went up yesterday & looked for it, and it looks to me to have been on an upper bench, they just dug it out & rolled it down the hill!!

 

[powderpilot]

Kaleb, question about the swim.... How much of your arms were involved? I have the snowpulse, which comes up and over my shoulders... Do you think that would impede the breast-stroke to safety?

 

[backcountryislife]

I've never had a snowpulse filled on me, so I can't say how it would work, but it was swimming like I was in water. I was reaching overhead, pulling & ending my stroke at my shoulders it seems like.

Seems a lot like climbing a ladder now that I think about it.

 

[OLD GOAT]

Really glad to see you came out OK! That must of been one scary ride. Question. how did you train yourself to immediately go for the bag release? For as few times as we ride, that could be a hard instinct to learn. Do you think the Leatt helped at all? I wear one all the time now AFTER I broke my neck in 4/2008 without one on. I am convinced I would not have broken my neck with it

 

[Kid Rock]

your sled always looks like that at the end of the season...you are just over achieving this year....

you lucky SOB....

 

[backcountryislife]

Really glad to see you came out OK! That must of been one scary ride. Question. how did you train yourself to immediately go for the bag release? For as few times as we ride, that could be a hard instinct to learn. Do you think the Leatt helped at all? I wear one all the time now AFTER I broke my neck in 4/2008 without one on. I am convinced I would not have broken my neck with it

I assume that happened riding DH(april... up at OMG road?)? If you ever head to trestle in the summer look me up man, I'm a much better rider now... actually willing to go ride with good guys!

I feel it made a big difference. I took some pretty hard hits & my neck just felt like It would after a day of dropping cornices in the spring... a tad sore... but not at ALL feeling hurt.

As for training with the trigger... I just grabbed... that's it. I'd love to say I make a point of reaching for it daily & had that muscle memory, but no.

Maybe seeing the cracks in the snow got me thinking about it... but I don't think so. I see small slides pretty often & sure don't think of pulling the trigger just cause I see some snow going down the hill. I thought I was completely safe up until that damn freight train hit me.

 

[James T Kirk]

Kaleb, question about the swim.... How much of your arms were involved? I have the snowpulse, which comes up and over my shoulders... Do you think that would impede the breast-stroke to safety?

That was one of my main concerns with the snowpulse and the reason I ended up getting a BCA float 30 instead. If you are going the distance, the snowpulse is going to give the best trauma protection of any avy pack I have seen, but I think if you trigger the snowpulse you are going to do exactly that, go the distance. It takes away your peripheral vision and the ability to use your arms.

Having been in a low speed slide on skis, I was able to dig into the bed surface with my pole grips and stop myself short of getting drug over a fatal cliff. One of the many lessons I learned that day was that if I had triggered a snowpulse I would probably have gone over. I still think about that slide and wonder if I had taken the time to trigger any airbag (I didnt have one at that time) if I would have still had time to self-arrest.

I think if BCIL had been wearing a snowpulse his ride might have been a lot longer, as it sounds like his ability to swim and fight had a lot to do with survival...

 

[snowmobiler]

will you stay home the next time avy danger is high?

 

[m8magicandmystery]

Kaleb...

seems like you are Blessed in more ways then you think..not only surviving the slide...but apparent by many posts on this thread you have good friends on this site that really care for you...

 

[Mnt bound]

BCIL,

I have read many posts you have put up in the ACM section. Always helpful. I'm so so happy that this was not fatal to you. After reading this I pm'ed snowbigdeal.com and have a pack on the way. I don't care anymore what it costs-- time to mod myself and not the sled!

 

[backcountryislife]

will you stay home the next time avy danger is high?

No.

That would be 2/3 of the year where I ride!

What I will do though is not go where I can't see, no reason to NEED to go to that little pocket I was heading towards, next time I'll just stay on the safer stuff.
Avy danger is a normal part of life here, not something that can be completely avoided (aside from staying home), that's why I'm so vocal about avy training & gear, I just never expected to be the one caught from a slide that I didn't even see coming.

Btw, looking at the snowpulse inflated... gotta say I'd likely not be here. I ended up too close to the edge to say that swimming didn't make the difference between staying & going.

 

[trackvs2wheels]

Never being in an avalanche myself, you are free to take my words for what they are...simply my words:

I think clarification is needed here in the sense that for this particular slide, in this particular place, at this particulare time, it SEEMS as if the ABS bag was your best bet Kaleb. I just don't want people to read this post thinking the ABS bag is the ONLY way to go for an avalanche safety bag...there are several other brands/styles out there and each one is going to give you a better shot of survival versus not having one at all.

I personally ride with the Snowpulse because I like the idea of the bag inflating around my shoulders and neck area. I don't ride in severely rocky areas with cliffs/cornices such as Kaleb does (yes, I am a pu$$y when it comes to that stuff), so I figured the Snowpulse bag would provide me with the best chance of survival in the type of situation I am likely to be in one day.

That's all from me...

VERY GLAD YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THE STATISTICS KALEB!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ItDoAble]

BCIL,

So glad you are OK! I've been on the fence the last couple of years about getting a bag. Like most cost, weight, and denial have favored the 'No' column. Even though I've been in a small slide (I was lucky there was a runout), and also had a buddy ride a large dragon a few years back (4 ft down beacon rescue, was OK, but got out of sledding).

NO MORE! Yesterday I went up to Ft Collins and bought a BCA Float30.

Well .. there goes the IPad for Christmas.

See your report was in the CAIC email this morning.

 

[ManBearPig]

Leg Straps

Kaleb,

Did you have the leg straps on or just waist, shoulder and chest straps?
I use a ABS Freeride 10L and have never worn the optional leg straps yet. Thanks

 

[milehighassassin]

Glad that you are ok, man you are lucky. Thanks for sharing your story.

For everyone else, don't just go out and buy a pack, get some training as well. Around 30% of avy deaths are from trauma, a pack will not help in this. Packs are great but GET TRAINING.

You are correct that most deaths are caused from Trauma but you are wrong in saying an airbag will help you in this.

If an airbag can get you to the surface you are less likely to be smashed. IF you are heading at trees, you can at least see that, swim, fight, do what ever. Under the surface of the snow, you are just along for the ride. On the surface you will at least be able to deflect off of trees, rocks, etc instead of being smashed into them.

 

[milehighassassin]

This thread should be mandatory reading for anyone that joins this site. Then after that make them read a thread where someone was lost that day.


Ask them if they want to take the red or blue pill (bag or no bag).

 

[backcountryislife]

Kaleb,

Did you have the leg straps on or just waist, shoulder and chest straps?
I use a ABS Freeride 10L and have never worn the optional leg straps yet. Thanks

I had my normal pack straps on, and always cinch the waist strap relatively tight, but not uncomfortable (like you would wear a normal pack).

but no harness. I'm not saying that this result would be the same in every slide, but I was being dragged legs first along the bottom, perhaps the leatt kept it from riding up, perhaps my nice office slacker GUT... not sure, but when I got to my knees afterwards (It was a while before I stood up) I don't remember having to re-arrange it on me at all, it seems like it was in the normal place I think. When I started getting up I was more focused on the fingers, they work, hands, they work, elbow, arms, feet, legs... before I really got up, so I wasn't really thinking about the pack's location on me.


Crap, can't read anymore.

 

[Ndavis1985]

Crazy Crazy glad your ok! Mike called me today and told me about it! Does this mean that I won't get to ride your sled when I come out?

 

[dreamfish65]

Damn Kaleb glad you came away with your life bro.. Scary $hit right there. I was in a pretty big avy myself last year and was able to ride out of it. Home arena like you on a mild slope I've ridden 1000 times before. The one day of the entire last 2 years I forgot to bring my ABS pack. Shame on me. Never will forget it ever again, and this is just a solid reminder of that. $1000 just saved your life. Well worth the cost.

Glad to see you made it through what must have been a very Scary event! What i dont like is the cost of said pack! really 1000 to 1500 bucks?? give me a break there is someone making alot of money off of these packs! If the real reason they make the pack is for the better of the sport then maybe they shouldnt inflate the costs so the average hard working guy can afford to buy one!! Again Glad to hear your ok!

 

[milehighassassin]

Glad to see you made it through what must have been a very Scary event! What i dont like is the cost of said pack! really 1000 to 1500 bucks?? give me a break there is someone making alot of money off of these packs! If the real reason they make the pack is for the better of the sport then maybe they shouldnt inflate the costs so the average hard working guy can afford to buy one!! Again Glad to hear your ok!

Packs start out at $600

Like anything you are obviously not paying for what it costs to make a product. You are paying for R&D.

Research and development. The testing and creating of a product is what is expensive.


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