Poor Man's Heli

Yup, I posted this last year, and am posting it again this year (and probably every year after). It’s that time of year, everyone is getting fired up to get into some pow, but as Colorado has shown us this year (and even some reports of slabs up in the Baker area) early season turns aren’t necessarily safer than later in the season. So, here’s a video reminder to help get your mind thinking avy eyes.

If you have any sort of backcountry aspirations and you haven’t seen A Dozen More Turns, the first film by filmmaker Amber Seyler, you need to bookmark this page and set aside 30 minutes to watch it in it’s entirety.  Amber did a great job weaving together snow science and human factors to tell the story of a fatal accident on Montana’s Mount Nemesis.  The story, and the quote below from survivor Sam Kavanagh, are worth reflecting on the next time you head out into the backcountry.

You can dig pits, you can read avalanche reports, you can poke your pole down and feel failure layers, you can check slopes, but there’s a huge human element.  The stoke of the day.  Epic powder turns.  I think the biggest thing that came to us is we had become reassured.  We skied the same slopes for two days without consequence.  We had gained reassurance in that.  And then you top that with having an individual in your group that is Level 1 certified, and Level 3 certified, and Masters degree.  Blake that passed away had a Masters degree that focused on avalanche studies.  And that bumps your risk level up a little bit because you understand the system more.