From: vwikm@python.calgary.chevron.com (kevin m. williams)
Newsgroups: rec.skiing
Subject: Re: Colorado Avalanche Information
Date: 15 Dec 92 23:18:28 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Chevron

In article <1992Dec14.221928.3724@tc.fluke.COM>, lowell@tc.fluke.COM (Lowell Skoog) writes:
|> bhilden@bigriver.Eng.Sun.COM (Bruce Hildenbrand) writes:
|> 
|> >But, seriously.  Has anyone on this net ever been saved (or have saved)
|> >someone with an avalanche beacon.  My friends who use these things
|> >say that they are very hard to use and that unless you practice a lot,
|> >your chances of finding the victim in time is really small.
|> 
|> No, I've never saved anyone nor been saved using an avalanche
|> beacon.  I still wear one though.  My last practice search (in ideal
|> conditions) took 3 minutes.  I couldn't match that with another
|> search method.
|> 
|> Still, I think Bruce may be suggesting some worthwhile questions:
|> Are you more likely to ski an uncontrolled slope when you are wearing
|> an avalanche beacon than when you are not?  If so, does your use of
|> an avalanche beacon make you safer?
|> 
|> 					--Lowell Skoog
|> 					  Seattle, Washington

Tony Daffern's 'Avalanche Safety for Skier's and Climbers' (an excellent book) gives the following
search times for a 100x100 meter deposition zone.

                                   100mx100m              Chance of Success <3m Burial

Coarse Probe                       20 people                     70%
                                   4 hours

Fine Probe                         20 people                     100%
                                   16-20 hours

Dog - Quick Search                 1 dog                         90%
                                   30 min

Dog - Detailed Search              1 dog                         95%
                                   1-2 hours

Beacon                             1 person                      98%
                                   < 10 min 

 Given that the chance of survival after a 15 minute burial has dropped below 50%, what would you
like to have looking for you? Yes they take a bit of practice. Organized rescue groups, patrollers
etc practice at least twice a week and are very efficient with the units. But for the casual ski 
tourer 2 or 3 times a year should suffice. The real tragedy is that most people don't even do this. 

 The main causes of death are trauma (being bashed around during the slide) and asphyxiation. Beacons 
do nothing for the former, but can completely prevent the latter. Of course as others have pointed
out, beacons will do nothing for you if you can't keep a cool head, organize a rescue, administer
first aid, AR, CPR and evacuate the victim. They're also useless without a shovel. 

 Lowell made a really relevant point about using them as 'avalanche repellant'. People seem to  
willing to take much bigger risks with the magic amulet around their necks. The best anecdote I heard
about this involved a group on Denali. They were crossing heavily crevased terrain unroped. When asked 
why they were moving about on such obviously dangerous ground without a rope they replied that they 
didn't need one because they had avalanche beacons on. They felt that if someone fell into a crevasse
they would have no difficulty locating them.  

 The most important thing is to ski with people that feel comfortable using beacons, organizing a 
rescue and have some first aid. Ski patrollers and park rangers aren't much use to you. They'll
be coming in to recover a body. The key is speed. 
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