Advice for skiing solo

[LadyCaladium]

That is true in the US, too. You can't exit a resort to ski backcountry unless there's a gate. But you can go find a mountain to ski on public land. Isn't that true in Japan, too? I see so many videos of Japan powder skiing that don't look like they're in a resort ..

Recently they have gotten more relaxed (tree skiing was a huge no until recently) and Hokkaido is the most relaxed. The younger patrols will usually turn a blind eye - basically, be smart, don't make what you're about to do ( go out of bounds) obvious. I've seen people do it and not get caught yet I know people who have gotten caught.

Some places actually have some real nice, hard to get to areas that are 100% OK to ski.

Most of those videos are probably Hokkaido or maybe over by Hakuba and Tateyama.

And things like this news story get everyone in a tizzy and on the offensive (extra vigilant when it comes to ski patrols in this case).

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...rs-searching-backcountry-powder/#.V78VW8TXenO

 

[bounceswoosh]

I don't know, I think I maybe more of a nervous type, but I just don't feel comfortable going off alone. And there are definitely some inbounds areas at Sunshine and Louise where you can go and see very few people for the rest of the day.

I have felt this way, too, but I ultimately just am not willing to miss out on certain experiences because I'm alone. It's a calculated risk.

Places I won't ski alone:

At unfamiliar resorts: anything hike-to or difficult to scope from below, and almost all trees. There was some stuff I skied with @Kimmyt and @RachelV at Crested Butte that I would not have skied alone.

At Breck:
Hike-to terrain (all double black/"extreme")
Windows and Doors tree runs
Umm. I'm sure I must be forgetting something. I should include Minecrotch and some obscure lines on peak 10, but I have skied them on powder days when I was in the first wave of the lift line.

 

[TeleChica]

Re: Skiing backcountry alone. Here in NE there are a number of BC trails where you are guaranteed to see people all day, so I will ski these areas without concern, albeit a bit more conservatively. That said, I went out to a BC area (Mt. Cardigan, which also has an AMC lodge at the base) after a Valentine's Day dump (I caught powder fever and took a day off) on a wicked cold day, and didn't see a soul the entire time, so that approach doesn't always work out. I will not BC ski other places that are really far off the beaten track, or not as well known. If I did, I would take a SPOT beacon with me.

At resorts, I take phone, med card, etc., but I do that whether I am solo or not. I will ski some tree runs, but preferably ones close to a trail, like Hells Woods or Beaver Pond at Jay. I avoid trails that tend to challenge me, like Everglade at Jay or Paradise at MRG, as well as trails off the beaten track. And I ski very conservatively, of course. On the trails, I tend to ski as per usual.

 

[Albertan ski girl]

I have felt this way, too, but I ultimately just am not willing to miss out on certain experiences because I'm alone. It's a calculated risk.

Places I won't ski alone:

At unfamiliar resorts: anything hike-to or difficult to scope from below, and almost all trees. There was some stuff I skied with @Kimmyt and @RachelV at Crested Butte that I would not have skied alone.

At Breck:
Hike-to terrain (all double black/"extreme")
Windows and Doors tree runs
Umm. I'm sure I must be forgetting something. I should include Minecrotch and some obscure lines on peak 10, but I have skied them on powder days when I was in the first wave of the lift line.

Yeah - I totally get that. I also agree with resorts that are unfamiliar - I definitely won't ski that kind of more difficult terrain at a new resort.

@TeleChica - I have one friend who actually keeps a SPOT with him at all times at a resort - for times when he wants to do some sidecountry exploring.

 

[TeleChica]

It occurs to me that there is definitely some differences skiing solo depending on what area of the country you are in. I can see being a lot more conservative at larger areas where there can be tress wells and no fall zones, etc. That said I skied alone at Jackson Hole, and even tried a tree run, but I could see it from the chair lift, so I had a good idea what it would be like. I would never do that solo without knowing what I was getting into.

 

[bounceswoosh]

That said, I went out to a BC area (Mt. Cardigan, which also has an AMC lodge at the base) after a Valentine's Day dump (I caught powder fever and took a day off) on a wicked cold day, and didn't see a soul the entire time, so that approach doesn't always work out. I will not BC ski other places that are really far off the beaten track, or not as well known. If I did, I would take a SPOT beacon with me.

This reminds me of a time I snowshoed Mt Royal in a blizzard with my dog. It wasn't quite a blizzard when I started. It was beautiful and surreal, stomping through drifts of powder up to the top, but I only saw I think two other people with their dogs the whole time, and didn't see them until they were maybe 10 feet away. In retrospect, terrible idea, and though treed, definitely steep enough to slide, and I had nothing but my phone. This was maybe 6 years ago, before I thought about anything like that. It was beautiful, though ...

ETA: I remember it with a lot more snow than apparently was there ... interesting.

 

[Kimmyt]

Yeah - I totally get that. I also agree with resorts that are unfamiliar - I definitely won't ski that kind of more difficult terrain at a new resort..

Yeah, I won't ski trees alone when I'm at a resort that I don't consider a 'home' resort. The exception being if it is an openly spaced tree run that is visible from a lift, because I can eye my line beforehand and also there is more of a chance of getting help if #### hits the fan.

 

[SallyCat]

[QUOTE=" will not BC ski other places that are really far off the beaten track, or not as well known. If I did, I would take a SPOT beacon with me.[/QUOTE]

Regarding the SPOT beacon, the device itself needs a clear view of the sky to get a signal, and I don't think it has a homing beacon.
If you want to carry a signaling device for backcountry use, you may want to consider/research portable PLBs such as the McMurdo FastFind and the ResQLink.

I'm only speaking from backpacking experience and it's been a while since I looked at the SPOT, so they may have upgraded their functionality. I'm not down on the SPOT--it seems to be a good choice for lots of people; I opted for the ResQLink because it's a one-time purchase with a six-year battery life, and the signal and homing beacons are robust.

Obviously a PLB no substitute for careful risk management and good planning, but I do a lot of solo backpacking and I like knowing that I can call in the cavalry if something awful happens.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Regarding SPOT and similar systems:

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Personal-Locator-Beacon-Reviews

Lots of good info.

 

[sibhusky]

Thanks for that review. We've used SPOT for ten years, but have been feeling like there should be something better out there.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

Would you carry SPOT instead of Avy beacons?

 

[sibhusky]

I would not. If no one knows approximately where you are, the satellite fix of SPOT will help narrow things down a bit, but once you're buried, it's the beacon that will find your body. They are complementary.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Would you carry SPOT instead of Avy beacons?

OMG no. Totally different. By the time a SPOT was useful in a search, you'd be hours dead.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

I would not. If no one knows approximately where you are, the satellite fix of SPOT will help narrow things down a bit, but once you're buried, it's the beacon that will find your body. They are complementary.

I see. More reasons for me not to go off-off-piste.

 

[LadyCaladium]

Thanks for that review. We've used SPOT for ten years, but have been feeling like there should be something better out there.

My brother and his wife do a lot of backcountry and travel in general. Things like someone drops them off from a plane, helicopter, or boat somewhere in Alaska or taking a group up Mt. Washington. They used to used SPOT, but now they use inReach.

ETA: and they have avalanche packs as well. My brother took and continues to take every few seasons, an avalanche course. I think his wife has done it a few times too.

 

[sibhusky]

So, not really clear on the pairing of a Smartphone with the InReach. Is that merely to provide a keyboard to the Delorme device? And to provide a satellite connection to the Smartphone? Can it be any Bluetooth-enabled phone or does it have to be a Smartphone? Is there any reason for it to have to be a phone, in fact? Can it be a Bluetooth device of any kind with a keyboard? It didn't sound like it provides voice, only text. Could it in fact, pair with a Garmin, which has a keyboard on its screen?

 

[Albertan ski girl]

My brother and his wife do a lot of backcountry and travel in general. Things like someone drops them off from a plane, helicopter, or boat somewhere in Alaska or taking a group up Mt. Washington. They used to used SPOT, but now they use inReach.

ETA: and they have avalanche packs as well. My brother took and continues to take every few seasons, an avalanche course. I think his wife has done it a few times too.

I think a lot of things are complementary here - the devices we've been talking about have very different functions. I think of SPOT as a 'call-for'help' device - ie if you are in the backcountry or are lost, or injured but conscious, you use the red button to call for help. An avy beacon is a must all the time when skiing backcountry. The avy beacon will help locate you when you are buried, your friend for example uses the SPOT to call for help. I use an InReach as well - and that's really a sat phone situation. either when you want to be in touch and you are somewhere remote (for example, my SO does fieldwork on a glacier, so he keeps an InReach to get in touch with base), and can also be used like a SPOT to call for help. As far as I know though, the Inreach is more reliable. I use the Inreach when I'm in the backcountry with my undergraduates, or any backcountry in the Yukon.

 

[Albertan ski girl]

So, not really clear on the pairing of a Smartphone with the InReach. Is that merely to provide a keyboard to the Delorme device? And to provide a satellite connection to the Smartphone? Can it be any Bluetooth-enabled phone or does it have to be a Smartphone? Is there any reason for it to have to be a phone, in fact? Can it be a Bluetooth device of any kind with a keyboard? It didn't sound like it provides voice, only text. Could it in fact, pair with a Garmin, which has a keyboard on its screen?

If you pair your phone with the inreach (via bluetooth), you can basically do everything that you need to do on the inreach on your iphone - it just provides a smoother interface. It does have to be a bluetooth connection. I don't think it can be anything beyond the iOS or Android systems - because you do have to download an app onto the phone to use the inreach on your phone. And, of course, that is only as good as your phone's charge!

 

[sibhusky]

Well, I'm asking because I don't own a Smartphone. Never had a need for one and the battery on my flip phone lasts for a week.

 

[Albertan ski girl]

Well, I'm asking because I don't own a Smartphone. Never had a need for one and the battery on my flip phone lasts for a week.

Yes, I only use the inreach when I'm way out of cell range (which is actually a lot of places in Canada!)