oragejuice
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
OK. This post is partially informational, and partially explaining my current Facebook status (for the Divas who saw it and asked) and my very scary few minutes today.
The info! Take your Avalanche Level 1 course, if you haven't yet. It's the coolest bunch of information, for resort and backcountry skiers. They teach you about beacons (I'm thinking about starting to wear one when I'm skiing in bounds. They are light, and really incredibly effective, I'm quite a fan.) We did multiple practice burial scenarios with analog (sound only) and digital (lights and arrows to the buried beacon) beacons. Also, we learned about the parts of an avalanche, why and where they form, and all the aspects of one that you can think of. We went out and dug snow pits, and did full tests in several areas. It's totally fascinating, seeing the layers of snow, and how they form what we ski on, and why they can be dangerous. We even got into snow crystal types, with lenses and 1mm/2mm grid cards. WHOA. I feel like I am so much more in tune with how snow works, and I think it's rad. Even if you never plan on going backcountry, it's a wealth of information that will just help me to realize quite a bit more about weather and winter.
Now comes the venting and freaking out-ness. Today, we went out in the backcountry, with the intent to dig more pits, and do some more extensive, multi person burial scenarios. We hiked one of the many buttes in the area, elevation gain of just under 1000ft from road to summit, I believe. I went for snowshoes with ski boots, and my skis on my pack, intending to ski down from the top. I had a terrible time getting up everything today, due to my knee issues, and that part alone, makes me not want to BC ski much, unless there is another mode of transportation..... Heli anyone?
Anyways. We split into three groups for the descent, ski, board, and snowshoe. My two closest friends in the class ended up in the snowboard group, even though one of them skis. I was with the ski group, because there were some beginners, and I figured that their route down would be a little more open (it was heavily gladed, the entire way up). After a few minutes of skiing, we caught up with the board group, and I decided to switch, to ski "more" as I was told they were going to. I started chasing them down another route, but they did not see, or hear me yelling, and zoomed off very fast. I followed their tracks, as it was too late to go the other direction, speedily trying to catch them... when I came to the TIGHTEST trees I've ever made it through on snow. It took me a good 20+ minutes to navigate these glades, as the tracks literally disappeared when I got there. Like... if you were walking up, you wouldnt have know people were there before you. I got extremely freaked out, because I didn't know which way to go. I couldn't ski, but I couldnt walk because it was extremely icy. So.... I sat for a while. Cried. Smacked things around. Took off my down jacket, and started hemming and hawing, backsliding, sideslipping, almost falling into tree wells and being really glad I had a helmet on, until I got to a place clear enough to get some turns in. I had no idea where I was, in relation to the parking lot, so I kept skiing. I found some ski tracks, and managed to follow them around, and found the snowmobile track that we had seen earlier, which goes to a snowpark down the hill from where we had parked. Ended up following it all the way out to the highway, and then hiking up to my car. Those two friends of mine? Didn't ask if I was ok, didn't even say bye... I'm a little bitter about that.
I'm overreacting a little bit, I knew the general direction I needed to go.... but still woodshock hit pretty fast. Thoughts of having to stay out there all night, or breaking my leg or something... Ahhh! Moral of the story.... I'm NOT going backcountry skiing with those two, probably ever, unless I've got my own snowmobile to get around on, and I'm not skiing glades unless there is a foot of fresh.
The info! Take your Avalanche Level 1 course, if you haven't yet. It's the coolest bunch of information, for resort and backcountry skiers. They teach you about beacons (I'm thinking about starting to wear one when I'm skiing in bounds. They are light, and really incredibly effective, I'm quite a fan.) We did multiple practice burial scenarios with analog (sound only) and digital (lights and arrows to the buried beacon) beacons. Also, we learned about the parts of an avalanche, why and where they form, and all the aspects of one that you can think of. We went out and dug snow pits, and did full tests in several areas. It's totally fascinating, seeing the layers of snow, and how they form what we ski on, and why they can be dangerous. We even got into snow crystal types, with lenses and 1mm/2mm grid cards. WHOA. I feel like I am so much more in tune with how snow works, and I think it's rad. Even if you never plan on going backcountry, it's a wealth of information that will just help me to realize quite a bit more about weather and winter.
Now comes the venting and freaking out-ness. Today, we went out in the backcountry, with the intent to dig more pits, and do some more extensive, multi person burial scenarios. We hiked one of the many buttes in the area, elevation gain of just under 1000ft from road to summit, I believe. I went for snowshoes with ski boots, and my skis on my pack, intending to ski down from the top. I had a terrible time getting up everything today, due to my knee issues, and that part alone, makes me not want to BC ski much, unless there is another mode of transportation..... Heli anyone?
Anyways. We split into three groups for the descent, ski, board, and snowshoe. My two closest friends in the class ended up in the snowboard group, even though one of them skis. I was with the ski group, because there were some beginners, and I figured that their route down would be a little more open (it was heavily gladed, the entire way up). After a few minutes of skiing, we caught up with the board group, and I decided to switch, to ski "more" as I was told they were going to. I started chasing them down another route, but they did not see, or hear me yelling, and zoomed off very fast. I followed their tracks, as it was too late to go the other direction, speedily trying to catch them... when I came to the TIGHTEST trees I've ever made it through on snow. It took me a good 20+ minutes to navigate these glades, as the tracks literally disappeared when I got there. Like... if you were walking up, you wouldnt have know people were there before you. I got extremely freaked out, because I didn't know which way to go. I couldn't ski, but I couldnt walk because it was extremely icy. So.... I sat for a while. Cried. Smacked things around. Took off my down jacket, and started hemming and hawing, backsliding, sideslipping, almost falling into tree wells and being really glad I had a helmet on, until I got to a place clear enough to get some turns in. I had no idea where I was, in relation to the parking lot, so I kept skiing. I found some ski tracks, and managed to follow them around, and found the snowmobile track that we had seen earlier, which goes to a snowpark down the hill from where we had parked. Ended up following it all the way out to the highway, and then hiking up to my car. Those two friends of mine? Didn't ask if I was ok, didn't even say bye... I'm a little bitter about that. I'm overreacting a little bit, I knew the general direction I needed to go.... but still woodshock hit pretty fast. Thoughts of having to stay out there all night, or breaking my leg or something... Ahhh! Moral of the story.... I'm NOT going backcountry skiing with those two, probably ever, unless I've got my own snowmobile to get around on, and I'm not skiing glades unless there is a foot of fresh.
(solo day-hike in the Adirondacks on what I was told would be a semi-groomed trail - it wasn't & I was too stubborn to turn around as I realized it 
...as they say, experience is the best teacher!)
