"Last Tracks" in The Stranger

Decent article in one of Seattle's free weekly papers on the three boarders who disappeared a few months back. The author is a bit loose with her definition of BC, but good on the reasons we do it.
She also makes Joedabaker sound like the super-guru that he is.
:

www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=521725

That is a well done article. I thought the risks and rewards were described much better than we are typically portrayed.
I still take issue with what seems to be new catch phrase though "Avalanche beacons breed complacency". I don't want to speculate about whether or not safety equipment could have saved more people this year but I am pretty sure that being prepared isn't one of the parents of complacency.

""It offers me peace of mind and serenity," says Eric Houtkooper, an avid backcountry skier I found in a forum at www.turns-all-year.com....every moment is heightened. Combine that with thousands of feet of untouched powder"

Well stated Eric

a good read

I still take issue with what seems to be new catch phrase though "Avalanche beacons breed complacency". I don't want to speculate about whether or not safety equipment could have saved more people this year but I am pretty sure that being prepared isn't one of the parents of complacency.

Maybe I an misreading the context of this, but my understanding of complacency is the attitude, "I have a beacon, so we can ski anything and we will be safe." The feeling that I purchased insurance (a beacon) so we will be safe or "they will find me" without proper understanding of the snowpack.

When I was approached for this article, I was very careful about the message that would be conveyed to the readers without intruding on the writers creativity and the sensitivity of the men's families. My feeling was that it would partially, on some level, raise awareness of the dangers and happiness that is found in backcountry touring. I appreciate the balance that Courtney created with the article with respect to the families who have lost their loved ones.

Nice job Joe and a good representation of that particular weekend and the sport as a whole. Glad you agreed to the interviews.

Is that really a feeling that anyone has though? If anything when I put on a beacon my thoughts are more about hoping I never have to use it. Maybe there are people who become overconfident when wearing a beacon, I certainly haven't done a scientific study. It just seems as though during avy discussions lately that people discard the use of beacons because of this argument that they wont save you all the time and suggest that even wearing one can taint your judgement. I can appreciate that there are situations when someone might leave it at home because they are going solo or the conditions or terrain make it less of a factor, but the suggestion that carrying one is somehow related to bad judgement doesn't make sense to me.

Much of it is in the heuristics. Sometimes my partners speak good sense to me, sometimes I do it for them. At times our abilities lead us onwards, but then I try to keep in mind the maxim:
Beacons are useless until after I am completely buried, and who would ever want that?

Rick compensation permeates behavior every day in every way. Any time you use a bit of equipment, how you use it is determined by your assessment of the risk involved.

When you drive your car to the ski hill, the speed you drive (comfortably) is regulated by issues like the ability of the brakes to stop in an emergency, or the capability of the tires to steer out of the way of an obstruction, or the effectiveness of an airbag to soften the effects of a collision.

On the slopes, the way you ski is affected by the confidence that you will be able to avoid injury (or worse) . Releasable bindings permit faster speeds ... wearing a helmet makes skiing a more challenging pitch seem less risky ... strapping on a parachute mitigates some of the risk of skiing off a gnarly cliff.

Most kinds of safety equipment lessens the risk of the associated behavior, unless the individual changes behavior patterns because of the presence of safety systems. Driving faster "uses up" some or all of the cushion of brakes, tires and airbags ... the same could be said for skiing.

The risk of death or injury is the sum (or product) of a whole series of factors. If the risk of dying in an avalanche is 20% (once you encounter one) and the risk of encountering one is 10% in a given situation, then it could be calculated that the risk of dying in those circumstances is .20 * .10 = .02 ... (ie, a death every fifty times you enter that situation)

You can decrease the risk of dying once caught by skiing with a buddy, and using beacons, shovels, probes and being well trained in their use. But, if at the same time, with all of that caution, you venture into more dangerous terrain, then you have burned up much (all) of the safety you may have accrued.

SS

I fully believe that people put too much stock in beacons.

I frequently ski without one.

I was trying to ignore this thread because I didn't want to take away from original topic more than I already have. But now I am too curious again - How many other people leave them at home? I'm not judging, just curious because I thought it was kind of a standard thing. I don't think I have refused to ski with someone because they didn't have one, (well maybe once or twice but there were other factors in addition), but I have skied with people who do refuse to ski with people without them. Usually the only time I have left mine is out of forgetfulness, it's a solo trip, or it's spring and things have been stable for a while.

I keep a beacon in my ski box so it always comes to the TH with me. I rarely leave it at the car but I do sometimes in the spring. I have even carried it on solo tours to aid in recovery should it become necessary. I would hate to inconvenience rescue workers or make my wife wait too long to replace me. I am sure she would prefer my body was buried before she started daddy shopping.

I have twice refused random skiers seeking to join me (our party) who did not have avi gear. Both times the conditions were prone to slide and we were headed for exposed terrain. I have had second thoughts about weather leaving them to their own devices was less considerate but we were not inclined to limit our tour to more conservative terrain. Both times I explained this to them and encouraged them to step it up.

I will admit that in moderate or low avi conditions I am prone to keeping my unit in my pack.

Everyone's risk tolerance is their own, of course, but I don't ski without one unless it's well into late spring/summer.  Even that's risk tolerance, I suppose.  If I found that folks in my party didn't have one during peak avy season, I either wouldn't want to ski with them or it would heavily weigh on the decisions for the day.  After I got over my surprise...

On preview -- it's very rare that, if I have my beacon WITH me, it's not on and beeping. Batteries are cheap and my memory is porous.

I have carried mine on a few solo tours as well mostly out of habit.

I forgot mine last week. Maybe in the past I would have been more concerned, but the beacon is way down the list of things that will save my ass. Knowledge of the snowpack, weather observations, proper terrain travel/management. These are the things that keep me alive. The beacon is so they can find my body.

For those who may not have seen the original topic article, don't miss Eric's eloquent answer to 'Why?'

I grew up not using a beacon, and then when I got older (teenager) I bought one (could afford one). I often leave it at the car, but this is a judgment call like leaving the rope, ice axe, crampons or water (fill up at nearest stream) or whatever other gear I often leave behind. I go with the knowledge that I may have needed it or that I may be taking more risk without it. But that is part of risk management when climbing and I am always aware of all the different risks, much more than the average slack-country skier who's in search of powder solely for that purpose only. Whereas I am in search of a route or summit in the safest possible conditions. Also, when I leave gear, I leave weight. I go faster, but often I have to turn around because I don't have this gear. I come back another day. If it doesn't go that time, I come back another day. And so forth. Most powder hounds are just there for one thing and they have a hard time coming back another day. Wearing a beacon for them is a very good idea. They are in much more danger than I am on average. Another thing to note (as I am the occasional powder hound), when I am near a ski area, I wear my beacon much more often than I do ski mountaineering. Partly because I am often not climbing what I am skiing and that if I am, I often am in skier mode rather than mountaineering mode, which is much more of a risk-taker frame of mind. Skis can just take you so far so fast that you feel more like a superhero than a climber does, who moves very slow and meticulous.

I'm with Ron on this one.  Wearing a beacon is like putting on underwear, I prefer wearing both.  I don't think having them on alters my behavior but I would probably be uncomfortable if either were missing.  (I have only ever tried skiing without the beacon).  When I was younger, I skiied without a beacon but now I wear it whether I think I need it or not (unless I forget it).

Seeing slab debris from Northwest slides is enough to convince you that avoidance is the best option and keeps you (hopefully) from foolhardy behavior due to the use of a beacon. Exposure and terrain traps also make convincing arguments for rational thought uninfluenced by gear.

Thanks for the different points of view. I just want to make sure there is a voice defending beacon use in some of these threads. I do understand their limitations and some of the reasons people decide to ski without them. I don't have any issue with those personal decisions. I am mainly thinking about new people to the sport who may get the impression that they aren't necessary or that the experienced people don't use them. I didn't think that was the case so I asked the question. Beacons are expensive so if new people get the impression they don't have a place in the sport we may find less partners in the future who use them.

Another take on beacons is to carry one all the time so you can assist in the rescue of another party (besides your own group). Sure , it is a random possibility but there is a community aspect to it.