backcountry avalanche
a skier friend of mine posted this on another forum. I can’t link it directly because of forum registrations.
Meanwhile, a man injured in a second avalanche on Friday is recovering in hospital after a cold night awaiting rescue.
The slide hit near Fernie, B.C., about 290 km southwest of Calgary, less than two hours after the Sparwood incident.
A group of four skiers lost one of their own — a man in his late 20s — beneath the slide. He was later found suffering from a broken leg.
“We dispatched 11 of our members to extricate the subject and we lost daylight yesterday so we had to spend the night on the top of the mountain,” said Fernie Search and Rescue manager Scott Robinson.
“We flew them off this morning and everybody’s back safe and sound (and) the subject’s in the hospital being treated now.”
All members of the group were experienced skiers from the Fernie area, said Robinson.
Experienced or not, Coleman said skiers should always exercise caution when there’s danger of avalanches. His office sees avalanche fatalities every year.
“It’s not the first one we have had (this year),” he said.“It does happen every year. Every winter there are some.”
The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued special public warning, which included the South Rockies and Columbia Mountains, mere hours before the avalanches occurred.
“It’s always a good idea for people to be cautious in terms of paying attention avalanche bulletins from places like the Canadian Avalanche Centre,” said Coleman.
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/10…end-avalanches
That pretty much sums it up.
Ended up with a whopping big bruise on my left side as well as a compound tib/fib fracture and multiple tib fractures including a spiral near my ankle. Right boot destroyed, one ski destroyed. One Avalanche airbag deployed and a sore right rib. Biggest ordeal was being cold. Friends had to try to give me some of their body warmth which helped some, but shivered violently from around 2:40pm until past midnight. Luckily it was a very warm day and evening with temperatures hovering around 0’c.
Avalanche was a reasonably large one, classed size 3. Size 2 is enough to catch, cary and kill. Size 3 is enough to destroy some small timber. I was caught right at the top, and dragged down some 100 or so meters to finally rest on a tree clump. If I had not stopped here, the next stop was more than a kilometre away and what I could describe as probably certain death from trauma would await. I was very lucky.
Have a new titanium rod the length of my left leg. Leg is swollen. I’m somewhat mobile on crutches and a wheelchair. But can’t sit up or stand for very long. Needed two surgeries. I’m discharged from hospital and just waiting to get stronger before facing the flight back to Australia.
shit aye,
Yeah, dangerous stuff.
I would like to do an avalanche course the next time I’m in Canada.
Any knowledge in situations like that have got to give u a little better chance of surviving I think.
Glad you’re alright man 
What were coditions like on the day? Was it very warm?
Glad you’re alright man
What were coditions like on the day? Was it very warm?
it wasn’t me, anti, it was just a friend. He seems to be under control now.
Ended up with a whopping big bruise on my left side as well as a compound tib/fib fracture and multiple tib .......
Oops I thought this was you.. 