It's silver so you need avi gear. Where is the best place to get avi gear at a good price?

In Lake Placid is renting stuff for reasonable price

highpeaksdrifter wrote:

It's silver so you need avi gear. Where is the best place to get avi gear at a good price?

Silver? How can there be any avi danger in there when it was skied and tracked up for 3 straight days? How much snow did they get between then and now? Maybe 12". That silver rating is just to keep joe tour-on (using ghosts term) from going in and getting killed. I'm going to look into buying a beacon and shovel. The rating states you need to have that stuff but doesn't mention that you need to know how it works.

Son of Drifter wrote:

highpeaksdrifter wrote: It's silver so you need avi gear. Where is the best place to get avi gear at a good price? Silver? How can there be any avi danger in there when it was skied and tracked up for 3 straight days? How much snow did they get between then and now? Maybe 12". That silver rating is just to keep joe tour-on (using ghosts term) from going in and getting killed. I'm going to look into buying a beacon and shovel. The rating states you need to have that stuff but doesn't mention that you need to know how it works.

There are probably places that are dangerously windloaded and could rip out if triggered. It's not all about recent snow - recent windloading, weather and exposure also play a role in assessing the slope.

And you don't need to know how to use the beacon because you ski with it set on "transmit". After a slide and you're buried, all the unburied skiers switch there beacons over to "receive" and then find you in that manner. If you're not buried and know how to use the beacon to locate somebody then fine - I'm sure that ski patrol would accept the help. But Ski patrol won't open unless they have enough trained patrollers there to find a buried beacon independant of how many regular skiers are trained in the use of the beacons.

BTW: Not trying to come across as an expert. I'm not even close. My training using a beacon to locate somebody consisted of about two minutes of gibberish spewed at me by a buddy about 3 or 4 years ago just before we dropped into a bowl in Utah.

freeheelwilly wrote:

Son of Drifter wrote: highpeaksdrifter wrote: It's silver so you need avi gear. Where is the best place to get avi gear at a good price? Silver? How can there be any avi danger in there when it was skied and tracked up for 3 straight days? How much snow did they get between then and now? Maybe 12". That silver rating is just to keep joe tour-on (using ghosts term) from going in and getting killed. I'm going to look into buying a beacon and shovel. The rating states you need to have that stuff but doesn't mention that you need to know how it works. There are probably places that are dangerously windloaded and could rip out if triggered. It's not all about recent snow - recent windloading, weather and exposure also play a role in assessing the slope. And you don't need to know how to use the beacon because you ski with it set on "transmit". After a slide and you're buried, all the unburied skiers switch there beacons over to "receive" and then find you in that manner. If you're not buried and know how to use the beacon to locate somebody then fine - I'm sure that ski patrol would accept the help. But Ski patrol won't open unless they have enough trained patrollers there to find a buried beacon independant of how many regular skiers are trained in the use of the beacons. BTW: Not trying to come across as an expert. I'm not even close. My training using a beacon to locate somebody consisted of about two minutes of gibberish spewed at me by a buddy about 3 or 4 years ago just before we dropped into a bowl in Utah.

What about the shovel? I've seen people dig out a pit but don't know exactly what they are looking for or at. On Sunday you could clearly see tracks in slide 1 & 2. I see your point but knowing how WF management basis a lot of decisions around liability (Nastar policy for workers is one example) I don't see how they'd open them up if there was even a remote chance of an avi. Don't get me wrong I LOVE the fact that they are opening them more I just don't see where today would warrant a silver but I'm certainly no expert.

Son of Drifter wrote:

but I'm certainly no expert.

An advanced avalanche course will take place in the Slides March 23-26. This will feature two days in the classroom and two days on the mountain. Whiteface has become the eastern headquarters for this intensive training.

Both sessions are sanctioned by the National Ski Patrol

I wish I could take this.

highpeaksdrifter wrote:

Son of Drifter wrote: but I'm certainly no expert. An advanced avalanche course will take place in the Slides March 23-26. This will feature two days in the classroom and two days on the mountain. Whiteface has become the eastern headquarters for this intensive training. Both sessions are sanctioned by the National Ski Patrol I wish I could take this.

Why can't you? A couple of my friends are going to. I was thinkin' of it but didn't want to give up the whole weekend of skiin'. As of last Thursday only 3 people had joined up and there was plenty of room.

BTW it won't make you an expert but it will earn you your Avy I certification and a good solid basic understanding of snow science.

freeheelwilly wrote:

highpeaksdrifter wrote: Son of Drifter wrote: but I'm certainly no expert. An advanced avalanche course will take place in the Slides March 23-26. This will feature two days in the classroom and two days on the mountain. Whiteface has become the eastern headquarters for this intensive training. Both sessions are sanctioned by the National Ski Patrol I wish I could take this. Why can't you? A couple of my friends are going to. I was thinkin' of it but didn't want to give up the whole weekend of skiin'. As of last Thursday only 3 people had joined up and there was plenty of room. BTW it won't make you an expert but it will earn you your Avy I certification and a good solid basic understanding of snow science.

I get my snow science from the Dicsovery Channel. With the technology out there beacons seem a little behind the time. They have some great shows on it. I think part of the reason that the slides are open this year is becasue of the man in charge of giving the go ahead. His decisions are good for the mountain.

Well I was there today but they wouldnt let me in with no avy gear. To tell you the truth I dont see how its remotely possible that there could be a slide as there was so much exposed ice but who knows.

AdironRider wrote:

Well I was there today but they wouldnt let me in with no avy gear. To tell you the truth I dont see how its remotely possible that there could be a slide as there was so much exposed ice but who knows.

Really? the top of 1 looked pretty loaded up on Sunday. If that ripped out and sent you over the waterfall that could ruin your whole day.

Everyone that I saw go in was traversing over to slides 3 & 4. Thats where the best snow was. Top of slide 1 looked ok but the rest appeared to be real icy. This was all from a distance so who knows. I woulda gone in, but the patrol nixed the idea for me.

AdironRider wrote:

Everyone that I saw go in was traversing over to slides 3 & 4. Thats where the best snow was. Top of slide 1 looked ok but the rest appeared to be real icy. This was all from a distance so who knows. I woulda gone in, but the patrol nixed the idea for me.

The one time I got in this year I hit up 4. (Didn't what to find the waterfalls the hard way) The top part of 4 rocked hard with chest deep. The only thing I wasn't thrilled about on 4 was the hike over and it gets real, REAL narrow tree skiing towards the end and you have to hike up a little to get to the slide out trail.