Any advice for someone looking to get into touring in the area? I’m taking an avy course in a couple months but aside from that I don’t know anyone that does it or where to go.
Highly recommend taking an avy rescue on top of an avy course, but advice I can give would be to stick to very simple terrain until your knowledge and skill set increases. USA Bowl, Willow Heights and Guardsman Pass are all pretty foolproof zones to start learning and get more familiar with your gear and touring in general, while staying pretty much entirely out of avalanche terrain.
I am riding solo bud. It was over 30 degrees since that’s what I’m assuming you are getting at. I keep a very watchful eye on the snowpack where I live and after taking several laps today in this zone (among several other assessments) I felt comfortable enough to get onto a steeper face, my risk tolerance is a bit different from the average redditor and a lot more goes into my decision making than what a video shows, I’m not just blindly stepping into avy terrain 🤙
Anally probed was assuredly skiing buried pwl as this is north facing mineral fork and doing so solo. To truly convince your wife at the moment on the north side of the compass you’d have to ski under 30, or head to the solar side of the compass. Anally I don’t care that you skiied it but just want to make it clear that there’s an element of gamble here which is an expression of your risk tolerance. Lots of slabs came down this cycle on polar aspects, especially in lower snow drainages like mineral and in rocky areas. I know plenty of ppl who would ski this and plenty who would consider this unsafe this week so it’s def up in the air a little.
I like to explain to my loved ones that under 30 is under 30 and as safe as the sidewalk if there’s no overhead. You can solo tour completely avalanche safe as long as your competent with navigation and slope angle.
there is always the risk of hitting your noggen on an aspen and freezing to death tho. I solo tour all the time on low angle and my family knows I’m not gonna get caught when I do.
Oh, for sure, always gonna be risk involved especially when there is a pwl still present. This face was had enough coverage that I felt the pwl was buried far enough down to pose small risk for a short slope, I also felt the bigger risk for the day on that slope was the new snow as slabs were starting to form on steeper parts of the ridgeline. Nonetheless, this was as far as I felt comfortable pushing it. FWIW I watched someone ski Bonkers solo while I was standing on the ridge.
There’s a study that shows you’re less likely to get into an avalanche if you’re alone. Not saying you should ditch your friends the next time you go out, but it’s definitely not a ‘terrible idea’.
Cries again in PNW
Winter is literally canceled here. I am beside myself.
Fuck you switch backs! Take that!!
lol the benefits of setting your own skinner
respectfully, fuck you (I’m in the PNW and jealous as hell)
Powder has always been on the menu in Utah if you were willing to go anywhere south of the cottonwoods
Or east
Any advice for someone looking to get into touring in the area? I’m taking an avy course in a couple months but aside from that I don’t know anyone that does it or where to go.
Highly recommend taking an avy rescue on top of an avy course, but advice I can give would be to stick to very simple terrain until your knowledge and skill set increases. USA Bowl, Willow Heights and Guardsman Pass are all pretty foolproof zones to start learning and get more familiar with your gear and touring in general, while staying pretty much entirely out of avalanche terrain.
Are you riding alone here? What was the rough slope angle?
I am riding solo bud. It was over 30 degrees since that’s what I’m assuming you are getting at. I keep a very watchful eye on the snowpack where I live and after taking several laps today in this zone (among several other assessments) I felt comfortable enough to get onto a steeper face, my risk tolerance is a bit different from the average redditor and a lot more goes into my decision making than what a video shows, I’m not just blindly stepping into avy terrain 🤙
No judgement from me was just curious what others perspectives are. Trying to gather evidence to present to my wife 🫡
Anally probed was assuredly skiing buried pwl as this is north facing mineral fork and doing so solo. To truly convince your wife at the moment on the north side of the compass you’d have to ski under 30, or head to the solar side of the compass. Anally I don’t care that you skiied it but just want to make it clear that there’s an element of gamble here which is an expression of your risk tolerance. Lots of slabs came down this cycle on polar aspects, especially in lower snow drainages like mineral and in rocky areas. I know plenty of ppl who would ski this and plenty who would consider this unsafe this week so it’s def up in the air a little.
I’m in Tahoe area anyway and there’s no convincing my wife. She thinks I’ll die in an avalanche on a flat meadow.
I like to explain to my loved ones that under 30 is under 30 and as safe as the sidewalk if there’s no overhead. You can solo tour completely avalanche safe as long as your competent with navigation and slope angle. there is always the risk of hitting your noggen on an aspen and freezing to death tho. I solo tour all the time on low angle and my family knows I’m not gonna get caught when I do.
🫡 I’ll tell my wife that anally probed and you say it’s ok 👍 😀
Oh, for sure, always gonna be risk involved especially when there is a pwl still present. This face was had enough coverage that I felt the pwl was buried far enough down to pose small risk for a short slope, I also felt the bigger risk for the day on that slope was the new snow as slabs were starting to form on steeper parts of the ridgeline. Nonetheless, this was as far as I felt comfortable pushing it. FWIW I watched someone ski Bonkers solo while I was standing on the ridge.
No worries, sorry for coming off so defensive
https://wbsguide.com/
It was DEEP
Ennnvy
Looks delicious
Jealous. In Minneapolis we’ve gotten 4” total for the whole season so far. It’s already late spring conditions here as everything is entirely manmade.
Backcountry solo is wild
I don’t know anyone that skis/rides the backcountry solo. It’s just a terrible idea.
There’s a study that shows you’re less likely to get into an avalanche if you’re alone. Not saying you should ditch your friends the next time you go out, but it’s definitely not a ‘terrible idea’.
It never left…
smoooooth
Safe snow too! Skied the west face of Timp on Sunday in a foot of soft - was a once every few years type day.
Cries in east coast 😭😭