Quantcast

️️‍happy Friday you apes️

SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
68,544
14,678
In a van.... down by the river
StiHacka said:
<snip> when I go, I'll likely feel guilty if I won't be spending 100% of my time with my family
Click to expand...
You a recovering Catholic? :D
Nick said:
"highly recommended" = makes body recovery easier? :dead:
Click to expand...
Recommending a beacon on inbound terrain - that's *exactly* what that patroller is getting at.

Seems kind of excessive, IMO, "highly recommending" a beacon for Monarch. Mirkwood ain't very big - there's no way they don't have it dialed with regards to control.

The only time I've ever worn a beacon inbounds was at Jackson - but that's because that place is SO huge that there is no way that patrol can get to all of it prior to opening for the day...

With that all said - if you're interested in a beacon for this purpose, get a cheap-ass old one. They have ALL transmitted on the 457kHz frequency since the mid-80's. Test it with someone else's beacon for functionality, then get after it!
 
Last edited:
Adventurous

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
11,045
10,316
Crawlorado
Pesqueeb said:
First time i've ever skied it. Giggled like a school girl. Powder was waist deep, but sweet baby Jesus does that hike suck. Very next lift I rode with ski patrol. He said beacons weren't "required", but were "highly recommended". He said "highly recommended" in a way that seemed "required". Since I was by myself yesterday, I opted to not do it again. Though, I also asked him why Curecanti was closed and he said it was supposed to be open. I said "sign says it's closed". He told me if I wanted, to ski over, flip the sign and to take first run. So I did, and it was rad.


Tell me more about your intentions with this beacon.....


edit: I really want to pony up for a day of cat skiing.....
Click to expand...
If you are doing a bunch of solo skiing in such terrain, you might be better off with an airbag than a beacon. I mean, both would be the best solution, but I think the airbag at a minimum would offer some peace of mind.
 
Pesqueeb

Pesqueeb

bicycle in airplane hangar
Feb 2, 2007
42,643
20,248
Riding past the morgue.
Nick said:
"highly recommended" = makes body recovery easier? :dead:
Click to expand...
SkaredShtles said:
Recommending a beacon on inbound terrain - that's *exactly* what that patroller is getting at.

Seems kind of excessive, IMO, "highly recommending" a beacon for Monarch. Mirkwood ain't very big - there's no way they don't have it dialed with regards to control.

The only time I've ever worn a beacon inbounds was at Jackson - but that's because that place is SO huge that there is no way that patrol can get to all of it prior to opening for the day...

With that all said - if you're interested in a beacon for this purpose, get a cheap-ass old one. They have ALL transmitted on the 457kHz frequency since the mid-80's. Test it with someone else's beacon for functionality, then get after it!
Click to expand...
I did in fact, ask Mr. Ski Patrol this. "It helps."

I'm of two minds. I grew up in a house where dad was sometimes gone on SAR. Sometimes even a known "body recovery" further endangers life and limb of others. I'd prefer to not be that guy, even if I'm already dead. On the other hand, it is Mirkwood, and it is small. But, I suspect it's probably just a beginning.

jonKranked said:
I have a friend from College who lives in Boulder and does TONS of backcountry / off piste riding. I can ask her about beacons if you want. She and some of her friends just ponied up for a day of heli riding a few weeks ago.
Click to expand...
Sure. I'm curious what people recommend. Though, I doubt heli-skiing is anywhere in my future.

Adventurous said:
If you are doing a bunch of solo skiing in such terrain, you might be better off with an airbag than a beacon. I mean, both would be the best solution, but I think the airbag at a minimum would offer some peace of mind.
Click to expand...
Thinking about this too, having had some experience in not being able to breathe, I'd prefer not to go out that way again. But have done zero research so far. Probably save it for a work day.
 
TN

TN

Hey baby, want a hot dog?
Jul 9, 2002
14,301
1,354
Jimtown, CO
sup monkeys of ride.
yoga kicked my ass last nite. funny watching how the lady gets territorial of me in a room full of yoga hotties in tights. i dig that.
My climbing partner tore his Achilles & is out of commission until july. :(
He is using my walker. Things I have come full circle now with my injury & feel I am back in as good of shape as before. Still have pain but I beat the shit outta that leg.
sushi alone tonight, then some heavy meditation and an early morning to get to the hill before all the ass hats do.
 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,233
9,058
Exit, CO
@Pesqueeb I echo the sentiments of @SkaredShtles -- find something not too expensive and get after it. Maybe even check CL or eBay, really. Maybe @Nick wants to offload his extra, who knows? If you can get something for around a Benji or two that works you're probably all set. If you're skiing alone, I concur that having a beacon is just body recovery. And if you're skiing with partners, maybe also have a shovel and probe? Or at least a shovel? Because sure you can find that other person, but how you gonna dig 'em out? Like having a tube but no pump. I've taken to always bringing all my backcountry whatnot with me when I ski inbounds, not necessarily while skiing -- but with me and stashed in the car (if I get a close enough spot) or in the lodge. All too often I'm meeting up with folks and we're skiing out of gates into the backcountry, good to have that stuff with you.

I've only every owned two beacons, both are from BCA. A Tracker 2 and now a Tracker 3 after the 2 was stolen. They're both fine, and easy to use which is key for me. Other beacons do other things more better (locate multiple burials, for instance) but I wants something reliable that I know how to use. I actually prefer the Tracker 2 controls over the Tracker 3, but it's still pretty straight forward. The key is to know how to use the dang thing, and to practice with it -- more often is more better. I don't practice enough, but I'm confident I could still locate a buried friend if I had to. The key for me is to not have to.

Segue to air bags -- cool in theory and definitely a safety mechanism. But my take/opinion (unsubstantiated, I'm no expert) is that they aren't AS good in Colorado where you're more likely to be pitched off a cliff or strained through trees and die from blunt force trauma than actually being buried. The concept (bigger pieces float to the top) is sound, and proven to work, if you're caught in a slide in open terrain. As a ski partner of mine once said (after being asked if he'd ever consider buying an airbag/avalung/etc.) "If I'm at the top of a pitch and considering skiing it, and the decision to ski it comes down to whether or not I might have to deploy an airbag, should I really be skiing that pitch?"

--

Night ride last night was cold, and difficult. We had several inches of new snow on top of other snow from earlier in the week, and not enough foot traffic to pack it down. Slow going. I had also aired down the tires for gription, and halfway through the ride I must have burped or something and lost all the air in the rear one. It could also be that the tire itself isn't a very tight fit on the rim, I'm sure that doesn't help. Nothing like sticking a tube in a tire in 17º night time weather. Then we got back to the bar and the kitchen had decided to close down 15 minutes early, us missing a window to get food by just a few minutes. Good times!
 
Last edited:
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
56,609
22,722
Sleazattle
Was up at 2:00 AM. Drank a beer and read a book. Feel like poop. Been working long days all week so I will blow this quagmire early for nappy time.
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
68,544
14,678
In a van.... down by the river
Full Trucker said:
@Pesqueeb I echo the sentiments of @SkaredShtles -- find something not too expensive and get after it. Maybe even check CL or eBay, really. Maybe @Nick wants to offload his extra, who knows? If you can get something for around a Benji or two that works you're probably all set. If you're skiing alone, I concur that having a beacon is just body recovery. And if you're skiing with partners, maybe also have a shovel and probe? Or at least a shovel? Because sure you can find that other person, but how you gonna dig 'em out? Like having a tube but no pump. I've taken to always bringing all my backcountry whatnot with me when I ski inbounds, not necessarily while skiing -- but with me and stashed in the car (if I get a close enough spot) or in the lodge. All too often I'm meeting up with folks and we're skiing out of gates into the backcountry, good to have that stuff with you.

I've only every owned two beacons, both are from BCA. A Tracker 2 and now a Tracker 3 after the 2 was stolen. They're both fine, and easy to use which is key for me. Other beacons do other things more better (locate multiple burials, for instance) but I wants something reliable that I know how to use. I actually prefer the Tracker 2 controls over the Tracker 3, but it's still pretty straight forward. The key is to know how to use the dang thing, and to practice with it -- more often is more better. I don't practice enough, but I'm confident I could still locate a buried friend if I had to. The key for me is to not have to.

Segue to air bags -- cool in theory and definitely a safety mechanism. But my take/opinion (unsubstantiated, I'm no expert) is that they aren't AS good in Colorado where you're more likely to be pitched off a cliff or strained through trees and die from blunt force trauma than actually being buried. The concept (bigger pieces float to the top) is sound, and proven to work, if you're caught in a slide in open terrain. As a ski partner of mine once said (after being asked if he'd ever consider buying an airbag/avalung/etc.) "If I'm at the top of a pitch and considering skiing it, and the decision to ski it comes down to whether or not I might have to deploy an airbag, should I really be skiing that pitch?"
Click to expand...
As you're probably gethering from the direction of the discussion - it really is opening a can of worms. A few (mostly) hard/fast rules I have:
  • Never ski out of bounds solo
  • Never ski out of bounds (solo or group) without having beacon/shovel/probe - and know how to use them
  • Inbounds solo - scale it back several levels. I'm not saying I won't poke around in some trees when I'm solo inbounds, but I will generally only hit off-piste stuff that I'm intimately familiar with
  • Inbounds solo - stay WAY the fuck away from tree wells
  • Inbounds non-solo - stay WAY the fuck away from tree wells
  • Inbounds - no avy gear schlepped, except for VERY, VERY, RARE occasions
For body recovery, the combo of sharing your location with your wife via Google Maps and wearing a beacon would probably be the most expeditious way to find your body. Because if you're solo, ain't nobody even gon' know you're gone until the wife starts to panic. And with your location shared she can pull your last-known location and give that to patrol/SAR.
 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,233
9,058
Exit, CO
SkaredShtles said:
As you're probably gethering from the direction of the discussion - it really is opening a can of worms. A few (mostly) hard/fast rules I have:
  • Never ski out of bounds solo
  • Never ski out of bounds (solo or group) without having beacon/shovel/probe - and know how to use them
  • Inbounds solo - scale it back several levels. I'm not saying I won't poke around in some trees when I'm solo inbounds, but I will generally only hit off-piste stuff that I'm intimately familiar with
  • Inbounds solo - stay WAY the fuck away from tree wells
  • Inbounds non-solo - stay WAY the fuck away from tree wells
  • Inbounds - no avy gear schlepped, except for VERY, VERY, RARE occasions
For body recovery, the combo of sharing your location with your wife via Google Maps and wearing a beacon would probably be the most expeditious way to find your body. Because if you're solo, ain't nobody even gon' know you're gone until the wife starts to panic. And with your location shared she can pull your last-known location and give that to patrol/SAR.
Click to expand...
Inbounds, out of bounds, solo, non-solo, Han Solo, in the summer on a mountain bike, performing bukakke on a midget transvestite, pretty much any other time not mentioned and/or when wearing unmentionables: stay WAY the fuck away from tree wells.

Also: SPOT-style tracker FTMFW on body recovery. Even works in Mexico!
 
Last edited:
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
68,544
14,678
In a van.... down by the river
Full Trucker said:
Curious to know why she recommends thissun. It's the one I have, and it's pretty good from what I can tell, interested in a more experienced person's reason.
Click to expand...
Prolly 'cause that's the one she has.

Almost nobody that I know of "demos" beacons. They get the most modern one that fits their budget/get a deal on.

I'm still sporting one of these (well - I *own* it - but I don't really go BC any more):
 
Full Trucker

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,233
9,058
Exit, CO
SkaredShtles said:
Prolly 'cause that's the one she has.

Almost nobody that I know of "demos" beacons. They get the most modern one that fits their budget/get a deal on.

I'm still sporting one of these (well - I *own* it - but I don't really go BC any more):
Click to expand...
Cute. Does it come in an adult version?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom