2 replies to this topic

[ape named wally]

Every video I have seen of a snowmobile in an avalanche the sled tries to outrun the avy downhill, hitting the wave at the bottom. My question is this. If you are cutting a side hill or climbing would you be better off keeping on the sidehill track trying to climb rather than out run the slide to the bottom. I have never been in a avalanche and realize that the sliding snow might not support this treadmill thought I have but perhaps someone with more knowledge or experience might chime in.

[Rev Kev]

Every video I have seen of a snowmobile in an avalanche the sled tries to outrun the avy downhill, hitting the wave at the bottom. My question is this. If you are cutting a side hill or climbing would you be better off keeping on the sidehill track trying to climb rather than out run the slide to the bottom. I have never been in a avalanche and realize that the sliding snow might not support this treadmill thought I have but perhaps someone with more knowledge or experience might chime in.

The same question was asked at one of the Avalanche classes put on by Mike Duffy, and his answer was, to keep your line, either up, or side hill, if you have already committed to going down hill, then to ride out the side, and don't go full throttle, until your past the "wave". Here is a perfect example, the rider rides out the avalanche, and only uses enough throttle to ride over the "wave" also, his line out of the avalanche, was off to the side. Also Notice where the Avalanche breaks at....

[mannix]

I've never been caught in one on a sled, but a few big sluffs/small avalanches on skis.

Once it goes & once you _realize_ it has gone, you're kinda along for the ride. If you're still sidehilling, keep at it. If you're pointed downhill, get over the stopwall/wave, then pin it.

Basically, you won't have much of a choice. Every time it has happened to me on skis, it has either caught me from behind and knocked me down, or the slab starts moving while I'm on it, and by the time I figured it out, I was on my "edit for bad language".

I'd *guess* that if you were sidehilling and a slab broke while you were on it, the sled would feel like it is rolling uphill TOO much at first (as the slab is moving down), so you'd let it roll downhill a bit, at which point you'd fall out of the sidehill and be going down.

If you're sidehilling and you get HIT by an avalanche, who knows - depends on the size, but generally speaking, downhill will be the new direction, hopefully _on_ the sled.



Iain