This one comes to us from the Great White North, in Nelson, BC.
I really appreciate including the “Is It On?” view to start things off. He does this for 3 reasons:
- He’s worked hard at his facial stubble
- Everyone looks cool with shiny goggle lenses
- He wants you to know he’s rocking out with his headphones.
- Follow up question to point # 3: How loud do you have to play Sarah McLachlan to overpower the sound of your sled?
- Sarcastic follow up point: Helmet are for sissies.
Now, I wasn’t there. In fact, I’m sitting inside, at home, roughly 700 miles away- and sipping coffee. This is the epitome of “Armchair Quarterbacking”.
So to backpedal:
- Maybe he read his local avi report before he went out.
- Maybe he didn’t notice any signs of instability.
- Maybe he dug a pit and did a personal analysis of the snowpack.
- Maybe he was being conservative on his slope decision.
Let’s get back to that video.
:25 that’s a beautiful slope
:37 snowmobile begins moonwalking
:45 things are going downhill, quickly
1:00 snowmobile/GoPro and snowmobiler go their separate ways
Tanner Stuart, uploader of this video, writes in the video description:
GoPro mounted on hood of Polaris, sledder sidehilling triggers slide 100M above him, 1 meter deep. Pulled SnoPulse airbag backpack to stay afloat. Sled burried, sledder not.
So thank goodness for avalanche safety devices such the rider’s SnoPulse bag. This, however, is not an acceptable reason to put yourself in harms way. Nor do I assume the rider was thinking that way– but as all of our equipment continues to improve and allows us to reach these awesome spots – and our desire to do so grows- we need to remember that the snowpack and terrain around us has never given a shit about the gear we have.
How would you feel about this if it were a skier who skinned up the ridgeline and dropped in from the top?