When your ski pal gets caught in an avalanche Time is Everything. Modern avalanche beacons do a great job of locating avalanche victims, but the real time consumer is the digging. In this video Backcountry Access shows us the proper techniques for strategic shoveling.
A: Airway. Dig downhill of the victim to protect their airway from being impacted.
B: Burial Depth. For burials of less than one meter, dig from the probe strike. For burials of greater depth, begin digging from 1.5 times the depth below the probe.
C: Clear Snow to Sides. Moving snow to the sides rather than downhill will help you when digging a deep hole.
D: Dig Only Once. Having to move snow more than once is inefficient and should be avoided in all but the deepest of burials.
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Additional footage provided by Teton Gravity Researchand Frontier Films.