“It was an eerie feeling to see the spiderweb cracks 100’ in front of me. Focus and composure let me see the exit.”
Frightening moment caught on GoPro as photographer Alex Gavic triggers an avalanche while riding a convex roll. Thankfully he kept his composure, stayed on top and rode out to a safety zone. Read Alex’s account below and what he learned from the incident.
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“Sometimes chasing what you love the most comes with it’s own risk. We all have to choose it for ourselves. We all need to be capable. The mountains don’t just teach me about life… the mountains are life. Chasing the run of a lifetime is what feels right. Of course, I never am out to try to take risks, but I accept that it’s part of the process. You can talk about others making mistakes but the inevitable fact is that most people who ski in the backcountry will have something occur in their trips at some point in time. There is no perfect formula… “do this and this will happen”. It changes
I Found this isolated wind slab in the middle of the slope. The slab breaks on my the old sun crust over a convex roll. It was an eerie feeling to see the spiderweb cracks 100’ in front of me. Focus and composure let me see the exit. It broke down as the slope lessened. So much of it is about timing. Too early, you risk something like this or even much worse. Too late can also result in catastrophic wet slides here in the spring, especially if you’re dealing with PWL and hot fresh slabs. Safety comes with timing. The very next day I saw people ride the same face with no movement. That 24 hrs allowed the fresh storm snow to bond to the old sun/wind buff surface. Stay alert. Know where your safe zones are at. Use 2way radios ✔️. Check your safety gear. Know how to use your safety gear. Support your local avy center and utilize it!”