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#Unepicadventures: Finn Kelly, Eagle, CO
Finn has always said that the radio is one of the greatest avalanche safety tools you can have, and with this avalance incident, you can see why.
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John Towne, Avalanche Airbag Save, Mt. Baker, WA
John Towne, his dog, and a couple friends were riding the backcountry at Mount Baker in early January 2017 when an avalanche broke. Luckily, he was riding with a Float 32.
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#unepicadventures: Tim Koehler, Telluride, CO
Supposedly there are routes through Bear Creek that avoid avalanche slide paths, but Tim had not done his research.
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Dustin Opheim, Avalanche Airbag Save, Berthoud Pass, CO
Dustin was halfway across the northeast slope of Russell Mountain, trying to retrieve his lost ski, when a hard slab broke about 30 feet above him.
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#sendandreturn: Bruce Edgerly, Kagura Sidecountry, Japan
BCA's Bruce Edgerly discovered Japan's deep, v-shaped river valleys and horrendous terrain traps the hard way in the Kagura side country, stuck and alone.
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#unepicadventures: Weston Deutschlander, Uintas Mountains, UT
Big approach, big down lines. With the Uintas Mountains notoriously weak continental snowpack, Weston heads out on a scouting mission.
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#sendandreturn: McKenna Peterson, The Devil’s Bedstead, ID
For McKenna Peterson, turning around from a mountain objective provokes mixed emotions: disappointment, questioning, pride and relief.
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#unepicadventures: Kyle Hansen, Selkirks, BC
Kyle Hansen recounts an avalanche that happened without him and his crew, as seen from the comfort of their tents while winter camping in the Selkirks.
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#sendandreturn: Curtis Pawliuk, The Cariboos, BC
Curtis Pawliuk and crew avoid an epic situation by paying attention to the snowpack around us, including an impressive avalanche that we triggered remotely.
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#unepicadventures: Stu Edgerly, Mt. Arkansas, CO
BCA athlete Stu Edgerly recounts a rapidly warming day skiing on Colorado’s Mt. Arkansas—and how a plan B decision made for primo late season corn.
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#unepicadventures: Brandy Floyd, McCall, ID
After being involved in two avalanches, Brandy Floyd has adjusted her need for a certain level of adrenaline with her need to stay alive on her snowbike and sled.
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#sendandreturn: Mike Alkaitis, Gore Range, CO
The day came to ski the Gore Trifecta, a physical all day trek up and down three challenging couloirs, and Mike Alkaitis had to make an un-epic decision.
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#unepicadventures: Sarah Carpenter, Teton Pass, WY
Hiking uphill at sunrise, with a foot or more of snow in the last 24 hours, moderate temperatures, and increasing winds, warning signs abound for Sarah Carpenter and crew.
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#unepicadventures: Dan Scannura, Crystal Peak, CO
Seeing pinwheels and rollers from the top layers of snow on the steeper pitches was Dan’s telltale sign that loose, wet avalanche danger was present.
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#unepicadventures: Carter Snow, Smugglers Notch, VT
Bowled down by waist-high snow boulders, Carter’s Vermont backcountry experience reminds us that we are not immune to slides on the east coast.
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#unepicadventures: Matt Wade, San Juan Range, CO
Matt Wade skips a classic 14’er descent off Mount Sneffels, after matching objectives to snow conditions on nearby Stony Mountain, to score blower pow in Colorado’s majestic San Juans.
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#unepicadventures: Nick Kozel, Cameron Pass, CO
Nick Kozel's crew abandoned their plans due to unfavorable snowpack and instead had a laid back evening camping. The next morning, they saw that the entire face of South Diamond had slid.
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#unepicadventures: Jon Miller, Ketchum, ID
Jon Miller’s snowmo-boarding story illustrates how important it is to have a Plan B if avalanche conditions don’t quite line up.
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#unepicadventures: Vincent Larochelle, Mt. Logan, BC
At 5959m, Mt. Logan is Canada’s highest mountain. Vincent’s group had the whole mountain to themselves, when something incredible and unexpected happened.
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#unepicadventures: Austin Porzak, Longs Peak, CO
Austin has skied some of his burliest lines and had some of his longest nights under Longs Peak 14,259-foot summit. And learned some of his greatest lessons.
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#unepicadventures: Rob Meeker, Togwotee Pass, WY
The day had started so simply, two dudes on two sleds out on an exploratory mission into the Tetons, scouting potential ski lines and routes for summer fun as well.
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Ross Minton, Avalanche Rescue, Ouray, CO
While boot packing up the Naked Lady Couloir, another party above Ross Minton’s party released an avalanche. The slide caught him and carried him around 400 feet down.
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Ernst Mueller, Avalanche Airbag Save, Courmayeur, Italy
Overall it was pretty obvious to the group that day that Ernst Mueller’s Float avalanche airbag pack saved him from hitting a boulder, serious injury or worse.
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Nick Polidoro – Avalanche Airbag Save
Nick demo'ed a Float airbag while heli-boarding in Haines, AK. Caught in an avalanche on Directors North, he was carried over two cliffs—and down 1,000 vertical feet.
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Levi Sanders – Float 8 Save
The decision to climb was a sketchy one. A 6 foot wall of snow cracked. His Float 8 deployed kept him afloat, as he and his 400+ pound snowmachine slid down the avalanche.
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Joel Flack – Tracker2 Save
I was completely buried while exiting "Butt Crack" in Summit County, Colorado. We were both using Tracker2s. My partner located me in less than one minute, and excavated me in less than five...
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Hunter Schleper – BC Link Helps Prevent Avalanche Burial (Video)
Hunter Schleper receives radio alert to dodge this avalanche. Amazing video - listen and watch what happens.
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Daron Rahlves – Alaska Avalanche Airbag Save (Video)
Rahlves decision to pull his BCA avalanche airbag saves him from falling into a crevasse and getting buried.
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Richard Merritt – Alpine WY Yamaha Sled Avalanche Airbag Save (Video)
"The avalanche spun my sled out from under me, so I pulled my Float trigger." Listen closely to the background dialog as Richard anxiously waits for help.
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Austin Porzak – East Vail Chutes Avalanche Airbag Save (Video)
“First of all in no way shape or form do I think being in an avalanche is cool or something to be proud of. It’s scary and should be avoided at all costs."
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Guy Pope-Mayell – New Zealand Avalanche Beacon Rescue (Video)
I never saw the avalanche coming. Next thing I know, I am buried two meters deep. “This is it,” I thought.
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Meesh Hytner – Snake River Avalanche Airbag Save (Video)
I was able to deploy my Float shortly after the crown of a snow cornice broke. Dramatic to watch.
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Dan Caruso – BCA Tracker Avalanche Rescue
After an epic morning of powder skiing, we traversed across a small face to access some spines. It was right in the middle of the ski area, but deadly.
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David Frederikson – Avalanche Airbag Save
This is the kind of "hat trick" we suggest you avoid. Girdwood, AK snowmobiler David Frederikson has deployed his Float airbag three times in avalanches.
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Anonymous
I was skiing a west-facing slope near Scotties Bowl in late December when a slab broke off a few feet above me. I immediately deployed my airbag and attempted to self-arrest.
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Filip Popov – Bulgaria Avalanche Airbag Save (Video)
At first I thought the avalanche was too small, but when I could not see the sky anymore, I got scared and pulled the trigger.
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Bob Turgeon
Believe it or not, I’ve had to use my Tracker twice. Both times I was skiing with a Heli-skiing company. I picked up the signal before guide, so I ended up doing the search.
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Fer Barrios
I descended an exposed slope in the Pyrenees when a crown broke above me. I was buried five feet deep with no air pocket. I felt like I was dying until I heard voices calling my name.
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Janina Kuzma
The avalanche hazard was high and we were just trying to get out of there. Our rescue was fast and efficient. I had the right beacon, probe and shovel, and knew how to use them.
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Jeff Swaan
Jesse got stuck High Marking and the whole hill came down on him. He was buried almost five feet deep. If it weren’t for that avalanche beacon, Jesse would be dead.
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Jason Anthony
Practice really paid off. I popped out of my binding and pinpointed my partner to less than a meter with my Tracker2, not even bothering to probe before I started shoveling.
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Jeff Nass
We knew the hazard was high but thought we could ride it out. This was a mistake. Don`t ever assume you can ride out of an avalanche. A minor snow sluff can turn into a real snow slide.
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Ken Wemp
We got them both out alive. The reality is that having multiple signals on the surface is actually more difficult than having multiple victims buried beneath the surface.
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Todd Weselake
After realizing I was certainly dead, I must have passed out. Having a well-trained friend with a BCA Tracker avalanche beacon saved my life that day on Mt. Proctor. It's quite a story.