Avalanche Class

After two days of in-class sessions at Weber State University it was time to head out into the field and practice what we learned. Early Saturday morning Christy and I headed to Snowbasin Ski Resort and met the other class participants and John Sohl, our instructor. The full day of play started out in the Rescue Center and practicing a "beacon search." Everyone had avalanche beacons on and this course tested our ability to search out a buried beacon. The box had different settings to locate a certain number of beacons. Since we were beginners we stayed on the easy setting. The box timed us as we ran out, located the beacon, and probed it to stop the time. I must admit, it was hard and a lot of the others did it within 30 seconds. Practice will make perfect and this beacon course is free to anyone.

So our instructor showed us how to do it. He was quick, but then again, he volunteers for Weber County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team. He does this on a regular basis. Once we spent a couple of hours practicing with our beacons we loaded the gondola and headed to the top of the mountain.

Our next stop was Needles Lodge on the top of the mountain. Some of you may remember a certain celebration that happened three or four years ago at this place. Christy and I love coming here to celebrate our marriage and it was par for the course we return to learn how to dig ourselves out of trouble (no pun intended!).

Down the hill and around the corner to a good place to bury a class participant. I guess this was a good way to introduce ourselves to the Ski Patrol and to one of the best avalanche search dogs around. Niku.

A hole was dug about five feet down and a person placed in it. (Of course he had plenty of air and a radio in case he had to bail). After about ten minutes here came a dog running from above. It took her about a minute to locate a scent and she began to dig. Then her trainer came skiing in and grabbed a shovel and also began to dig. It was only a minute or two later and our "victim" was out of the hole and praising the dog. It was an awesome demonstration and really cool to see it in person. I only hope that is the last time I see it!

After speaking with the Ski Patrol dog trainer, Aurie, we headed to a secluded hill side of the resort, just below the massive peaks, and practiced doing snow pits.

We did several test that could be easily done within minutes. It is all about the tricks of the trade. For some it may seem like it takes 30 to 40 minutes to dig a pit and test the snow. However, it took an overall 15 minutes or less to perform all the needed test. 15 minutes is plenty of time to make sure the day of activity is safe, especially since it could be an eternity if you die and end up in a coffin.

Prior to heading off the mountain we practiced a "probe line." Need I say more? This is only done on body recovery and not a rescue. So if you ever think it would hurt getting poked by a pole, think again.

Overall we spent about seven hours on the mountain learning and honing our avalanche survival skills. We learned a lot during the class and feel much more prepared for when we head into the back country. But the number one thing I can pass onto you is this: www.avalanche.com. Go to the Utah Avalanche Center's website and see what the danger is before you head out. Anything "moderate" or worse than save your trip for another day. It is just not worth it. We had fun, we met some cool people, and we came away with knowledge. All at a cost of $35 each. Can't beat that for a good time in the outdoors!!!