So you are thinking about riding in the back country? Thinking about hiking off the beaten trail, getting the freshies, exploring the out bounds of your local jib line. Before you do so, explore the sigma trianlge: SAFETY FIRST LAST AND ALWAYS.
Brighton Backcountry; There is some insane terrain just a short hike from the lifts. The main issue with these zones are that 1 they are "out of bounds" and 2 avalanches are very common; so you need to be aware and be prepared in case of an avalanche.
A common occurrence in the Utah backcountry. Three foot slab slide in the depths of the commonly known "safety zone" : The tree zones slide too. In this particular slide, one snowboarder was trapped under the snow (with oxygen) for an thirty mins before patrol could access him to dig him out. If his friend was unable to locate him and dig out his face this snowboarder would have been buried alive.
My piece of mind for you snowboarders is Test Your Equipment and learn how to use the expensive tools that are designed to save your life and the lives of your riding pals. John Centi searching with the Ortovox X1 which searches in both digital and analog.
Sam Spedale testing his peeps for the first time in the Utah backountry. Sam is using the Tracker DTS which only searches in digital. Be sure to practice with this beacon especially when using the multiple burial feature.
Very Much Success.
When searching with your avalanche beacon avoid using any electronic devices that can potentially cause interference to the beacon. Cell phones, radios, mp3 players, headlamps and more can effect your transceiver. Shown here is the Ortovox X1 which is a $300 USD beacon.
Here the crew decides to use the needle in the haystack method by searching for the burial without an avalanche beacon, you can buy a probe like this one at Suburban Blend.
To learn more about avalanche probes check out Avalanche.org
Multiple cell phones, mp3 players and other electronic interference made it very difficult for the group to pinpoint the exact location of the burial. You will also want to avoid magnetic buttons when using the
John Centi with the digital Tracker DTS. To learn more about this and more info on the current available transceivers check out beaconreviews.com
For Daily Avalanche reports, Snow conditions and more Utah Avalanche info check out Utah Avalanche Center