Avalanches and avalanche safety part 2

Table of contents

• Training and education
• Avalanche equipment
• What to do if you do end up in an avalanche?
• What to do if someone else gets caught in an avalanche?

Training and education

If you are interested in skiing or snowboarding off-piste and looking for the ultimate backcountry experience, it is wise to have and keep your avalanche safety knowledge at a high level. Although you can find a lot of information on the internet, we always recommend taking a course at a specialist organisation (such as the Snow Safety Centre in the Netherlands). Here you can learn at different levels how to assess avalanche dangers, limit them and how to quickly free someone if they are buried under the snow.

It is also wise to take a first aid course so you know how to help victims. Think CPR, for example. Have you done an avalanche safety course before? It is always wise to take a refresher course to make sure you remember everything. Besides, rescue strategies and equipment change regularly, so your knowledge may no longer be up-to-date.

Avalanche equipment

Make sure you are equipped with the right safety equipment if you plan to ski or snowboard off-piste. Good safety equipment includes a probe, a shovel and a beeper. To provide extra protection, carry an avalanche backpack with an airbag system. These products are among the essential equipment for those operating in avalanche-prone areas.

Avalanche probe

An avalanche probe is a foldable stick that allows you to easily locate a victim buried under an avalanche. The stick is often made of a light material such as carbon, so it is easy to transport. Measuring units also allow you to see how deep the victim lies.

Avalanche shovel

An avalanche shovel is also made of a lightweight material, making it easy to carry. With the shovel, you can free avalanche victims faster than, say, with your hands. During an avalanche accident, the seconds you gain with this can be the difference between someone's life or death.

Lawinepieper

An avalanche beacon is a device with a radio transmitter and receiver. The search function allows you to locate someone who has fallen under an avalanche. Without an avalanche beacon, locating is an almost impossible task, but with the avalanche beacon, the chances of survival increase significantly.

Avalanche-airbag

An avalanche backpack with an airbag system can prevent you from falling under an avalanche. When you activate the airbag, your volume is increased. This makes you float better on the avalanche instead of being buried under it. This significantly increases your chance of survival. An important condition is, of course, that you activate the airbag in time. It sounds very logical, but you can be surprised by the avalanche and become unbalanced. Therefore, train on activating the airbag. It is also important to regularly check the operation and condition of your backpack and airbag. This, of course, also applies to other equipment.

All this avalanche equipment is (rightly) praised by the various manufacturers, but it is a combination of everything that ultimately makes off-piste skiing and snowboarding safe(er). So the right equipment, a good general knowledge of mountain conditions, knowledge of current conditions, the correct application of all this knowledge and good physical fitness. Therefore, make sure you always plan well and are well informed about local weather and avalanche forecasts. Also ensure proper maintenance of your avalanche pager, probe, scoop and possibly your airbag backpack and keep/get yourself trained in their proper use.

What to do if you do end up in an avalanche?

If you have taken all the precautions but still end up in an avalanche, there are still a number of things you can do. It is important to immediately get the attention of people around you, so that they can clearly see exactly where you are and therefore where they can dig you out when the avalanche has come to a halt. Also try to ski as far to the side if still possible. If you have the opportunity, it is wise to take off your skis or snowboard. This is because these can pull you down like an anchor. It is also wise to ditch other equipment to make yourself as light as possible.

If you have an avalanche airbag, this is (of course) also the time to activate it. When your airbag is activated, you should try to "swim" upwards and stay there. You should also try this if you are not wearing an avalanche airbag, but it is much more difficult. Swimming into an avalanche may sound easy, but it is very tough and difficult. Besides, you also have to hope that you can stay somewhat calm. You swim by making a kicking motion with your legs and a swimming motion with your arms. Try to swim on your back so that your face is facing the surface. This gives you a better chance of getting oxygen while you are buried. At the same time, try to swim uphill, i.e. against the avalanche. This way you will reach the surface faster.

Once the avalanche slows down, the snow will become very compact and completely enclose you. If you manage it, it is important to raise an arm, leg or ski pole so that those around you can see where you are lying. Also try to make a sort of bowl around your mouth, so you can breathe easier. Next, it is important to stay calm and wait for you to be dug out. Try not to move too much, keep breathing calmly and don't shout for help so that you save air and energy. When you hear someone nearby, do try to call for help, but stop if you notice they don't hear you. If you are wearing an avalanche transceiver and are not alone, your companions may have dug you out quickly. If you don't have safety equipment and are alone, your chances are a lot slimmer, but if you are lucky, people nearby may still be able to rescue you. If you think you are close to the surface, you can try to free yourself, but if you are more than 30 centimetres below the surface, this will be impossible.

What to do if someone else gets caught in an avalanche?

By working well with those around you, reacting quickly while remaining calm, you can save someone's life in the event of an avalanche. Beware, however, of secondary avalanches. Of course, you don't want to end up under an avalanche yourself. If you have an avalanche transceiver and so does the victim, chances are you will find her/him quickly. Study your equipment well in advance, though, so that in a stressful situation you know exactly what to do and can act quickly.

However, in case you and/or the victim do not have/have an avalanche beacon, things get a lot more difficult. When the avalanche occurs, you need to see if people end up in it and where they end up under the snow. Contact the local rescue services immediately and start the rescue operation in advance. Go to where you suspect the victim is and try to search for the victim with a probe or other stick. Even though this may seem like an impossible task. If you do not know where the victim lies, try to find clues. For example, near personal items of the victim. If you haven't found a clue at all, try looking in one of the following places: snow banks, at the edge of the avalanche, above trees and rocks, these are the most common places of avalanche victims.

As soon as you find the victim, you have to dig him/her out immediately. Every second counts. Try to free the victim's head first, before digging out the whole body. Check whether the victim needs medical attention and, if necessary, start CPR while you wait for the rescue service.

It will be every winter athlete's wish never to get into such situations. But if you do go skiing and snowboarding off-piste, it is good to know what to do to improve your chances or someone else's chances in such situations.

Do you have any questions about avalanches and avalanche equipment following this or our previous blog. At Twinseasons, we are here for you. We are happy to answer your questions about avalanche safety. You can also come to us for avalanche equipment from well-known brands such as Arva, Deuter, Mammut and Ortovox and we can provide you with specific advice.