 Poster: A snowHead
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Last Tuesday, severe avalanche warnings were issued for the Spring Mountains near Las Vegas. "Large destructive avalanches are possible" was the official word.
The next day, three skiers got buried by a slide at a local resort, Lee Canyon. They included 51-year-old Karry Kinsman, who was in an area called Slot Alley at the time. He had the presence of mind to try swimming above the tumbling snow (having read an article in Readers Digest!), and was lucky enough to be buried with his left arm above the surface. He put it to good use...
The story is worth reading, from today's Las Vegas Review Journal.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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saved by reader's digest!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just goes to prove skivers are always caught out! 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I don't (and probably never will) ski blacks or off piste, and yet I'm a wee bit obsessed with avalanches - in a fascinated kind of way. The obsession was triggered by an avalanche that happened maybe 8-10 years ago, somewhere in N. America I think. It was reported on the 10 o'clock news with footage of the aftermath, and I think it made the headlines because it was a really big slide that killed quite a lot of people because it came down a blue piste. I remember a witness who was interviewed at the scene actually started laughing, but reckon he probably got an attack of that horrible thing... you know, when you get an uncontrollable urge to laugh at a really inappropriate time! (There must be a psychological explanation for that!)
Anway... (I'll get to my question eventually!  ) isn't it supposed to be unusual for avalanches to come down a pisted slope?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I sincerely hope so!
"excess of joy weeps, excess of sorrow laughs" or something like that. I think it's Blake - Marriage of Heaven and Hell probably.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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In 45 years of skiing I've seen an avalanche across a piste on no more than a couple of occasions.
If you see one, let me know!
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I hope I never see one on piste - I've seen one come down 40ft away from and parallel to a T-bar, that was close enough! Not funny sitting on the T and watching that lot thunder by 
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David, thanks for finding this fascinating article. I had been told about swimming and making sure you had room to breath, but wondered if it would work. It seems so. Obvious also to get rid of skiis, but never considered that before. Hope I never meet an avalanche, but if I do I now know what to do (assuming terror does not take over and shut down the few brain cells I have left).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I was also told not to use the pole straps when skiing off-piste so that you can get rid of the poles easily too as they can also act as anchors to drag you down. In fact I never the use the straps any of the time and it's now second nature. Also a good thing to do if skiing through trees as getting a pole stuck in a branch could pull your shoulder out!
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I don't put my pole straps over my wrists either RD, I planted in a big lump of snow just as a boarder wiped me out. I fell but my arm was trapped...consequence one dislocated elbow plus the top lump (very technical!) of the bone broken off. It was a horrible sound.
My wonderful family and friends told me to stop winging (this was on the Monday) and take some asprin - its just a bruise!! I couldn't move my arm by the time I got home. Won't tell you what they said in casualty in Newcastle on the following Monday morning when I got back!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Lorraine ouch! Some bruise! Yes that is another reason - I dislocated my shoulder in April last year with what should have been a very inocuous fall at very slow speed on ice - I'm sure the leverage effect of having my arm trapped in the wrist strap caused it.
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