The White Room
Imagine seeing a close friend, or family member getting tossed down a mountain face through trees and rocks in the middle of a raging avalanche. When the avalanche finally comes to a halt they are nowhere in sight. As panic begins to set in you realize there is no cell coverage, no ski patrol, or even a road within several miles. In that moment you are wondering if you will ever see your friend again, and if you do will they be alive. Every year several lives are lost in the backcountry due to avalanches. Many of those people could be alive if they had taken avalanche courses, and learned the basics behind avalanche safety. There are many precautions that need to be taken when entering the backcountry, it is crucial to bring all necessary gear, understand the danger and mechanics behind avalanches, and know how to conduct a rescue if someone is buried.
Although some people do not realize it, bringing all of the necessary avalanche gear is often times the determining factor as to whether a life is saved, or lost. A beacon is a radio transceiver device that is worn under a coat and sends signals to other beacons. Beacons are used to search for buried victims. They send radio signals so buried victims can be found. It is vital that beacons are always on “send” mode, so if an avalanche breaks the beacon the buried beacon will send signals, and the victim will be found. If somebody else is buried, then the beacon needs to be switched to “search” mode and it will show arrows leading to the victim. When buried ten feet deep in avalanche chunder and dubree, beacon search signals are the only way to successfully be found, or find others who are buried. Though wearing a beacon improves the chances of being unburied, it does ...
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A few winters ago, some friends invited my family and me to go snow skiing at Paoli Peaks, Indiana. I did not know how to snow ski, and I leaped at the thought of trying this new sport. On the first morning we entered the pro shop to rent all the gear and make decisions about whether or not to take lessons or go it alone. We decided to be adventurous and go it alone—no lessons. Kent and Celeste, the friends who invited us, knew how to ski and snowboard. He assured us that he could show us the basics, and we would be on our way down the slopes. All of us, after a few minutes learning how to wedge our skis started down the family trail. Although the family trail had smaller hills and appeared safe, to me it seemed way
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The next story is of Colby Coombs, a 25 year old, who was vacationing in Alaska. He and his two climbing friends were caught up in an avalanche in Mt. Foraker. They were knocked 800 feet down the mountain. Coombs was knocked unconscious and woke up 6 hours later dangling from his rope. He had sustained a fractured ankle, a broken collar bone and two broken vertebrae in his neck. His 2 friends did not survive the avalanche. The next four days he struggled to climb down to their base camp and then traversed another five miles to cross a glacier before being rescued.
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January 12, 1888, a blizzard covered the northwest part of North America that claimed many lives. This blizzard was considered to be the worst blizzard of all time, and was dubbed the “the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard”, for claiming the lives of so many school children on their way home. The death toll of this murderous blizzard rose, because of lack of preparation and being uninformed. During this time, many farmers and families were unprepared to survive a blizzard of this magnitude, by the lack of clothing they wore. Forecasters were not as accurate enough to inform people on the weather conditions. Also, shelter was a major factor in protecting themselves from the winter storms, but the shelter was not stable
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Education of all personnel is key. Simulations like the Franklin County are great sources. Schools, hospitals, public and private companies to consider preforming drills or simulations in preparation for disasters such as. Many counties have such drills which sometime involve local hospitals, emergency personnel, and local high school students acting like victims with certain issues like head injury, burns, and other injuries which can occur. The television and radios do emergency testing which reminds watchers monthly the sound and the protocol that occurs in an emergency.
Thin air encompasses me as I commence the final day of skiing at Vail, Colorado. Seven days of skiing elapse rather painlessly; I fall occasionally but an evening in the Jacuzzi soothes my minor aches. Closing time approaches on the final day of our trip as I prepare myself for the final run of the vacation. Fresh off the ski lift, I coast toward the junction of trails on the unoccupied expert face of the mountain. After a moment of thought, I confidently select a narrow trail so steep that only the entrance can be seen from my viewpoint.
During winter vacation, I usually take a skiing trip to a cabin in the Washington State Wilderness. Loaded with everything from Monopoly to a waffle iron, my backpack shields me from snow dripped by evergreens. It never actually skis, but my backpack wouldn't dare miss a downhill ski trip in the Rockies of Idaho. I leav...
It was a cold night in January, when he awoke covered in snow, his board broken and hanging from his left foot, the binding from his right still securely strapped to hit now numb, right foot It was now nearing Zero degrees Fahrenheit he thought, and not a soul was anywhere to be found. Zane Farrell had last seen another creature what he guessed was about six hours ago. As far as he knew he was about thirty miles north of Bull Creek, at the local ski area- Bull Mountain.