Recco

The risk is minuscule within a resort. Recco is normally within minutes of the scene if an avalanche did happen, and it's unlikely any one would have a transceiver on the scene much faster. The recco is simply a back up for the avalanche control work that the Ski Patrol have done, just as it would be a back up for transceivers off piste.

If you already had a transceiver, it wouldn't hurt to use it, but for me the risk is so low, that it wouldn't be worth buying one for just in bounds use.

Thanks everyone - most interesting :D

At least I know what the Recco on my new ski boots means now, and they will be found okay if I should be unlucky enough to be caught in an avalanche.

I'm surprised the reccos don't get damaged in the wash on jackets etc. though.

Ally

AllyG wrote:Thanks everyone - most interesting :D

At least I know what the Recco on my new ski boots means now, and they will be found okay if I should be unlucky enough to be caught in an avalanche.

I'm surprised the reccos don't get damaged in the wash on jackets etc. though.

Ally

They've not got any moving parts and they are totally solid.

Trencher wrote:The risk is minuscule within a resort. Recco is normally within minutes of the scene if an avalanche did happen, and it's unlikely any one would have a transceiver on the scene much faster. The recco is simply a back up for the avalanche control work that the Ski Patrol have done, just as it would be a back up for transceivers off piste.

If you already had a transceiver, it wouldn't hurt to use it, but for me the risk is so low, that it wouldn't be worth buying one for just in bounds use.

Trencher, have a read of this thread.

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1505812&highlight=#1505812

This bit in particular....

planeurge wrote:
No-one came to help us, although I could see skiers on the traverse three hundred meters above us. My chest hurt when I breathed. One of my cousins said his neck hurt. My skis were buried. One of my cousins' skis was broken. We walked off the mountain.

and this bit

planeurge

Compression fracture of a vertebra. Lie horizontal until a brace constructed (four days, but including weekend when nothing much happens in hospitals); then wear brace for 2-3 months (Swiss prescription), or 6 weeks (English prescription.) I had thought I was bruised but uninjured, but local policeman called ambulance.

This incident took place this winter on an open piste during opening hours in a Swiss Valais resort. It would seem that Piste Patrols don't always get it right.

Pablo Escobar wrote:They've not got any moving parts and they are totally solid.

Thanks Pablo. I think they sound like very clever gadgets, and they should be put in all ski boots, even if it is only to help finding dead bodies. It's amazing how they work without batteries.

How much does the other bit of it, the transceiver or whatever it's called, cost?

Ally

AllyG wrote:[ It's amazing how they work without batteries.

Ally

They don't work. there is nothing in a Recco Reflector that could work. It's just a reflector, it's passive. I have read anecdotal reports that mobile phones work just as well as Recco reflectors for the search units to lock onto.

Recco seems to me to be a precaution you can take easily that you don't need to think about that may just make a difference. So one would ask "how can this be a bad thing?".

I'll wait for the answer before becoming all helmet orientated ;)

To my main point, what should the passionate solo skier/boarder do here? Education and paying attention to warnings and conditions are fundemental, no one would contest (I hope), but I've developed a craving for back country. I know this is risky alone and accept that heightened risk as I have no buddy or guide (which is kind of the point or motivation if you will). Here a transeiver or recco system will not help. So what can I do? I've been toting with avalung for a while, but a part of me thinks this may only prolong the agony in said set of circumstances. Is there any way of reducing risk here? Or is it a simple condition of the pleasure I seek?

tino_11 wrote: I've developed a craving for back country. I know this is risky alone and accept that heightened risk as I have no buddy or guide (which is kind of the point or motivation if you will).

Plenty of folks ride and ski alone. The ones that do it successfully tend to be well educated in Mountain skills, they make the better choices and know when to walk away. There are specialist trainers for off piste snowboarding, which could raise your skill level and improve your decision making in back country situations. Here is one for example, not someone I know, but has a good reputation. Get some riding buddies too!

http://www.mcnabsnowboarding.com/