Transceiver Training

Today I skied down to Tignes and did some beeper training in the Arva Training Zone. In this area there are scattered signals emitted from the snow (very clever snow) and one uses ones transceiver to locate them as closely as possible, down to a meter or less. It's a great idea, but the terrain is a bit flat, and after a while you know where the signals are coming from. I could with some 'on the slope' practice sessions too.

For anyone interested in snow pack formation and avalanches, check out the youtube videos by AvalancheGuys. These dudes are the avalanche experts from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center in the US, and they post videos of their on-the-spot snow pack tests. Anyone heading to the areas covered by the videos can use them to get a greater understanding of the snow conditions.

The videos are very educational too; a fascinating insight into how the snow pack is formed by different layers and types of snow, and how these layers react under additional pressure. To see some of the slabs sliding away so easily is eye opening and terrifying!

Videos are here:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DCDEBE5FEA109274

And the whole website is very informative:
http://www.mtavalanche.com/

I've read some negative comments about pit tests of the snow pack - that the snow could be completely different 50 meters from the pit - but they seem like an invaluable tool to me. I wonder if France could ever catch up to the US and have these types of bulletin videos linked to the ski resort tourist office websites. They might help a lot of people make a more informed decision of where and how to ski.

Thus endeth the sermon.