This list is composed mostly of my own thoughts about what constitutes the seven deadly sins of winter backcountry travel. Your mistakes may differ, and your mileage may vary.
- Lack of preparedness.
- Failure to maintain awareness.
- Failure to manage uncertainty.
- Poor communication.
- Not paying attention.
- Ignoring margin-of-safety.
- Failing to reduce expectations.
This is a great list! When traveling avalanche terrain, I might add lack of experience with a beacon. The new Ortovox 3+ avalanche beacon seems to be the best one on the market right now, bit it won't do too much for you if you don't know what your doing.
ReplyDeleteThanks
-@VirginiaSkier
Thanks for the kind words. I've deliberately avoided discussing technology on my blog for a variety of reasons.
ReplyDeleteReason #1. When it comes to snow safety, I think technology is cart-before-horse. Technology is great, but it won't keep you out of trouble because a transceiver can't control where/when you travel.
Reason #2. In my experience touring in the Pacific-Northwest, most tours are unplanned ( except for the choice of objective and the travel/carpool logistics ). It seems to me that there are larger issues, and transceivers are used ( all too often ) as a substitute for planning and good judgment.
Reason #3. I don't discuss specific products or brands except in rare instances.