New AvaTech Device for Instant Snowpack Analysis

Despite availability modern devices on the market to protect us i.e. skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers from avalanches, we can't be sure about our safety. 

There are 3 pieces of gear absolutely necessary while skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing off - piste (away from prepared ski runs):

- avalanche transceiver or avalanche beacon used to locate people buried in avalanches. It emits a pulsed radio signal. If one gets buried in an avalanche, other transceivers pick up the signal being emitted from under the snow. The receiving transceivers interpret the signal into a visual and audible display that assists the search.

- probe - collapsible aluminum pole made specifically for probing by itself or during the pinpoint search with an avalanche transceiver. 

- shovel - essential for digging out victims and testing snow.

These items don't ensure 100 % safety. What more can we do to improve our situation in the backcountry? 

We can use an avalanche airbag backpack - designed to prevent being buried in an avalanche. In an avalanche, larger objects rise to the surface, while smaller objects sink to the bottom. An airbag incorporated into backpack helps to rise to the surface. Avalanche airbag backpacks are expensive but worth investing. Ongoing studies on ABS packs by the Swiss Avalanche Institute have found that wearing an airbag can significantly improve your chances of survival. Since 1991, of 262 people who have deployed an airbag in an avalanche, 97 per cent have survived. 

But there is still a question if we can do more to increase our safety in the backcountry? 

"AvaTech seems to have an answer. It's a builder of proactive systems that instantly analyze the snowpack and facilitate real-time sharing of this information in order for individuals and groups to make better decisions in the backcountry.

New AvaTech’s SP1 device reads snowpack structure, slope angle, and aspect in seconds and then geo-tags the data, and uploads it real-time onto the AvaNet platform. AvaNet will dramatically increase the amount of data snow professionals can share and analyze, providing a unique geo-spatial database of crowd-sourced snowpack observations. Snow professionals will be able to gather more information and make better decisions with consistent data powered by this proprietary technology developed while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Finally, professionals will also be able to rapidly upload their own manual snowpack observations with AvaTech’s Snowpit Editor" (http://www.powder.com/avalanche-education/avatech-launches-new-product-featuring-instant-snowpack-analysis/)

Thanks to SP 1 device we don't need to dig a hole to check a snow profile. We can take as many proble profiles as we need because it is much easier and faster than in traditional way. 

The SP1 has rugged construction with a collapsible 150 centimeter probe that folds easily into backpack and weighs approximately one pound. Additionally, the SP1 can be wirelessly synced with a smartphone and AvaTech’s AvaNet™ cloud platform. 

More at http://www.avatech.com/

Snow goggles at Kickstarter.com? What do you think?

What's new today in the backcoutry world?
Yesterday I read interesting article on the website http://unofficialnetworks.com/2014/09/worlds-first-fog-free-goggle-via-klair-technology  about project of new snow googles, advertised at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/959735497/f-bom-the-first-snow-goggle-with-active-anti-fog-t as World's First 'Fog-Free' Goggles. Abominable Labs is going to introduce first snow goggle with active anti-fog technology.
For me it sounds rather like marketing hook. Since the day I've bought my ski googles from Oakley some years ago, I can't complain.
But... Let's give them a chance by reading more in the article and watching an advertising film.

The List - the new freeski movie from M-Line

First of all I'd like to write about a new freeski movie from M-Line - "The List" that is gonna be released on Tour  from October 2014. 
M-Line was founded by two austrian Freeskiers: Matthias "Hauni" Haunholder and Matthias Mayr to produce their own freeski movies. 
M-Line has some good projects to its credit: Another day in Paradise, History of Snow, Far Away and some others, you can read about on the website: http://www.hauni.at/category/movies/
What we can read about M-Line the newest movie? " THE LIST is a project planned to run for several years. The first part takes the audience to the backyard of the riders." 
The title refers to the list of things one wants to do do or achieve during his/her life. The first part of The List movie is about difficulties two austrian freeskiers had to face out during realizing they dreams and projects. 

After watching the trailer, I can't wait for the full movie. The List seems to be promising project. 

The List full movie will be on Tour from October 1st 2014 on. Here are the currently fixed dates and locations.

1.10.2014 Balingen (Germany)
2.10.2014 Weinheim (Germany)
3.10.2014 Remchingen(Germany)
6.10.2014 IF 3 Innsbruck
6.10.2014 Düsseldorf (Germany)
8.10.2014 Biberach (Germany)
8.10.2014 Horsky Film Festival Poprad (Slovakia)
9.10.2014 Straubing (Germany)
10.10.2014 Saarbrücken (Germany)
11.10.2014 Salzburg (Europark)
Nov. 2014 Torello Filmfestival (Spain)
07.11.2014 Linz
15.11.2014 Dresden Bergsichten Filmfestival
16.11.2014 Innsbruck
Torello Mountainfilmfestival
21.11.2014 Wien
21.11.2014 Ohlsdorf
22.11.2014 Krems an der Donau (Audi Max Campus Krems)
23.11.2014 Berchtesgaden (Germany)
26.11.2014 Bergfilmfestival Salzburg
23.01.2014 Hochkar
03.12.2014 Kufstein Freeride Filmfestival
20.12.2014 Fieberbrunn

backcountry skiing/snowboarding news

Starting from today I decided to change a bit a concept of my blogging. I'd like to share the best (according to me) articles and the links to them about backcountry skiing and snowboarding and make some short reviews of them.

Every week many professional articles and news come out online on the different websites. Most of us doesn't have enough time to browse and read all of them.

My idea is to avoid necessity of browsing many websites to read articles about something interesting that happened in the freeride world in the previous week.

So, if you would like to keep up to date with backcoutry skiing/snowboarding news, articles, events don't hesitate to visit my blog regularly.

Polish skier Andrzej Bargiel will attack two eighthousanders on skis

Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel, age 26, is going to ski down from the top of two eighthousanders: 

Manaslu (between 20th and 25th of September) and Cho Oyu (between 1st and 7th of October).

His plan is to beat the time record in the ascent and descent on these two mountains;  he

is going to spend maximum 24 hours on the each one.

Last year during "Shishapangma Ski Challenge 2013", Andrzej reached the summit of the Shishapangma and then ski descent from the top. 

More about this expedition we can follow on his page: http://andrzejbargiel.com/pl/ and his blog: http://andrzejbargiel.com/blog/#/

We wish him good luck!

Spring skiing - how to prepare our bike for a spring ski touring ride

The problem of spring ski touring is necessity to walk with a heavy backpack to reach the slope or culuoir covered with snow. 
On the other hand when everything is green all around, in the mountains we have the best conditions for skiing (exept for winter fresh pow of course). 
The snow is safe, because of stable snowpack and the low risk of avalanches. Moreover  the spring skiing is so awsome due to corn snow. It'a a wet but fast type of snow, usually found in springtime. Corn is so-named because of the large, rounded-off snow crystal structure that results from an ongoing melt-freeze cycle. Warm days melt the snowpack, allowing small cold grains to merge together, forming larger crystals. Clear, cold nights in the spring re-freeze these wet, larger crystals and they become slightly more angular (squarish, like a kernel of baby corn). The longer the melt-freeze cycle continues, the larger these grains become (http://skiing.about.com/od/downhillskiing/a/springskiing.htm).
Spring days are longer, warmer and the slopes are less crowded than in winter time.
We should only remember to avoid the late day melt-down when the skiing becomes more like water floating and the frozen corn layer at the top of the snowpack during cloudy and cool or windy days after clear, cold nights because the snow is hard like a rock. 
But how to overcome the problem of a long and exhausting walk with a heavy backpack with skis, ski boots and other equipment attached to it. 
Today I came across an inspiring article about using our bike as a transport to our spring skiing goal. Sounds absurdly but it's very interesting alternative for walk. More at: http://boobicycles.com/ski-mountaineering-bike/
See below how to prepare our bike for a ski touring ride :)

High Tatras activities (aktywny wypoczynek w Tatrach)

Today I'd like to encourage all of you to come to Poland for ski touring, ski mountaineering, hiking, climbing (mixed, ice and summer). We have beautiful mountains - the Tatras (Tatra Mountains), with lot of high peaks above 2 000 meters, varied culuoirs, granite rock faces, multi - pitch climbing routes. 

"The Tatra Mountains are part of the Carpathian Range and run across the Polish-Slovakian border with about one quarter of the mountains in Poland. This beautiful area is geographically diverse and offers a wide range of recreational activities in all seasons" (http://www.pilotguides.com/articles/climbing-the-tatras-mountains/)

When to come - the whole year :) 
- ski touring, ski mountaineering, mixed and ice climbing - from December (but it depends on the snow conditions) till the May or even June (the best conditions for skiing from the Tatras highest peak - Rysy 2499 m above sea level);
- trekking, hiking, climbing - from May, June to October.

Below the short movie of ski touring and ski mountaineering activities - made by my friends in the Tatras in April 2014. 

... and nothing more to add :)