Dealing with unprepared backcountry skiers

How do you feel when you’re out in the backcountry and you see others without the right safety equipment? Here’s Cody Townsend’s advice to approach the situation.

I’ve noticed a little bit of a disturbing trend lately. And no, it doesn’t have to do with excessively sized clothing or extensively coordinated ski ensembles. In fact it has to do with quite the opposite. It has do with the lack of necessary backcountry equipment in typical sidecountry/backcountry arenas.

You might be saying to yourself, “WHAT! Who the hell goes into the backcountry without a pack, beacon, shovel and probe?” Well unfortunately my eyes have witnessed an disturbing amount of skiers in the sidecountry off of Jackson Hole without any sort of backcountry equipment recently.

In one of the last days of filming with TGR I noticed a group of about 5 skiers fumbling and flailing around Rocksprings Canyon without a shred of safety equipment. Mind you the gate that they opened had an avalanche advisory with the dial turned up to HIGH.

So what do you, a knowledgeable, backcountry experienced skier do in this sort of situation?

Well first off, discussing prevention and large sweeping regulatory management of said idiots is out of the question. You start preventing them from stepping into dangerous terrain and soon we might all be forbidden. Idiots will always find a way to get into the backcountry unprepared and under-trained, so when they do, what should you do?

The technique I’ve found to be most successful is to approach them with a few questions. ‘How are you guys doing?’ followed by an inquisitive ‘Do you folks have beacons, shovels and probes?’ This second question is obviously rhetorical since you’ve already born witness to their lack of packs, but nonetheless it is a good icebreaker.

So when they answer ‘No’, politely respond that they really have no business being in the backcountry with any sort of safety equipment. This is when you’ll probably get a “Well that’s none of your business,” sort of retort. That’s when you unleash the fury and inform them that “In fact, yes, it is one-hundred percent my business.” Then let your diatribe begin. “You see, if you were to cut a slide on our group, witness a slide on another group or even be buried yourselves, then our roles will become distinctly intertwined.

Safety in the backcountry is not a one-man sport, it can depend very often on the people that are around you. And if those people are unprepared like you folks, then you are not only putting yourself in danger but many other people in danger as well.”

Then in your most polite manner please tell them to Get The Fuck Out! Well, don’t tell them that exactly, but don’t be afraid to tell them to hike right back down their bootpack back to the resort boundary. Tell them you’ll keep on eye on them, but all in all do everything you can to get them out of the backcountry as quickly and as safely as possible. Being ambivalent or apathetic in these situations could not only cost the health and lives of others, but of even your own.

Posted by Cody Townsend on February 27th, 2010 in Backcountry

Cody Townsend @codytownsend

I'm Cody Townsend, I write about the behind-the-scenes life of being a professional skier. I've appeared in ski films by Teton Gravity Research, Warren Miller, Match Stick Productions, among others. When not in front of the camera or competing I also write for Powder Magazine and Skiing Magazine. My current sponsors who make my lifestyle possible include; Salomon, Swatch, The Levitation Project, Porters Tahoe, Von Zipper, Hestra, Camelbak, Squaw Valley USA.