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In article ,
Ken Roberts wrote:
Booker Bense wrote
I've done lots and lots of solo skiing in steep terrain
over the years and looked at from a rational point of
view, I can't characterize it as anything but "dangerous foolishness".

I look back on my solo backcountry ski tours, and I do not see them as
"dangerous foolishness" -- at least no more so than backcountry touring
generally, in that I would have been safer for that day if I'd stayed home
and pedaled on my indoor bicycle and watched a DVD.


_ I don't think "dangerous foolishness" is always something to be
avoided. However, you should keep your eyes open so to speak. You
are engaging in something that if you should have an accident
would be characterized as "dangerous foolishness", at least in the
newspapers. In balancing risk and reward, I think it's
very easy to underestimate the risk, particularly with something
you do a lot. I do almost all my backcountry skiing alone, I find
it a useful mental tool to keep perspective.

Almost all the scary things that have happened to me on ski tours have been
with partners or groups, doing something I would not have attempted alone.
(and somehow almost always, one of those partners was a regional "expert").


_ That's been my experience as well. Turning back is a lot easier
when you're by yourself. Skiing alone has the potential to be
reasonably safe, but only if you realize that the risk is greater and the
stakes are much higher. That's what I meant by "dangerous
foolishness". The only thing keeping you safe is your judgement
and it's incredibly easy to confuse luck with skill. There's a
high potential for self delusion in all this, particularly after
you've done it a while. Pilots have a handy phrase for this that
I can't google at the moment. Basically, you're most dangerous
when you have enough experience stop overestimating the risk,
but because of your false sense of expertise you begin
underestimating the risk. I believe that I fall squarely
in this category and I think it applies to 99% of the people
that would be categorized as "experienced" in any avalanche
survey.

_ Booker C. Bense





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