On 2006-03-10 09:47:32 -0700, "JQ" said:
I did something similar to this at Meadows on Mt. Hood. I was skiing
with two friends and didn't see them turn and I followed two boarders.
I stopped and heard my friends call to me, there was about 50 yards
between me and them. So I headed towards them in un tracked snow not
knowing it was so deep. As I got about 20 yards into this open area I
realized that my poles wasn't hitting ground or any thing and I fell.
The snow was about 5' deep I began to wonder how I was going to get out
of this situation. My skis up on top of the snow and me deep down in
the snow. I used me pole to get one of my skis off so I was able to
stand on one leg with other still on top of the snow. I was really
beginning to worry that I would have to dig my way to them. I
struggled there for about 15 minutes trying to get back on top of the
snow I did finally make it back up using my poles down in the snow.
Lucky for me I had a lot of flexibility, I fell back down maybe three
or four times trying to get the one ski back on. when I go it back on
and was standing I just slide the skis across the snow almost like a
cross country skier. I was exhausted when I finally got to my friends
and they laughed at me for being so stupid. I normally ski in the east
and we never get that much snow that you would sink so deep so that
situation was new to me.
Later that same day fog set so thick you couldn't see a thing and the
goggles I was wearing that made it even worse. At the top of one run I
couldn't see thing so I went to stop and fell. I had vertigo and
didn't know up from down, whether I was moving or not. I began to
panic knowing there was a 10' drop into some rocks not being able to
see and thinking I was still sliding. I am kicking and flopping around
like a fish out of water in all that movement my goggle got knocked off
and I then noticed I wasn't moving at all. Again my friends had a real
good laugh wondering what the hell I was doing. When I told them what
had happened they were a little more understanding but still thought it
was very funny watching me bouncing around. We went down to the lodge
to buy some clear goggles and I threw out those other goggles, I wasn't
going to go through that again.
JQ illustrates clearly with this story why you should stay our of deep
powder. That, and this:
http://homepage.mac.com/saemisch/SJ2.../DSC_5829.html
Be safe! Avoid the powder! You could drown!
Mike... 8J
--
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http://Powderday.us
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