randy
new member
Posts: 1
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Post by randy on Feb 5, 2014 15:24:37 GMT -8
The entire Avy section in Freedom 8 is due for major revision or rewrite since at the time of the last update the current standards in beacon technology ( beacons having capability to accurately and easily distinguish and show multiple victims) was just coming out. The older technology is clearly Jurassic. That said, in Freedom 8 we focused a good deal on induction line searches (aka the Ortovox F1 Focus) and that is now very dated as well.
Basically there have been so many major changes in both technology and in group dynamics that all of these areas really need to addressed and brought into compliance with current standards and thinking in Freedom 9.
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Post by nicklyle on Jan 9, 2015 11:51:52 GMT -8
Randy,
Yes indeed. Avalanche safety has come a long way in a relatively short time.
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Post by dougsanders on Jan 19, 2015 16:06:46 GMT -8
Am wondering if the section should take a different slant, becoming more of an overview and less an attempt in detailed instructions.
1. Given the pace of avalanche safety/rescue advances and lag/infrequency of revisions it seems that FOTH will always be too dated to be definitive; furthermore, it may contain outdated or bad information that we don't want people to imprint on.
2. Additionally, can one do justice to avalanche safety and companion rescue in FOTH? Does any avalanche course use FOTH as a text book?
The section on avalanche and rescue is 19 pages long plus 3 pages from Chapter 26, The Cycle of Snow, for a total of 22 pages. The entire section on weather is 12 pages. (This point wouldn't be concern if we could add pages to F9. F8 chapter writers were instructed to not add additional pages.)
For the same space, a greater good for more people would be expected if some of the avalanche/rescue space went to beef up weather forecasting, weather related trip planning and weather decision making. Not suggesting a tit for tat trade just illustrating the value and priority of content.
Anyone engaging in a winter backcountry activities needs an avalanche course. Just as small party rescue is too great of a subject to do justice in FOTH (chapter encourages outside training) avalanche safety and companion rescue similarly requires specialized training. FOTH could be an introduction to avalanche safety for new enthusiasts wetting the new climbers appetite to take a course.
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Post by nicklyle on Jan 25, 2015 0:48:16 GMT -8
I think the Avalanche section can present the basics of avalanche practice, terrain management and companion rescue in a reasonable amount of space without neglecting to present practical tools that mountain climbers will find useful. Some stuff can be cut, and there should be careful consideration of how best to link to other sections of the book so as to avoid too much redundance. It is true that there are other books out there that will have more thorough coverage of the topic, but there is a need for a good overview of current practice, particulalry from a climber's perspective. The avalanche field is fairly ski-centered. The aproaches to avalanche safety now in vogue have gone through some upheaval, but are reasonably stable now and I feel confident that what we put in the next edition will still be useful when the following edition rolls out.
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