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Cliffed Out

Tricia

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I find that my habit of scoping before skiing tends to follow me back to NA now. Whenever I’m on the lift in NA, I find that I’m looking for hazards and exits without even thinking about it, which then seems funny when I realise what I’m doing.
When I was taking the Next Level Camp at Squaw a few years ago with Jessica Sobolowski Quinn, one of the things they drilled into us was to use the lift ride for tactical evaluation.

Its a great first line of defense. That and "don't duck ropes"

At least the guy in the video had a nice kick turn, which he got to practice a lot in that 18+ minute video.


There are only a few times when I felt like I accidently got into terrain over my head, neither time actually got me cliffed out but it got me into terrain that I was extremely uncomfortable with, one of which was at Winter Park, following @Drahtguy Kevin @Philpug and @Justin Koski.
Kevin actually said he was going a particular direction and I may not want to follow. I'm glad I didn't follow but the area I did go ended up being a little sketchy for my comfort zone. I had the choice of sideslipping down a skinny path or jumping off a rock. You know I was NOT going to jump off the rock, so I managed sideslipping and eventually got into some terrain that allowed me to ...."whew"
Phil stayed with me and talked me through the head games I got into.

I heard stories about Grand Targhee when skiers get into (the name is slipping my mind but I want to say...) The Buttes.
I'll admit, when we were at the top of that area, it looked inviting and though the signage was clear, it still made a few of our members think..."can I?"
None of us did and when we were well below that area and looked up, we were all glad we chose to avoid the area.
I think it was the area I have circled in purple. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
Grand Targhee Trail Map.png
 

crgildart

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I forget who mentioned it first but the .. "can the patrol evac me from there if I have a problem?" is a pretty good thing to consider. And if truly finding yourself or a friend or kid over terrained, that is an option. It's usually safer than taking off your skis and trying to hike back up if the trail is busy.

They can't easily get you down if cliffed out though.. Either they haul you back up or lower you down via ropes.

Some people get cliffed out on purpose though, "ski mountaineering" FTW..
 

Rod9301

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I forget who mentioned it first but the .. "can the patrol evac me from there if I have a problem?" is a pretty good thing to consider. And if truly finding yourself or a friend or kid over terrained, that is an option. It's usually safer than taking off your skis and trying to hike back up if the trail is busy.

They can't easily get you down if cliffed out though.. Either they haul you back up or lower you down via ropes.

Some people get cliffed out on purpose though, "ski mountaineering" FTW..
I don't agree to call the patrol if cliffed out.
Personal responsibility goes a long way, including hiking out.
 

4ster

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At least the guy in the video had a nice kick turn, which he got to practice a lot in that 18+ minute video.
He had some decent side slipping skills too. If I had come down after him I would’ve assumed a snowboarder had preceded me & I probably would’ve been cursing the mess he made :P .

Easy to call someone out for getting in over their head but I’m sure 99% of us have been there, done that. If we can’t learn from other peoples mistakes let’s make sure we learn from our own.

I’ve climbed back up a few times (with skis on) but most of those times that was a pre-planned option.
Once when I was a kid of about 12 my cousin & I decided to scramble up a peak from our campsite in the Sierra, got cliffed out a few times on the way down & it freaked me out. We finally decided it was best to go back to the peak & find our ascent route. That experience made me super conscious to think about those possibilities ahead of time & have some backup plans. I’ve also learned it’s a lot easier to go up some things than it is to down-climb.
 
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crgildart

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I don't agree to call the patrol if cliffed out.
Personal responsibility goes a long way, including hiking out.
That is why I suggested to not go anywhere they can't evac you EASILY. Overterrained is different, way different than cliffed out.. Call the patrol if someone is over terrained,, and of course in bounds.. Just picked the wrong run and way beyond their ability to get down safely.. And is too busy to try walking up... No cliffs involved
 

Andy Mink

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I'll admit, when we were at the top of that area, it looked inviting and though the signage was clear, it still made a few of our members think..."can I?"
I believe I was one of the REALLY smart ones. I didn't even look over the edge. It just looked sketchy from the top.
 

Crank

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Was at Jackson Hole a few years ago. We were skiing the side country and were not far outside the top gate, skiers right, Rendezvous Bowl when a ski patroller asked us to detour a bit. They were busy rescuing a skier from a cliff band know as Jersey Shore not far outside the gate.

I looked up the name to see if I remembered it right and found this.
https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/822077/2-killed-in-Jackson-hole-
 

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