there's no such thing as an "avy expert", thanks for trying though.
you make thing im an asshole, but WE NEED MORE SKIER/SNOWBOARDER DEATHS FROM AVALANCHES. clearly there aren't enough. the danger level in the mountains clearly are not getting enough respect and especially with the weather/snow conditions this past week in the PNW you should be scared shitless to venture out.
"beacon, probe, shovel, avy class" isn't a magic answer. you're kidding yourself if you think taking an avy course is going to protect you from getting into one.
how often do you practice? more importantly your friends/bc partners? hold your breath while your buddy does a practice beacon search. yeah do them in the parking lot sometimes, but often are you gonna get buried in the parking lot? practice them on hills too and have the beacon buried. probing/digging practice is just as important. if the lowest number on your beacon is 0.5 are you going to waste time probing or start digging like mad? how many brain cells are you willing to lose for one good bc line?
yes it's your life and you can make your own choices. but don't do something stupid where it could slide onto highway 2 and kill other people. or fuck over stevens pass cause you did something stupid with the resort as your basepoint, and now your parents sue stevens pass for only putting up 5 backcountry warning signs at the top of 7th heaven.
just think. be respectful of the mountains. be safe.
don't be one of these idiots who do exist at stevens pass:
1. There's no avie danger. It’s bluebird.
2. Yeah, we're prepared. We’ve got a cell phone.
3. Patroller: "Do you know what the avie danger is today?"
Skier: "It wasn't too bad the last time we shredded it."
4. Backcountry gear? Yeah, this snowboard rips in the pow.
5. I would be wearing my transceiver but the batteries are dead.
6. We don't need beacons, shovels or probes. We're just gonna film.
7. Beacon? My two friends and I have one. We trade it back and forth.
8. We have all that stuff. It's in the car. We aren't going to the top.
9. What difference does it make if I have my gear or not? I'm riding alone.
10. I was going to get a transceiver next paycheck, but my boyfriend needs the money for a tat.
11. I've practiced. The guy at the store showed me how to find one in a trashcan in the alley. I did it twice!
