Avalanche Survival

Avalanche Survival, Search and Rescue

Ideally, avoiding potentially dangerous terrain and adhering to good off piste practice will mean that  an avalanche accident is never experienced. But if the worst happens and an avalanche occurs there are search and rescue techniques that can be employed and practices that can be used to increase the chances of surviving.

When a person is taken in a slide it is essential that they try and stay on the surface of the moving avalanche. In many cases the victim has no control of their direction or orientation as the power of the avalanche is too great for and individual to over come. However, if it is possible then skis should be released and poles should be dropped. To make this easier it is important not to use the  wrist straps on poles when skiing off piste.

Without this equipment weighing the victim down they should fight to stay on the surface of the moving snow and if buried try to create an air pocket around the face to allow adequate oxygen reserves during the rescue.

A person buried by an avalanche, who has not been killed by the trauma of the slide, will typically have a fifteen minute survival window before they succumb to asphyxiation due to re-breathing their own expelled Carbon Dioxide. Although the emergency services in the Alps are highly trained and efficient they cannot usually arrive at an avalanche accident site quick enough to save a victim. It is therefore essential that every member of an off piste group is carrying the following equipment:

• Avalanche transceiver -  Also known as a Beeper or Avalanche Beacon this device is worn by each member of the group. Whilst worn it sends out a silent pulse. In the event of a burial the victims beeper continues to send out a signal while the remaining members of the group turn their beacons from transmit to receive. Using the information sent back from the buried beeper the group are able to locate the approximate position of the victim under the snow.
• Probe Pole - The second piece of equipment used in the search and rescue is a collapsible probe pole. This is carried in a backpack and is used to pin point the buried victim ensuring that no time is wasted digging in the wrong place.
• Shovel - Finally the collapsible shovel is employed to move the covering snow and free the victim. Moving a cubic metre of snow with a shovel takes minutes but without one it can take up to an hour.

With this equipment a group will be able to carry out a self contained rescue and should be able to recover a buried friend in under ten minutes.

An avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe is the minimum amount of equipment that every member of a group should be carrying. There are many manufacturers of this equipment and many different models on the market. View our Avalanche Equipment page to learn more.