Avalanche rescue facts for kids
Avalanche rescue is all about finding and saving people who have been buried in avalanches. Avalanches are powerful slides of snow down a mountain. Knowing how to prevent them and what to do if one happens is super important for safety in snowy mountains.
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Preventing Avalanches
There are several ways to prevent avalanches or make them less dangerous. These methods are used in places where avalanches are a big threat. This includes ski resorts, mountain towns, and areas with important roads or railways.
Using Explosives to Trigger Small Avalanches
One common method is using explosives. Small controlled explosions can trigger tiny avalanches on purpose. This prevents a lot of snow from building up and causing a huge, dangerous avalanche later. Ski resorts often use this method because it's effective and practical.
Snow Fences and Walls
Special fences and light walls can guide where snow piles up. Snow builds up around these fences, especially on the side facing the wind. Downwind of the fence, less snow gathers. This helps prevent too much snow from collecting in dangerous spots.
The Role of Trees
Trees are like natural shields! Many trees together can greatly reduce the strength of avalanches. They hold snow in place with their roots and branches. When an avalanche does happen, the impact of the snow against the trees slows it down. Trees can be planted or protected when building ski resorts to help reduce avalanche power.
Building Strong Barriers
People also build strong barriers to stop or slow down avalanches. There are different types:
- Net Barriers: These use a net stretched between poles. The poles are held in place by strong wires and foundations. They are similar to barriers used for rockslides.
- Rigid Fences: These are strong fence-like structures made of steel, wood, or concrete. They usually have gaps between the beams and are built across the slope. These barriers can be expensive and might not look very natural.
- Heavy Barriers: These are made of concrete, rocks, or earth. They stop or deflect avalanches with their weight and strength. They are often placed right above buildings, roads, or railways to protect them. Sometimes, earth mounds are placed in an avalanche's path to slow it down.
Staying Safe in Avalanche Areas
Even small avalanches are very dangerous. Sadly, many people caught in avalanches don't survive, especially if they are completely buried. Research in Switzerland showed how quickly survival chances drop:
- Most people who don't make it within the first 15 minutes often run out of air.
- After two hours, survival chances are almost zero, usually because of injuries or getting too cold.
This is why it's super important for friends to start searching right away if someone gets caught in an avalanche. Waiting for professional help can take too long. Even with fast help, it can take a long time for rescue teams to arrive. By then, it might be too late for many.
Sometimes, avalanche victims are not found until the snow melts in spring, or even years later if they were caught in a glacier.
Essential Search and Rescue Gear
If you're in avalanche areas, carrying the right gear and knowing how to use it can save lives! A beacon, shovel, and probe are the most important tools for friends to help each other. Professional rescue teams often have even more advanced technology. In 2010, a French organization recommended that all off-piste skiers carry beacons, probes, shovels, and Recco reflectors.
Avalanche Cords (Old Technology)
Avalanche cords were long red ropes people used to drag behind them. The idea was that if you got buried, the cord would stay on top of the snow, showing rescuers where you were. This idea dates back to the early 1900s. However, studies showed they often got buried too or wrapped around the person, so they weren't very reliable. By the 1970s, experts concluded that avalanche cords were not dependable. Today, they are considered outdated because newer, much more effective tools like beacons are available.
Avalanche Beacons
Avalanche transceivers, also called beacons, are super important for everyone in a group. They send out a "beep" radio signal. If someone gets buried, others can switch their beacons to "receive" mode to find the signal and locate the person. Modern beacons usually have digital displays that show the direction and distance to the buried person, making them easier to use. However, practicing with your beacon regularly is still very important to be effective. Beacons are the main tool for friends to rescue each other. It's important not to confuse real avalanche beacons with smartphone apps, as only proper beacons work reliably.
Avalanche Probes
Probes are collapsible poles that rescuers push into the snow to find the exact spot of a buried person. They can reach several meters deep. Probes help pinpoint where to dig, especially if multiple people are buried. When searching for someone without a beacon, probing can take a very long time. Probes should be used right after looking for clues on the snow surface and while using a beacon.
Strong Shovels
Even when the snow is soft powder, avalanche debris becomes incredibly hard and dense, like concrete! This happens because the energy of the avalanche melts the snow, and it refreezes immediately when it stops. You can't dig it with your hands or skis. Strong metal shovels are essential to dig out a buried person quickly. A large, sturdy scoop and handle are important. Plastic shovels often break. Since digging takes a lot of time, knowing the best shoveling technique is also a key part of rescue. Shovels are also useful for checking the snowpack for hidden dangers.
Recco Rescue System
The Recco system helps professional rescue teams around the world. It's a two-part system. Rescue teams use a small detector that sends out a signal. Small, passive reflectors, often built into outerwear, boots, or helmets, bounce this signal back. This helps rescuers find people. Recco reflectors are a great extra tool, but they don't replace avalanche beacons. The Recco signal does not interfere with beacons.
Avalung Breathing Device
A device called an Avalung helps a buried person breathe. It has a mouthpiece, valves, and tubes. When buried, the snow around a person's face can melt from their breath and then refreeze, blocking oxygen and trapping carbon dioxide. The Avalung pulls fresh air from a large area of snow in front and pushes out used air behind. This gives the buried person more time until rescuers can dig them out.
Avalanche Airbags
Avalanche airbags help a person avoid being buried deep. They work like a giant life vest in the snow. When an avalanche hits, the airbag inflates quickly from a backpack. This makes the person a much larger object compared to the moving snow. Think of it like a bowl of mixed nuts – the biggest nuts tend to rise to the top when you shake it. Airbags make you a "big nut" in the avalanche! If the airbag inflates correctly, it greatly reduces the chances of being completely buried.
Airbags have become more popular, especially for freeriding. Some airbags use small gas canisters to inflate, which might need to be emptied for air travel. Other newer systems use battery-powered fans to inflate the bag. These fan-powered bags can be easily tested and stay inflated even with small punctures.
Other Helpful Devices
More adventurers are also carrying Satellite Electronic Notification Devices (SEND). These include devices like the SPOT Messenger or Personal Locating Beacons (PLBs) with Global Positioning System (GPS). These devices can quickly alert search and rescue teams to an emergency and provide your general location. If you have cell service, your mobile phone can also be used to call for help. Unlike other devices, a phone allows two-way communication with rescuers.
On-site rescuers (usually friends) are in the best position to save a buried person. However, organized rescue teams can respond quickly if notified early. The sooner they know, the sooner they can help, which can make a huge difference for someone who is hurt.
Other rescue devices are also being developed, like avalanche balls or vests. These are all based on the idea that staying closer to the surface increases survival chances.
If you don't have proper gear, you can sometimes improvise. Ski poles can become short probes, and skis or snowboards can be used as shovels. However, these are much less effective. A first aid kit is also useful for helping survivors who might have cuts, broken bones, or be suffering from hypothermia (getting too cold).
Types of Avalanche Rescue
Self-Rescue
Self-rescue is when victims caught in an avalanche manage to escape by digging themselves out or waiting for the snow to melt. This is rare because avalanche snow usually becomes very hard and makes it almost impossible to move. However, if the avalanche is small, or the person is buried near the surface, they might be able to dig themselves out. When trying to dig, it's often hard to tell which way is up. A common myth is that spitting helps you find up, but this isn't true because the snow becomes solid.
Companion Rescue
Companion rescue is when people are rescued by other members of their group. This is the fastest way to save someone, and speed is critical in an avalanche. Friends who are trained and have the right equipment can start searching immediately.
Organized Rescue
When professional and volunteer rescue teams get involved, it's called organized rescue. These first teams travel fast and light to locate and uncover buried people. They carry basic rescue equipment, including rescue dogs and RECCO detectors, and emergency medical gear. These rescuers are generally not equipped for very long operations.
When an avalanche incident is reported, a rescue leader will organize transportation for rescuers and patients. They will figure out how complex the search and rescue operation will be. Every incident is different, depending on how many people are involved, the avalanche danger, weather, terrain, and how many rescuers are available. Support includes getting the right people and equipment, transporting them, and taking care of the rescuers. In the United States, all agencies manage search and rescue operations, including avalanches, using a system called the Incident Command System (ICS).
See also
- Alpine climbing
- Climbing equipment
 | Victor J. Glover |
 | Yvonne Cagle |
 | Jeanette Epps |
 | Bernard A. Harris Jr. |
