VT Backcountry Rescues

gorgonzola wrote

Harvey44 wrote

Last weekend I went out of bounds at Plattekill. The only difference between me and the folks that got lost... I didn't get lost. But I coulda.

thank you! as i'm reading all the comments - i'm oh shit this also coulda been me on any number of given days.. sure i bet a bunch were gapers and kids that had no business in there, and all the cool kids are in the "bc" now (kinda like like all the gapers in the parks previuously ) drawing more folks off trail. a little judhement does go a long way though and has probably kept me from getting lost alot more than my mad mountaineering skills or innate sense of direction.

True dat. Best move IMO is to find some folks "in the know" and let them show you the way rather than hacking your way to lost.

IMHO anybody who goes off into unfamiliar BC terrain w/o a map and compass (and I also take an altimeter) and the skills to know how to use them is the real gaper.

Note that I do not include a GPS in this list - if you think that is too old school one only has to look back as far as last summer when the rangers rescued a guy off of Donaldson who was trying to follow the GPS on his smart phone as the batteries were dying.

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

gorgonzola wrote

Harvey44 wrote

Last weekend I went out of bounds at Plattekill. The only difference between me and the folks that got lost... I didn't get lost. But I coulda.

thank you! as i'm reading all the comments - i'm oh shit this also coulda been me on any number of given days.. sure i bet a bunch were gapers and kids that had no business in there, and all the cool kids are in the "bc" now (kinda like like all the gapers in the parks previuously ) drawing more folks off trail. a little judhement does go a long way though and has probably kept me from getting lost alot more than my mad mountaineering skills or innate sense of direction.

True dat. Best move IMO is to find some folks "in the know" and let them show you the way rather than hacking your way to lost.

My point was that I'm just as big a loser as the VT peeps except for the (IMO non-relevant) detail that we didn't actually get lost.

In my "defense" I felt that the plan was "somewhat foolproof." All we had to do was keep our bearings enough to go off the correct side of the ridge and continue down - we were bound in by the road.  In addition, even though MikeR did chuckle about it, I had a butt size piece of ensolite, a bivy sack and super warm mittens and booties in my pack. On the downside, while I had water, I had limited food and no firestarter. This was a conscious decision, not an oversight.

that'd be the good judgement part! years ago i remember a day at the bush when the trees were SSOOOOOOO SWEEEET we just kept stopping, and going a little further, a little further (probably how a junkie feels) before finally cutting back. we later found that we were just lucky enough to bail at the  "point of no return" . my point is i think it could happen to alot more of us than you think. espcially since ididn't think we were really talking backcountry, more like semi slack!

Ski The East chimes in.

"1) Killington attracts a lot of people from a lot of places. These folks are inherently less familiar with the terrain.

2) Killington has a long ridgeline that, once crossed, is difficult to emerge from. At other regional mountains the “out there” spots benefit from their orientation that funnels skiers either to trails or roads without long flat slogs and riverbeds. You are also better able to maintain a view of familiar landmarks. Not so once you head west from Killington. You become quickly screwed."

The only thing directly west of  Killington is Rutland 10 miles away as the crow flys.  If you go that way you will not be flying.

You would hit Wheelerville rd in about 3 miles if you just kept going down. Looks like there could be some good skiing back there

Interesting piece on STE about this, if a few days old:

http://www.skitheeast.net/posts/id/1787663455/someone-had-to-say-it-%28lost-skiers%29

Comments are predictable.