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Avoidance is better that a cure! Being caught in an avalanche or seeing someone else swept away can be a traumatic experience. Things happen fast and once an avalanche has been triggered there is nothing you can do to stop it. Assuming you see someone caught in an avalanche, keep you eyes on them for as long as possible. If they become buried, keep an eye on where you last saw them. This point should be marked with a ski pole to help reduce the searchable area. Keep watching until the snow has stopped moving, as a buried victim, may reappear further down a slope.
If you are the unfortunate one that gets caught in the avalanche, then call out to
your group so that they can try and get out of the way and also get a visual location
of you. The information on how to survive an avalanche is all good in theory, but
probably hard to recall in the event of tumbling downhill in a mobile flow of snow.
Still, it is worth knowing! Obviously, if you can, ski away from the slide, or
delay your departure by digging in an ice axe or ski pole, but if you get caught
then the following techniques may help. Try to release your bindings and ski poles
then ‘swim’ to stay on top of the slide. As movement of the snow stops, cover your
face and move into a foetal position to create an air pocket, but try and push one
hand upwards to the surface. Research in North America suggest that 80% of people
will survive if they remain on the surface, but only a sobering 40-
Someone needs to be appointed as the search leader, as a systematic approach will make it an efficient one. First of all, stay calm! Don’t move into further danger by rushing in. As with any emergency or First Aid
scenario, stop and assess the situation. Are there any further dangers? Is the rest of the part safe? Once the snow pack has stopped moving, visually scan the area for debris or a partially buried body.
From your observations, begin your search from the last known point and as soon as possible. A buried victim has a 90% chance of survival if they are recovered within 15 minutes of burial. After that, the odds decrease greatly. As well as using your transceiver to pin point a victim, do not forget to use your eyes and ears. If it is safe to do so, turn off all but one transceiver and begin searching. With modern transceivers, this search should not take too long for you to locate a relatively small area that will allow you to probe and then dig out the victim. This process of homing in on a casualty should be something that has been practiced in a safe location (preferably as a group) before setting out on a venture.
Begin to probe in a systematic fashion in the designated area to locate the victim. Start with a wide grid search of about 70cm, until it can be narrowed down. Don’t forget to also send for help. Dial “112” from a mobile, it will use emergency frequencies or other networks to make a call regardless of your signal status or phone credit. Do not give up on your search, avalanche victims have survived for much longer than the statistical average. If there is more than one casualty, remember to turn off each transceiver once they have been found, so that their signal does not interfere with the new search.