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| Digging for a Victim |
No matter how good you are at searching with a transceiver, if you don't have a
probe and shovel the victim will probably die.
During training, it is easy to get so focused on the time that it takes to locate the transmitter that you forget that shoveling is the
most time consuming portion of most avalanche rescues. You may be able to locate the victim within three or four minutes, but it is unlikely you will be able to shovel a meter
of snow in less than 10 minutes (if you know of timed shoveling tests, please contact me).
| Basic Avalanche Shoveling Tips |
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| Deep Burial (9 ft or 2.7 m) |
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Leave the probe in the snow when it hits the victim and dig around it. This will keep
you on target and reduce the likelihood that you will be standing on the victim (who may be struggling to breath). |
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Begin digging on the downhill side of the probe at a distance of approximately 1.5 times the burial depth (i.e. probe depth). This makes it easier
to clear the excavated snow and prevents the shovelers from struggling at the bottom of a cone-shaped hole. It also reduces the likelihood that rescuers will be standing on
top of the victim. |
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Rotate the lead shoveler frequently to reduce fatigue. The other shovelers can help by moving the discarded snow further from the hole. |
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