Ok, sitting there holding onto a lit 50 lbs pre-emptive avalanche bomb in a helicopter.
Sweaty palms material.
Glad someone does this at ski areas and on the slopes that overlook roads and villages (this appears to be at the Lake Susan Jane ski area, which is in Washington)
I know, for areas and places in different positions, some ski patrols use methods as varied as skiing along the top of a ridge and "kicking off" small avalanches to prevent larger, catastrophic ones; some places (South Lake Tahoe, I've seen it), use recoil-less rocket rounds); others use charges manually thrown by ski patrol. But I've never seen anything like this.
edit: changed it to Canada then changed it back after checking-- two things mitigate against it being Canada--- 1) the aircraft has an "N" number, which suggests it's American-registered rather than Canadian and 2) the narrator, in the first minute, talks about how they've prepped 50 lb charges for the Susan Jane area---that's Lake Susan Jane, which is in Washington State...
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/lake-susan-jane-snowshoe
12 Comments
SFOGuy*promote
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AeroMechanicalsays...I'm interested, fifty pounds as in fifty-pounds of TNT equivalent, or just fifty pounds of something else? They kind of looked like fertilizer bags with a detonator.
mxxconThe way he tossed it out, it didn't look like literally "50lb". Unless he's really strong I think it's 50lb-equivalent.
I'm interested, fifty pounds as in fifty-pounds of TNT equivalent, or just fifty pounds of something else? They kind of looked like fertilizer bags with a detonator.
SFOGuyI did some back reading; with 2.2 lbs to each kg, what I can find is that helicopter lofted charges are often between 10 and 20 kgs---22 to 44 lbs...
If it's the large charge, that's pretty close to 50 lbs.
KrupoI don't always control avalanche risk, but when I do, I use 50 lb bombs
PaybackNot in Washington, further North up here in *Canada, outside Revelstoke.
Rogers Pass
siftbotAdding video to channels (Canada) - requested by Payback.
ChaosEngineAwsome how you can see it slabing and then cracking when the charge goes off.
I would highly recommend doing an avalanche safety course if you're in any way serious about skiing or snowboarding. In addition to the obvious benefits of helping keep yourself alive, you learn heaps about the snow pack. It's really good fun.
SFOGuyWait, he says it's at the Susan Jane area (Lake Susan Jane is in Washington)---and why would a Canadian reference a 50 lb charge instead of using kilos? And why would the aircraft have a "N" registration number rather than a Canadian registration?
Not in Washington, further North up here in *Canada, outside Revelstoke.
Rogers Pass
PaybackWTF??? When I watched it I could swear it said Rogers Pass at the end.
Seriously... I'm not on drugs. Honest.
Wait, he says it's at the Susan Jane area (Lake Susan Jane is in Washington)---and why would a Canadian reference a 50 lb charge instead of using kilos? And why would the aircraft have a "N" registration number rather than a Canadian registration?
TheFreakHey, Fuck You 50 year old trees and assorted wild life!
We have skiiers who want to ride the other side of this mountain. Safety first!
It's INTEEEEEEENSE!! WOOOHOOOO!!!
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