*related=http://videosift.com/video/Boy-Catches-Fish-With-A-Toy-Fishing-Pole *water *nature *kids *cute

Boy Catches Fish With A Toy Fishing Pole has been added as a related post - related requested by blackfox42.

Adding video to channels (Cute, Kids, Nature, Water) - requested by blackfox42.

What's the matter, they get bored of playing foosball, cooking chili, and sliding down their pole?

So as a relative newcomer* to the backcountry, here's my $0.02:

They were incredibly lucky.

Going into a gully like that after a snow storm is a "terrain trap" where even a small slide can accumulate very deep snow. Getting buried under 2-3m is bad, but 10m+? Unless you have the world snow shoveling champion team in your party, you're dead.

Good on them for carrying shovels and probes, but where were their transceivers? The article states that the victim had his transceiver with him but the others didn't. A single transceiver is about as useful as a prick in a nunnery.

The only reason that guy is alive is he managed to stick his ski pole above the snow. Without that, by the time they find him, they're not rescuing him, they're recovering the body.

Most importantly, they knew it was a sketchy line and they went anyway (and altogether.... jesus.... spread the fuck out... no-one gonna rescue you if you're all buried).

Right there, that's the fatal mistake. I know guys who have hiked for 6 hours to get to a run, looked at it and turned back. If you're not sure, don't go. Even if it means climbing back out.

So to sum up:
unsure about conditions: don't go
the entire party doesn't have a shovel/probe/transceiver each: don't go
if you absolutely have to go: one at a time and aim for a safe spot

/sermon

I'm being a bit of a prick on this. It's really easy to criticise, but I've been there and I know that powder fever takes hold. But *nature hates you and wants to kill you. Keep that in mind.

* I've been side-country riding for a few years, but started splitboarding last year.

On a related note, I don't think I'd particularly enjoy some lugnut stomping around on my roof wearing pole gaffs / climbing spikes...

That car gives me the same reaction as that pole had!

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I was wondering about the spinnaker pole too, seemed a bit of a brave move in those conditions! As did completely un-reefed sails. Looks like they'd read the book as far as 'let the sails out to slow down or stop' but not got any further.

One thing they could have done to avoid the collision is just pull the main in, hard. Would have screwed the boat round into the wind and either stopped it there or more likely forced a tack, leaving the boat sailing happily away from the ferry. The guys sailing it just panicked and did nothing. Fortunately it looked like there wasn't too much damage done but this sort of thing bothers me. Ignorance like this kills.

Wait, it's a spinnaker pole (? and yah, why is that rigged) AND some sort of other pole extending out over the cockpit.
I think.

I just took a closer look too; is that a spinnaker pole OR---was that part of some sort of awning support that went fore and aft? And why would you have that rigged?

Looks like they'd lost the job sheet and it was flogging; there's, what, three people in the cockpit? They don't seem to be doing anything at all while staring at their own near death.

Looks like a Sydney ferry, so *downunder.

That boat was not under control at all. The jib is starting to rip and god only knows why they had the spinnaker pole attached.

Remember when Katy Perry could have impaled herself on a Cake-Boss steel pole through a giant cake she impromptu decided to jump onto?

Going through the poles you'd think he was part snake.

Pole vaulted in high school. I sucked. Another guy, who sucked a bit more had his pole break in 4 pieces. His momentum kept him going into the pit so no big deal. It's not very uncommon, or at least it didn't used to be. Poles definitely have a shelf life and I'm pretty sure the policy at our school was to use poles until they broke.

I would be too afraid that the pole will snap.