The air is brisk, but the sun shines warmly on our faces, as we reach the summit of a\u00a0small mountain. The views are magnificent, and our minds approach Nirvana as we quickly strip our skins, and prepare for the descent.<\/p>\n
The snow is knee deep and the whole mountain is covered with a magical blanket of\u00a0untracked virgin powder. Our young brains are almost overwhelmed as we hurriedly\u00a0decide what the best descent route will be. We have experienced this pleasure before,\u00a0so the descent is anxiously anticipated, and our minds awaken to the thought of sheer\u00a0bliss that beckons us. \u00a0A short traverse reveals a safe 30 degree slope that cannot be passed, and I suddenly\u00a0find myself dancing in the deep snow. The gentle gliding of skis over the beautiful\u00a0crystals of frozen water is mesmerizing, and the rhythm of symmetrically carved turns\u00a0pulls my mind into a trance. I take some very deep breaths of the fresh air, and listen carefully to the sound of the frozen crystals below me, and thank the Gods for granting me this fine day.<\/p>\n
Dancing is an elegant form of art and deep powder skiing is like a grand ballet. The skis\u00a0become part of my body as they float back and forth with a magical rhythm, while my\u00a0upper body gently floats along as it enjoys the pure delight of the flying snow and bright\u00a0sunshine.<\/p>\n
The joy of deep powder skiing combines the merriment of an athletic body with the\u00a0wonders of nature and is one of the greatest thrills that I have ever experienced. So, I can\u00a0easily understand how these sensations can drag someone into a very dangerous situation.<\/p>\n
The snow is so beautiful and the interaction with nature seems perfect, but the danger is\u00a0hiding and waiting to strike. It is hard to fathom how something this beautiful could be so\u00a0dangerous. The thirty degree slope is very enjoyable, but a steeper slope keeps\u00a0tempting us, because we know that the thrills will be even greater.<\/p>\n
My previous\u00a0experience tells me that it is a bit dangerous, but the snow feels very solid, and my silly brain\u00a0is suddenly overwhelmed and not thinking clearly. The fears of a big avalanche are\u00a0suddenly erased by the quiescence of the day and that untracked thirty-five degree slope looks so inviting. My heart is pounding, but my mind has already made the decision, as we venture up to the summit once again.<\/p>\n
We are both eager to go first, but my partner charges into the realms of the untracked\u00a0bliss. I watch in envy as he carves effortless turns through the virgin snow, but the envy\u00a0quickly vanishes as I watch a small sluff break into the second layer, and continue to the\u00a0ground. The innocent slope suddenly turns into a raging torrent of powder combined\u00a0with large slabs of wind packed snow, and I watch helplessly as my friend disappears\u00a0into the maelstrom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I stand for a moment in total shock, and then quickly rush down to look for him. We are\u00a0both carrying beacons, shovels and I quickly find his location with my probe, but he is deeply\u00a0buried in a tomb of frozen crystals that are nearly as hard as concrete. I dig frantically\u00a0for almost half an hour, and know that his time is running out. My arms are totally\u00a0exhausted and my knuckles are bleeding as I struggle desperately to find him and free\u00a0him from the frozen tomb.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My heart is pounding as I finally reach his body, but the sparkle in his face has vanished and his pulse is gone. I struggle with CPR, for more than an hour, as I watch his body gradually fade and turn into to a cold lifeless mass.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He has been a great friend, and watching him die will leave a memory that I will never\u00a0forget, but I hope this story will prevent other such events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fortunately this tale is fiction, but there are many similar ones that are not. There is an\u00a0old joke that a human male does not have enough blood to fill his penis and his brain at\u00a0the same time. This same logic can also relate to deep powder snow. The anticipated\u00a0thrill can often cause the brain to forget about the imminent danger that appears so subtle.\u00a0 <\/span>Avid skiers have invented a word called \u201cfoaming\u201d to express this feeling. I have experienced foaming on many occasions, and I have relied on luck a few times, but that is like playing Russian Roulette. I have learned to calm my brain by stopping to dig a pit, and thinking about my four old friends who died in avalanches, and the thrill is not worth the risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The air is brisk, but the sun shines warmly on our faces, as we reach the summit of a\u00a0small mountain. The views are magnificent, and our minds approach Nirvana as we quickly strip our skins, and prepare for the descent. … Continue reading