Safety Tools You Need For FreeRide: Level 4 – Sensei

Whether you want to stomp the steeps or experience the mountains away from the crowds, FreeRide is your ticket, but it comes at a price – you need the appropriate equipment. 

In this series, we step through the safety tools you’ll need to take on increasingly consequential FreeRide adventures. We’ve broken these into 4 levels – Access / Explore / Deep / Sensei – each article builds on the knowledge from the previous one.

In this article we focus on FreeRide in unpatrolled terrain, off the beaten track – away from a resort area, where help will likely be hard or impossible to reach.

Wherever or whenever you ride, we urge you to invest in the FreeRide Essentials and follow Lore #06: No TSP, No Party.

On Your Body

Altimeter: Knowing where you are in terms of height can be critical as avalanche bulletins denote different risk levels according to elevation. TIP: You can use your smartphone if it has GPS built in – almost all do. 

Thermometer: Knowing how the temperature is changing will help you assess the snowpack and its stability. TIP: Many altimeters have this function built in. 

GPS beacon: The most compelling reason for carrying one of these is to send a rescue message when you are out of phone range / battery. TIP: Check in advance that you are within contract and your device is activated. 

In Your Pack

Map: Technology solutions have much to offer in the mountains from beacons to digital maps but when you’re taking on more risk, you’ll want to make sure you have all bases covered. A decent scale physical map (1:25,000) of the terrain you’re taking on, is a wonderful failsafe. TIP: If you have this and your compass you’re chances of finding your way out of trouble is on another level. 

Fire Making Equipment: Be it a lighter or matches, pairing these with a couple of fire lighters may have a seriously positive impact on your comfort if you’re stuck out on the mountain or even in a refuge. TIP: There are plenty of ‘eco’ options available – not only are these less impactful on the environment they won’t stink up the contents of your pack. 

Snow Saw: If you’re looking to perform a reliable snowpack stability test like the Rutschblock or Extended Column Test then this is a must. 

Air Bag: A great addition to your FreeRide safety, recent data shows deploying an airbag in an avalanche doubles your likelihood of survival. TIP: Avalanche bags that use a fan rather than a compressed air canister, tend to be lighter, can be redeployed at any time and are accepted on all airlines. 

Avalung: When buried in avalanche debris the most likely cause of death is asphyxiation, this device pulls air from the snowpack and expels the CO2 away from your head in order to extend your window of rescue. TIP: This won’t avoid you being buried but if you can get the tube into your mouth, it could give up to an hour of breathable air. 

First Aid Additions: A blood clotting bandage and a Sam splint are great additions to your standard first aid kit. TIP: You can use ski straps to secure the splint in place without the need to carry extra items.

In Your Head

Leadership Skills: Knowing what needs to be done and organising the rescue effort are key factors in quick extraction. TIP: If it’s not clear, look to the person with the most experience or the biggest backpack (seriously – this is actually an accepted safety barometer). If it’s not obvious then it might just be you! Including a leadership element in your companion rescue practices could really help.

First Aid Skills: Standard first aid skills are invaluable in case of an accident or incident. TIP: If you are looking to upskill or want a refresher then choosing a mountain / outdoor specific course makes sense. These include important topics such as dealing with hypothermia and will usually be tested in challenging physical environments. 

Reflection Skills: There are always more areas to explore, it’s also important to stay up to date with current thinking, the global knowledge base is constantly evolving and expanding, and this can often challenge long held beliefs, so reflecting or revisiting a topic can be as valuable as expansion. Bottom line – Lore #07: Never Stop Learning

You may also wanna checkout our adventure checklists, read them online or print them out and stick them up somewhere.

What else do you carry and in what scenarios? Wanna add to this topic – let us know in the comments below or get more involved here.