The White Room
Imagine seeing a close friend, or family member getting tossed down a mountain face through trees and rocks in the middle of a raging avalanche. When the avalanche finally comes to a halt they are nowhere in sight. As panic begins to set in you realize there is no cell coverage, no ski patrol, or even a road within several miles. In that moment you are wondering if you will ever see your friend again, and if you do will they be alive. Every year several lives are lost in the backcountry due to avalanches. Many of those people could be alive if they had taken avalanche courses, and learned the basics behind avalanche safety. There are many precautions that need to be taken when entering the backcountry, it is crucial to bring all necessary gear, understand the danger and mechanics behind avalanches, and know how to conduct a rescue if someone is buried.
Although some people do not realize it, bringing all of the necessary avalanche gear is often times the determining factor as to whether a life is saved, or lost. A beacon is a radio transceiver device that is worn under a coat and sends signals to other beacons. Beacons are used to search for buried victims. They send radio signals so buried victims can be found. It is vital that beacons are always on “send” mode, so if an avalanche breaks the beacon the buried beacon will send signals, and the victim will be found. If somebody else is buried, then the beacon needs to be switched to “search” mode and it will show arrows leading to the victim. When buried ten feet deep in avalanche chunder and dubree, beacon search signals are the only way to successfully be found, or find others who are buried. Though wearing a beacon improves the chances of being unburied, it does ...
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During their western voyage, the group notoriously known as the “Donner Party” inevitably became trapped in a snowstorm in the winter of 1846 and 1847. Originally, the group set out for California in search of new opportunities. Figure 1 shows the path that the party followed to arrive in their set destination. After departing from Springfield, Illinois, the Donner’s first stop was in Independence, Missouri where they joined the rest of their traveling companions. The party had then planned on arriving at Fort Bridger to join another expedition, but they were too late and the expedition left without them (Johnson, 1). They left from Fort Bridger on July 31, 1846 using their own navigation skills in hopes of landing at their destination (Diamond, 2). When an unfortunate snowstorm hit, the group was left stranded. To make matters worse, they were split up between Truckee Lake and Alder Creek. They struggled during this time for they had few supplies and a limited food source. Of the 81 person party, only 45 survived the horrendous conditions (Johnson, 1). That number of casualties may seem fairly typical based on the condit...
There are three safety features in the egg project. The three safety features are seat belts, brakes, and airbags. The seat belts are made out of tape. The seat belts put pressure on the passenger. This means that it will keep the passenger inside the car instead of flying out and getting injured. The airbags are made out of bubble wrap. The bubble wrap will have a huge impact on the area of the passenger. It is like a soft cushion. This protects the passenger from hitting the passenger. The passenger will get hurt by the airbag, but not as much without one. If there wasn’t an airbag in a car, people would be getting into a second collision. A second collision is where the body hits the car. That is the whole point of an airbag. The brakes are made out of cotton balls. The brakes prevent the passenger from getting hit and it puts force on it. Also, they prevent it from getting into a first collision. A first collision is where a
January 12, 1888, a blizzard covered the northwest part of North America that claimed many lives. This blizzard was considered to be the worst blizzard of all time, and was dubbed the “the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard”, for claiming the lives of so many school children on their way home. The death toll of this murderous blizzard rose, because of lack of preparation and being uninformed. During this time, many farmers and families were unprepared to survive a blizzard of this magnitude, by the lack of clothing they wore. Forecasters were not as accurate enough to inform people on the weather conditions. Also, shelter was a major factor in protecting themselves from the winter storms, but the shelter was not stable
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My legs ache from this long, treacherous hike. As I walk up the rocky, steep trail, my feet start to slip, but I regain balance before I fall. I shiver from the extremely cold temperatures, and my body starts to go numb. Soon I realize, my body can not take this hike for much longer. When I find a nice place to rest and make camp, I pray that there are no bears or other predators that are looking for a feast. Just as I was about to get some sleep, I hear a loud noise, coming from the mountains. I look over and see an avalanche coming down straight towards me. I grab all my stuff and start running the other way, trying my hardest to get away from the rocks tumbling towards me. This extreme place is located in the Rocky Mountain Range, and is the highest point in Colorado and the rocky mountain range.Mount Elbert has an impact on animal's, temperature, and the steepness and extremeness of the mountain.
All alone, I glance downhill and notice my left ski ensnared in distant undergrowth. One of my ski poles lies casually near the summit, trapped in a mogul crevice. The lonely winter atmosphere bestows little comfort; I am aware that the trail will stay empty until eight o'clock the next morning and therefore undertake immediate action. As I painfully peel off my left glove to inspect the damage, the monotone drone of the ski lift ceases. I stand up and detach my right ski, then ascend the powdery snowdrifts that flank the trail in search of my missing equipment. Upon attaining the altitude of my missing pole, I re-enter the steep slope.
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