Don't ride off-piste alone! Wait for each other and wear and carry necessary avalanche equipment with you! Otherwise you may not be as lucky as JR!
Day before yesterday, on 4/4/2015 me and my friends were enjoying the fresh powder, in for us well known terrain around Vratna Ski Resort in Slovakia. Due to low visibility and disorientation from too much excitement i didn't quite pay attention to my location and was only enjoying riding. In front of me i spotted a small bump and decided to approach it with a radius and jump off it. But in about 2 meters in front of this bump i was surprised by an emptiness. Emptiness of ground. A Rock cliff, which i thought i already passed. During my air time i saw a broken-off piece of big rock into which i was flying. In the air i tried to moved the rock "away with my eyes"', which, i by miracle managed and landed into the pile of snow on the side of it. That saved my bones, but i landed with my head so deep in the snow that i couldn't dig myself out. My friend who was following my line, due to his lower speed, landed in the "landing" behind the cliff but was still knocked off of that big impact for a while. I don't know how long i was buried in the snow, but i was told they were digging me out for about 5 minutes. My time was going in another dimension.
I just wanted to thank everybody who carries to mountains those few more kilograms of avalanche equipment with him. You are the one who cares about the life of your friends, or about a life of random trespasser. I also want to thank to my destiny, that i landed where i did. It was the best place in diameter of 2 meters where i was dug out. And the biggest thank you goes to my friends who literally saved my life.
For the rest of you. Go to the mountains ready for the worst. Think about your line and get to know your terrain, where are you located. Ride carefully. Never ride alone and wait for each other. But don't wait for each other in the avalanche zone. But wait for each other, don't be egoists.
Ride together, because "Happiness is only real when shared".
I underestimated it and could have payed the highest price for it.
JR
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Predvčerom 4.4. sme si s kamošmi po prašanovej nádielke užívali pojazdy v celkom známom teréne v okolí Vrátnej. No vďaka nízkej oblačnosti a značnej dezorientácii z eufórie som si neuvedomoval svoju presnú polohu a len si užíval púdrovanie. Predo mnou bol malý bubon, tak som nabral pirel a kvalitne sa odrazil. Približne 2m od bubnu ma čakalo nemilé prekvapenie v podobe prázdnoty. Skalné bralo, o ktorom som si myslel, že už som dávno obišiel. Počas letu sa mi postupne ukazoval dopad v protisvahu a odlomený skalný blok na ktorý som smeroval. Očami som skalu tlačil nabok a nejakým zázrakom sa mi podarilo dopadnúť rovno vedľa nej do prašanového záveja. To mi zachránilo kosti, no zarazil som sa hlavou tak hlboko, že nebolo možné vyhrabať sa von. Jeden z kolegov sledoval moju stopu a vďaka tomu, že mal nižšiu rýchlosť spadol do dopadu, kde bol aj tak po takom páde cez minútu mimo. Neviem koľko som bol pod snehom, no vraj ma vykopávali cez 5 minút. Čas mi plynul iným tempom.
Hlavne by som chcel poďakovať každému, kto chodí na hory s tými pár kilami výbavy naviac. Si človek, ktorému nie je ľahostajný život kamaráta, ale aj neznámeho horala. Ďakujem osudu za to, že som dopadol presne tam kam som dopadol. Bolo to to najvhodnejšie miesto v rádiuse 2m od miesta kde ma vykopali. A obrovská vďaka patrí mojím kamarátom doslova za záchranu života.
Pre ostatných. Choďte do hôr pripravený na najhoršie. Premyslite si svoju líniu a spoznajte terén, v ktorom sa pohybujete. Jazdite opatrne. Nejazdite nikdy samy a čakajte sa. Ak idete žľab, čakajte sa mimo laviniska, pod skalami. Ale čakajte sa a nebuďte egoisti.
"Happiness is only real when shared" Ja som to podcenil a mohol som kruto na to dopaltiť.
JR
Video click here!
Day before yesterday, on 4/4/2015 me and my friends were enjoying the fresh powder, in for us well known terrain around Vratna Ski Resort in Slovakia. Due to low visibility and disorientation from too much excitement i didn't quite pay attention to my location and was only enjoying riding. In front of me i spotted a small bump and decided to approach it with a radius and jump off it. But in about 2 meters in front of this bump i was surprised by an emptiness. Emptiness of ground. A Rock cliff, which i thought i already passed. During my air time i saw a broken-off piece of big rock into which i was flying. In the air i tried to moved the rock "away with my eyes"', which, i by miracle managed and landed into the pile of snow on the side of it. That saved my bones, but i landed with my head so deep in the snow that i couldn't dig myself out. My friend who was following my line, due to his lower speed, landed in the "landing" behind the cliff but was still knocked off of that big impact for a while. I don't know how long i was buried in the snow, but i was told they were digging me out for about 5 minutes. My time was going in another dimension.
I just wanted to thank everybody who carries to mountains those few more kilograms of avalanche equipment with him. You are the one who cares about the life of your friends, or about a life of random trespasser. I also want to thank to my destiny, that i landed where i did. It was the best place in diameter of 2 meters where i was dug out. And the biggest thank you goes to my friends who literally saved my life.
For the rest of you. Go to the mountains ready for the worst. Think about your line and get to know your terrain, where are you located. Ride carefully. Never ride alone and wait for each other. But don't wait for each other in the avalanche zone. But wait for each other, don't be egoists.
Ride together, because "Happiness is only real when shared".
I underestimated it and could have payed the highest price for it.
JR
///
Predvčerom 4.4. sme si s kamošmi po prašanovej nádielke užívali pojazdy v celkom známom teréne v okolí Vrátnej. No vďaka nízkej oblačnosti a značnej dezorientácii z eufórie som si neuvedomoval svoju presnú polohu a len si užíval púdrovanie. Predo mnou bol malý bubon, tak som nabral pirel a kvalitne sa odrazil. Približne 2m od bubnu ma čakalo nemilé prekvapenie v podobe prázdnoty. Skalné bralo, o ktorom som si myslel, že už som dávno obišiel. Počas letu sa mi postupne ukazoval dopad v protisvahu a odlomený skalný blok na ktorý som smeroval. Očami som skalu tlačil nabok a nejakým zázrakom sa mi podarilo dopadnúť rovno vedľa nej do prašanového záveja. To mi zachránilo kosti, no zarazil som sa hlavou tak hlboko, že nebolo možné vyhrabať sa von. Jeden z kolegov sledoval moju stopu a vďaka tomu, že mal nižšiu rýchlosť spadol do dopadu, kde bol aj tak po takom páde cez minútu mimo. Neviem koľko som bol pod snehom, no vraj ma vykopávali cez 5 minút. Čas mi plynul iným tempom.
Hlavne by som chcel poďakovať každému, kto chodí na hory s tými pár kilami výbavy naviac. Si človek, ktorému nie je ľahostajný život kamaráta, ale aj neznámeho horala. Ďakujem osudu za to, že som dopadol presne tam kam som dopadol. Bolo to to najvhodnejšie miesto v rádiuse 2m od miesta kde ma vykopali. A obrovská vďaka patrí mojím kamarátom doslova za záchranu života.
Pre ostatných. Choďte do hôr pripravený na najhoršie. Premyslite si svoju líniu a spoznajte terén, v ktorom sa pohybujete. Jazdite opatrne. Nejazdite nikdy samy a čakajte sa. Ak idete žľab, čakajte sa mimo laviniska, pod skalami. Ale čakajte sa a nebuďte egoisti.
"Happiness is only real when shared" Ja som to podcenil a mohol som kruto na to dopaltiť.
JR
Video click here!
