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[pct-l] Self Arrests



Use your feet in a self arrest, unless you have crampons on and than used
your knees.

YOUR BACK SHOULD BE ARCHED IN A SELF ARREST; YOUR BELLY SHOULD NOT BE EVEN
BE CLOSE TO THE SNOW.   The arch in your back drives the ace ax into the
snow and your feet into the snow.  In soft snow, you need your feet to stop
you as well as the ice ax - this becomes real obvious in steep and soft
snow, you often use mostly your feet.  If you wait too long to put the
arrest in (no time to consider options), or apply it too fast than you can
cartwheel.  You need to practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A common arror is to hold the ax too far above the chest.   This results in
having the ax pulled above the head and subsequently ripped out of your
hands.  Keep the ax diagonally across the middle of the chest, the top hand
just above the shoulder, the bottom hand at your side.

Joanne

----------
> From: Bighummel@aol.com
> To: CMountainDave@aol.com; AT1996@aol.com; pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Self Arrests
> Date: Sunday, January 07, 2001 8:53 PM
> 
> CMountainDave writes:
> 
> << Aggresively kicking into the snow with your feet at 
>  the same time also helps to stop you.  >>
> 
> DON'T DO THIS UNLESS IT IS YOUR LAST CHOICE AND NOTHING ELSE HAS
WORKED!!!  
> If you feet catch while blasting down a slope feet first guess what will 
> happen?  That's right, you'll cartwheel head over heels causing broken
bones, 
> death, or worse!!  It has to be real slushy for this to work.
> 
> Greg "Strider" Hummel
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