Check out this impressive footage of avalanches released with explosives dropped from a helicopter.
Ajax on Vimeo
Ajax on Vimeo
Unexploded ordinance and the 105..........................oh my goodness stories starting popping to the surface. Yes, as you know every shot is documented and every effort is made - safely - to retrieve duds. When I attended National Avalanche School one of the instructors - from Utah and Cottonwood Canyon, Foy - told a great story about "helpful" backcountry travelers. The hero in the story is our USFS avalanche forecaster. Among his duties was overseeing the firing of artillery from the fixed positions onto USFS public lands. During the winter he lived in housing at the USFS ranger station. He said there was nothing like getting up early in the morning, carrying the mug of hot coffee outside to retrieve the newspaper, and almost stepping on an unexploded 105 round that someone has picked up, carried out in their backpack, and dropped off at the ranger station.Foy said:I suppose the helicopter dropped a timed-delay charge then stood off for the countdown. To be sure there are some sort of procedures to locate the satchel in the event of a dud. Otherwise there'd be UXO in the hills and even in the valleys if subsequent natural avalanches or man-made ones brought down the dud.
I like seeing the military 105 mm recoilless rifles fired from fixed positions at some of the Utah ski mountains. Well, one never saw them in action, but you'd sure hear them between around first light following an overnight powder dump.
Foy
Fixed it for youLuckyDan said:Always liked the general party atmosphere of inter mountain Colorado. Cool place Telluride. Unfortunately I don't have enough MONEY to live there.
Thanks for sharing!
Well yeah there's the money part too. Forgot about that!Cayuse said:Fixed it for you
Idaho uses helicopters to do some of their control. Snow science is pretty interesting stuff.
Foy said:I suppose the helicopter dropped a timed-delay charge then stood off for the countdown. To be sure there are some sort of procedures to locate the satchel in the event of a dud. Otherwise there'd be UXO in the hills and even in the valleys if subsequent natural avalanches or man-made ones brought down the dud.
I like seeing the military 105 mm recoilless rifles fired from fixed positions at some of the Utah ski mountains. Well, one never saw them in action, but you'd sure hear them between around first light following an overnight powder dump.
Foy