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AvaLife - Systematics for avalanche rescue

Emergency plan for managing various avalanche accidents by Manuel Gensein

by Tobias Kurzeder 01/15/2014
In the event of an avalanche accident, there are many things to consider and do at the same time. Time is usually the deciding factor between life and death for those buried, but resources are almost always scarce. It's good to know what to do and in what order in such bad situations.

In the event of an avalanche accident, there are lots of things to consider and do at the same time. The time factor usually determines the life or death of the buried victims, but resources are almost always scarce. It's good to know what to do and in what order in such nasty situations. Swiss avalanche rescue expert Manuel Genswein has developed nothing less than an exemplary system for avalanche accident management based on his decades of experience as a trainer of avalanche rescuers. The AvaLife system provides a clear, albeit somewhat complex, overview of what to do in an avalanche emergency. AvaLife offers the great advantage of providing a system of procedures for almost every avalanche accident scenario. The AvaLife overview is particularly useful for all those who are regularly in the backcountry with groups, which increases the risk of being confronted at some point with a complex avalanche accident with several people buried. If only a single winter sports enthusiast is buried by an avalanche, the sequence of what to do and in what order is usually clear. However, as soon as several or even many people are buried, it is almost impossible to take all the necessary rescue steps at the same time. This problem arises because there are usually not enough well-trained rescuers available for companion rescues. AvaLife can be downloaded in printable resolution here.
Priorities and basic procedures in companion rescue (Part 1)
Priorities and basic procedures in companion rescue (Part 2)
We recommend printing and laminating AvaLive and then putting it in your backpack - and leaving it there But beware: AvaLife, just like avalanche accidents in real life, is too complex to simply start searching in an emergency without being trained. But if you go through a (practice) emergency several times using this system, you can fall back on it in the first case and should be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Hopefully you will never have to use AvaLife! AvaLife will be developed and optimized on a regular basis. As soon as a new version is available, you can download it here

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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