Avalanche cord
An avalanche cord was used as a locator to help find and rescue people buried by an avalanche more quickly.
It was part of the accessories for ski tourers until the 1980s and was then replaced by technical solutions such as avalanche transceivers .
functionality
The aim of the avalanche cord was to get to the victim faster. In contrast to the avalanche airbag , the avalanche cord could not influence the burial of an avalanche victim.
An avalanche cord was 20-25 m long, approx. 3.5 mm thick, mostly made of red cotton, with an arrow indicating the meter after every meter and a 10 cm long loop. She was wound in a ball . The ski tourer or mountaineer has tied the loop with the meter indication 1 (direction arrow facing him) around his stomach. When there was a danger of an avalanche or an avalanche, he threw the ball away from him and pulled the avalanche cord behind him. Because of its long length, there was a relatively high probability that part of the avalanche cord was visible on the avalanche cone. Rescuers could use the directional arrows to see in which direction and how many meters they had to shovel to get to the victim.
history
The avalanche cord was part of the personal mountain equipment of the high mountain companies . It was prescribed by the Austrian mountain troops in the mountain war around 1915 . Today, an avalanche probe , an avalanche shovel and an avalanche transceiver are the recommended basic equipment for ski tourers.
The functional principle of the avalanche cord was further developed with the avalanche ball .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Off to the mountains - tips for ski tourers , German Ski Association , April 2, 2014