Avalanche Cord
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{{Short description, Locating device for people who have been buried by an avalanche An avalanche cord (german: Lawinenschnur) is an old form of person locating device designed to enable people who have been buried by an
avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
to be rapidly located and rescued.


Function

An avalanche cord is 20-25 metres long and about 3.5 mm thick. It is usually made of red cotton with direction arrows positioned at metre intervals, each with the length marked in metres, and 10 cm long loops. It is wound into a ball. The ski mountaineer or climber ties the loop with the 1-metre mark (arrow against himself) around his waist. If there is a risk of avalanches he throws the ball out and pulls the avalanche cord along the snow behind him. If he is buried by an avalanche, there is a relatively good chance that part of the avalanche cord will be visible on top of the avalanche slide, thanks to its length. Rescuers can determine from the direction arrows, in which direction and how many metres they must dig and are then able to follow the cord to the victim.


History

The avalanche cord was part of the personal mountaineering equipment of the Austro-Hungarian
Alpine companies The Alpine companies (german: Hochgebirgskompanien) were specialized mountain infantry troops that were part of the Austro-Hungarian land forces during the First World War. History Because normal forces could not be employed on reconnaissance ...
in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. They were prescribed around 1915 for the Austrian mountain troops in the war in the mountains. Thanks to more recent developments such as avalanche transceivers the classic avalanche cord is rarely used today. The functional principle of the avalanche cord continues to be used and developed, however, in the
avalanche ball An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
.


See also

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Avalanche rescue Avalanche rescue involves locating and retrieving people who have been buried in avalanches. Prevention There are several ways to prevent avalanches and lessen their power and destruction. They are employed in areas where avalanches pose ...


External links


''Avalanche cords make a come-back''
Mountain rescue Mountaineering equipment Ski mountaineering Rescue equipment