Fall on Beacon Practice

Waiting for the first significant snow to fall that assembles a decent snowpack can get me antsy, so what do you do to combat this, besides all the chores that I put off this Summer?
Take a break from all the leftover chores and sharpen beacon locating skills.
Or get together with some of your ski buddies to watch a game, start talking the avy talk (snow conditions, examples of situations that made you feel in the wrong place) to get a good scenario or team plan, so there is some protocol if something unfortunate happens.

Fall leaves provide the perfect ground cover to place beacons and work on single, multiple scenarios. The nice benefit of leaves is that it virtually (leaves-ha-ha) no trace of where you hid them, like footprints do in the snowpack.
Like hide and seek, place the beacon(s) in a baggy under some leaves and then give the scenario to the searcher, like avalanche start zone and path of travel and send your searcher off and searching!
More advanced group version: Choose the team leader, set the scenario that the leader is taken out. So others have to choose a leader and decide a plan of action.

It takes away from the probing part, but as they say in real estate, "Location, Location, Location!"

Just sharing a thought and hope all no matter how your means of travel, have a safe and glorious season!
Joe

Good idea Joe! And unlike skiing, I can do this on crutches  : . . . so when are we all meeting for the game, tale-telling and beacon search? I'll bring cookies. 

I'd love to partake in the activities, and think if each beacon has a batch of home-made cookies burried with it we'd be proficient in no time. Is tomorrow (11/ too soon? What location do you have in mind for a meeting point? Thanks,

Brad

. . . so when are we all meeting for the game, tale-telling and beacon search? I'll bring cookies. 

I'd love to partake in the activities, and think if each beacon has a batch of home-made cookies burried with it we'd be proficient in no time. Is tomorrow (11/ too soon? What location do you have in mind for a meeting point? Thanks,

Brad

Looks like we are gaining momentum in this program!
Teleskichica's homemade cookies are a plus!
Great idea Brad on the prize stashes.
Scotsman's incentive if I die in an avalanche is that he can have my quiver of skis,
Hope he never gets them.
As a matter of fact there are several cookie makers in the TAY family, Mad Dog's cookies are awesome. And several nice cookies at the Slush Cup post party.
I have plenty of leaves and terrain in my location, but Greenwater is a little distance for many when there is no snow? And no game, no TV reception at Joedabaker's pad.

Oh ya, I have a new beacon I need to test!

And no game, no TV reception at Joedabaker's pad.

Aww, we'd rather watch teleflicks anyhow! 

I'm changing my beacon batteries and headed to the kitchen, but however this turns out, I still can't drive.  :'( And there are no leaves here, so I'm at the mercy of carpooling . . .
BTW--I think Jeanette makes THE BEST banana bread. (hint, hint)

Excellent post Joe as you have now given me the perfect excuse for not raking up the leaves in the yard that Mrs. Scotsman keeps nagging me about.

My reply now is" It's a safety issue daaarling, I need to leaves for beacon practise! "

Can we all use your hot-tub after beacon practise? Name the day, I'll come!