Avi Gear in summer?

I like Scotsman's take depending on the objective, and I've had the same conversation with partners as Jonathan...

Like I mentioned, I always bring mine.... in case I'm wrong. One concern I've had is larger natural slides with a longer run-out, perhaps started from icefall. So in this event, beacons would be essential....

Speaking of the Coleman/Demming route on Baker and summer avalanches.... I had my first trip to the N Cascades last weekend (7/8/12) skiing the summit of Baker on this route (you N Cascadians are spoiled). Sometime Sunday morning when we were approaching the Roman Wall I looked back and a large avalanche released off Colfax Peak and covered quite a bit of ground stopping short of the bootpack highway. I can't help but ask myself could it had been bigger. We stopped for a photo on the ski out....

Speaking of the Coleman/Demming route on Baker and summer avalanches....  I had my first trip to the N Cascades last weekend (7/8/12) skiing the summit of Baker on this route (you N Cascadians are spoiled). Sometime Sunday morning when we were approaching the Roman Wall I looked back and a large avalanche released off Colfax Peak and covered quite a bit of ground stopping short of the bootpack highway. I can't help but ask myself could it had been bigger. We stopped for a photo on the ski out....

That slide path looked clean when we arrived at Heliotrope Ridge on Friday afternoon. A big slide came down shortly before sunset. I remember noticing it and saying, "I don't remember that before." I looked at pictures taken earlier in the day and it wasn't there.

I think those slides are mostly icefalls. To my eye, those ice cliffs below Colfax Peak are looking very spooky--especially the cliffs at looker's left, which were relatively quiet over the weekend. I recommend not pausing anywhere in that area. I'm pretty sure people have been caught there before when icefalls crossed the climbing route--much further than you'd expect. Generally you don't survive that sort of avalanche.

On the subject of this thread, I generally don't bring a beacon in late spring and summer. What Pete_H said....