Avalanches in back-country

In a recent French newspaper article, Anselme Baud, one of the extreme skiing pioneers, was up in arms about the reckless risks taken by folks who venture out of bounds in total disregard of visible avalanche danger. It's not just visitors who may be pressed by a tight schedule or a need to pack as much adrenaline in a limited window of time who don't always pay attention to the conditions, but too often, well informed, mature locals who believe they're to smart to be caught by the slide they'll trigger. He certainly does not accept the fatalistic notion that these tragic accidents are totally the mountain's fault. For everyone's benefit, he's offering his minimal rules of safety:

1.After analyzing potential risks, be ready to pick a line that may fall short of looking great. Also, never hesitate to put off the ascent/descent for some later date.
2.Before starting a climb, and especially launching a downhill into an untracked slope, never count too much on your beacon, shovel, probe or avalanche airbag system, and that help might come get you.
3.Always leave enough space between skiers while climbing, descending and always wait for the first member of the party to signal it's okay to go.
4.In case of uncertainty, always spot an area where you can safely escape from a slide.
5.Always expect, anticipate and visualize what would happen if a fall or a slide occurred, whether started by the skier or others.
6.In the event of a slide pole and traverse quickly out of its path.
7.Always ski down with tracks forming thin toothed strips, like that of a comb, in tight radius turns, each skier sticking to the preceding tracks...

If you really want your back-country fun to be long-lasting, keep these tips in mind and always put them in practice...