Avalanche Scenario:
If you and one other skiier narrowly missed an avalanche by ducking into a small nook in the side of a mountain, and there was no way out due to the ice being too compact, and all you had was melatonin, a gun, and a cell phone..maybe chewing gum but that's about it..

You call using your cell phone, and they are able to locate you, however, a blizzard has started, and as you listen to the explanation over the phone, it is apparently unsafe to send out helicopters for you right now. You are able to give an estimation of the space in the nook, and the person on the other end tells you something pretty godawful: There is not enough oxygen for either of you to survive. You will both be dead just from lack of air, by the time the blizzard is expected to clear, if the cold doesn't get you first.

Being clever and whatnot, you remember something about metabolism slowing down, and mention to the guy that you have a heckuvalot of melatonin pills in your jacket, which you were using originally cause you get plane-sick.

He says it might help only one of you survive. You explain the situation to the guy that is with you. He grabs the bottle, eats a bunch of pills, you're not really sure how many, and seems to be sleeping now.

The nook can only support one of you. You have a gun. It is loaded. What do you do & why?

I wouldn't shoot the other guy (even though that was the first thing tha popped into my head). Perhaps you could shoot the ice and make a hole with the bullet which you could start peeling and picking at and make bigger until you are able to get out or at least get an airhole.

I wouldn't shoot myself either...I can't bear the thought of suicide Dx

X3 I hadn't thought of that! XD I'm not sure how a gun effects snow, though if it is solid ice it would prolly help shatter it a bit, but I think with snow it doesn't do enough because the hole that the bullet makes just kinda re-crumbles due to the weight of the snow above and the inside of the tunnel the bullet made not being hard enough?

My first reaction was to shoot the other guy too... Because, man, what a jerk! But, I think Orange has a better idea. :)

*nod nod* X3 I would be very hard pressed not to shoot him too. XD >.>' Actually I'd prolly have shot him cause in the instant he just grabbed the pills and ate a ton he kinda decided against you surviving and kinda expected you to be nice and go lay down n die for him or something. x.o'

But then again it could be he kinda misunderstood while you were explaining or something and he didn't get that not both could get out of it even sleeping. x_x' I dunno.

Originally Posted by ScarletStratholme

X3 I hadn't thought of that! XD I'm not sure how a gun effects snow, though if it is solid ice it would prolly help shatter it a bit, but I think with snow it doesn't do enough because the hole that the bullet makes just kinda re-crumbles due to the weight of the snow above and the inside of the tunnel the bullet made not being hard enough?

Yes...but breaking through the layer of ice or whatever to get to the crumbly snow is the whole point! You could use your gun to hit at the ice and scratch it till it broke through ^___^
and then use your hands to shovel your way to the top!
but then you'd have the blizzard to deal with...hmm...

and about the guy just deciding against you by grabbing the pills...I took that as him misunderstanding and thinking that we'd both take pills and go to sleep and then live that way.

I'm with Orange on this one, I wouldn't have it in me to kill the other guy or kill myself. And considering he's already taken the initiative to fall asleep.. I'd probably try and dig out by using the gun as a kind of shovel/ice-pick thing.

I can only hope something like that /doesn't/ happen to me, I'm terrible in survival situations.

Yeah, true true.

I think making an airhole and remaking that airhole would be good, but maybe not walking out in the blizzard. x_x' Cause I mean..that'd mean you would have to make a really big hole, PLUS maybe drag that sleeping guy out. >.o' Through tons of snow. Eep!

well, I'm not quite sure if this would work or not, but its the first thing that came to mind. I would basically dig a smal hole in the ground. Tehn take a bullet from the gun, shoot the bullet, which would hopefully start a fire from the gunpowder. Find some way to use teh fire to melt the ice over the door. Then I would simply crawl out, and drag my comrad out with me. That is if one bullet didnt ricoshe off the othre and kill one of us.

Random thought, but did that guy just OD on the melatonin and kill us both? lol.

Well, if in a situation like this I would probably grow pretty short-tempered and slam the guys head against ice if the snow had a layer formed due to the compression and low temperature in hopes of at least cracking it. What can I say, the prick stole my pills so that he could maybe live a hour or so longer and that would piss me off pretty well. After that, I'd probably fire a couple of shots into the snow in hoped of loosening it up somewhat so I could start perhaps digging a inclined tunnel going upward or at least getting enough air in to survive. I'd definitely make sure my hands wouldn't become cold or anything since I would probably wrap them pretty well with clothing. Sure I might die from the tunnel caving in, but I'm sure it would be better than sitting there and delivering myself to death on a silver platter.

It would depend on the guy. If he had more to live for, I'd take my life. ^^