Avalanche Safety

Resources to learn that safety’s first, nature’s second, fun’s third

Avalanche Checklist

5 Red Flags of the Backcountry

7 Terrain Tips for the backcountry

Avalanche Safety Introduction

BE SAFE FOR YOURSELF & FELLOW RIDERS

Backcountry skiing or split boarding is your gateway into a whole new adventure and sporting experience. You will now have access to untracked skiing and terrain that is almost unheard of in resort skiing. With this comes a responsibility to yourself, your family, your touring buddies, and the the rescue community to do things right.

Wow, that sounds kinda intimidating huh? Well it need not be. If you take the time to learn the skills to tour efficiently and safely you can look forward to a lifetime of fun and adventure. Is it completely safe? No, but there are hundreds of thousands of backcountry trips conducted every year and only an extremely small percentage result in mishap. Most of those mishaps are preventable. But any mishap can be serious and you will want to learn how to avoid them..

Avalanche Checklist

BEFORE YOUR TRIP

TAKE AN AVALANCHE COURSE

LEARN TO USE YOUR LOCAL AVALANCHE ADVISORY

WATCH FOR THE 5 RED FLAGS OF THE BACKCOUNTRY

KEEP YOUR TERRAIN SELECTION IN LINE WITH YOUR FORECASTING ABILITY

BE AWARE OF WHERE YOUR CRITICAL DECISION POINTS ARE

MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON ACTUAL CONDITIONS, NOT WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE

BE PATIENT, THE MOUNTAINS AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE!

5 Red Flags of the Backcountry

These rules of thumb provide you with indicators of snow-pack instability or increased avalanche hazard. Whenever you see one, or many, of the signs you need to take care to adjust your travel plans to account for this danger. Sometimes that means picking a different route, sometimes it means turning around.

SIGNIFICANT 24 HOUR SNOWFALL

Most human triggered avalanches occur within 24 hours of a snowfall. What is ‘significant’? Could be as little as 3″ or 4”.

Natural Avalanche Safety

If you see natural activity, it’s a sure bet you could also trigger avalanches on similar slopes.

Wind

Wind piles snow onto slopes creating dangerous slabs. If you see ‘plumes’ of snow coming off peaks or ridges, leeward slopes are likely loaded and primed for avalanche.

Collapsing Snow or Shooting Cracks

If you hear a “whumfing” sound when stepping onto a slope or meadow, this is a serious red flag for avalanche hazard. Similarly if you start onto a slope and see a shooting crack propogate from your skis or board, that slope is also primed to slide.