Originally Posted by wtp
Because people down here are stupid.
Unless they transplanted from somewhere with a "real" snowpack, the vast majority of people here in Sofoul have no conept of avalanche safety. When I tell people that I have taken an avalanche class, or bring my avi gear for front country stuff, I get looks from folks like I have lobsters crawling out of my ears.
Slides are pretty rare here (hell, so is natural snow most years), and there is not much of a backcountry "scene", so the ignorance-is-bliss mentality is very common.