Top Ten Avalanche Tips

[PNWbrit]

Copied from Bruce Tremper - http://www.couloirmag.com/articles/avy/tremper_series/tentips.asp

1) Remember that avalanche classes, books and videos are only the very first step. The mountains have to teach you the rest. The average avalanche victim is very skilled in their sport but their avalanche skills almost always lag seriously behind. Most people not only overestimate their avalanche skills but they vastly overestimate them. How much time have you spent developing your skiing skills? How much on avalanche skills? See what I mean?

2) Call the local avalanche bulletin. Talk to a local ski patrol.


3) Look for all the Indian Signs.
• The best sign of avalanches are other avalanches
• Collapsing and cracking of the snowpack
• Recent heavy loading of new or especially wind-loaded snow
• Rain on new snow or rapid warming of cold dry snow.


4) Continually do active tests. Push a ski pole into the snow, cut out small blocks with your mitten and pull on them, jump on test slopes, trundle cornices.


5) If you know how, dig a snowpit in several representative spots. Do compression tests and Rutschblock tests. (Shovel shear tests don’t work very well.) And NEVER base your entire stability evaluation on just one snowpit test.


6) Practice safe travel techniques, one at a time, get out of the way at the bottom, have an escape route planned, spoon in your tracks, do ski cuts, etc.


7) See a therapist. Character flaws might provide your friends with good gossip but in the mountains they will kill you. Almost all accidents involve the human factor. Ego, pride, stubbornness, euphoria, goal blindness, haste, anger, the list goes on and on (See Couloir IX-2) Staying alive in the mountains means making decisions based on facts and not on emotions.

8) Just in case the above tips don’t work, carry rescue equipment, beacon, shovel, collapsible probe. (Screw together ski pole probes don’t work very well and they are the first things you’ll loose in an avalanche.)


9) You need to swim hard in avalanche debris to stay on the surface. You can’t swim with things attached to your feet and hands. Never wear safety straps or pole straps. Always wear releasable bindings. Rig up snowboard bindings with a ripcord so you can get out of them in a hurry.

10) Remember, you can never push the safety arrow to 100%, but by doing all of the above, you can get close. Take comfort in the fact that the old saying “All the avalanche experts are dead,” is absolutely not true, never has been true. In fact, 99 percent of the ones I know have spent half their lives in dangerous avalanche terrain and they’re still very much alive.

[AltaPowderDaze]

thanks for adding pnwbritt. that's good information to have. i hope this forum catches on and more people participate. with all the knowledge on the board this could be a great opportunity to learn and educate.

Edit: heres another link out of colorado.

[PNWbrit]

No problem - why aren't you out somewhere?

I'm stuck here kicking the dog with frustration as our promised storm vanishes again!

[AltaPowderDaze]

high winds today and i had a feeling that the road would close. it did. plus i felt like typing a little today as you can see in this forum. i will be in the resort all day tomorrow and bc after this avy cycle is over. hope you guys get some snow up there soon.

[Moship192]

Bump for Tahoe/Washington mags and anyone else getting hit with snow. Good basic tips in here. Hope we can get more use out of the slide forum, seems kind of overlooked for how much instability we've had this year.

[DropCliffsNotBombs]

The best tip I can give is to "HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE" incase the slope starts moving. Reacting immediately (and darting into a safe zone) will save your ass quicker than giving up, kicking your skis off, and swimming!

[KungFu Eddie]

11. Always carry a herring in your pocket so the CARWA (Canadian Avalanche Rescue Walrus Associtation) team will find you quicker.


But seriously, good info, stay safe.

[bigtrubs]

much appreciated, will keep all this at the forefront of my mind every time I'm going b/c.

[ski_adk]

How the hell did a walrus get to the top of Lake Louise?

[Dhelihiker]

7) See a therapist. Character flaws might provide your friends with good gossip but in the mountains they will kill you. Almost all accidents involve the human factor. Ego, pride, stubbornness, euphoria, goal blindness, haste, anger, the list goes on and on (See Couloir IX-2) Staying alive in the mountains means making decisions based on facts and not on emotions.

Seems to be the thing I worry most about- The know it all factor

Its tough too, If a friend insists upon skiing something even after youve expressed that it is stupid. What do you do? Your not "the boss" yet you are the one who has to deal withy the tramatic experience if something does happen.

I should start carrying a release of liability form

[vtdownhiller]

My favorite word...ASPANGULATION.... know your aspect... know your angle.... know your elevation

[KungFu Eddie]

How the hell did a walrus get to the top of Lake Louise?

We heli dropped it. It lives at Paradise top but has been know to swim in the slush puddle at the base area in the spring. He can be saddled up and ridden into dangerous terrain. It also feeds on gapers.