Avy Ops Level 1

[shafty85]

Taking a course in avalanches this February and looking for some advice. Any videos or tips you can provide on snow pits and snow profiles? I'm looking to refine my skills and looking to the more skilled and experienced. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

[BCMtnHound]

I'm going for a re-cert of my AST2 in the second week in Jan. A bit below the Ops Lv1 but any online resources I receive, or yearly tidbits that come up I can forward when I get back from the hut.

[mfa81]

read some books bruce tremper's books, snow sense and avalanche handbook

avalanche handbook is the more advanced and difficult to understand so would be my last read!

snow sense is pretty easy and bruce tremper is also very good and easy to understand

[shafty85]

Thanks, BC and mfa81. I've read them both, thanks - and yeah, the avi handbook is definitely the more difficult read. But, I'm more looking for hints and tips for how to dig a pit better, faster, with better results, etc and the same thing for analyzing the profile. I think I understand the theory and concepts, it's putting those into proper, efficient, practice that I'm hoping to learn about.

[garyfromterrace]

Probably something on you tube out there... but anyway dig a bunch of practice pits (like shitloads) including all your weather obs in the OGRES format. Getting a really good feel for what the different densities of the profile are (difference between fist and 4F for instance). Make sure you orient the pit properly (considering the sun etc).

[SDW]

ASARC has good stuff on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/search?q=asarc

[neck beard]

You can now get a pdf of the OGRS from the new CAA website www.avalancheassociation.ca

Recommend a 35cm saw. The G3 saw has a broad blade = easier clean cuts.

And a shovel with a flat blade, like one of the BCA models, or G3 is ok. Not a rounded blade.

Gloves you can easily write with.

Pants or jacket with very easily accessible pockets (not street pockets under backpack hip belt). If your notebook etc are not easy to access, you won't make regular field obs. Thermometer, loup and screen in one thigh pocket. Ruler and notebook in the other. Let your screen cool down before sticking it in the snow. Duct tape a loop of string with a sliding clasp to your thermometer to hang it off a ski tip. Make a pencil holder on your notebook with some duct tape.

Practice multiple burial according to the exam specs in advance, I've seen people fail that.

Have fun! It isn't a science rocket. Its just snow. Observe what you see and record it to the standard. Be neat and efficient.

[srface_hoar]

I would also recommend picking up a S.W.A.G (Snow, Weather and Avalanche Observational Guidelines) manual. This will be the basis for all of your documentation.

[SDW]

I would also recommend picking up a S.W.A.G (Snow, Weather and Avalanche Observational Guidelines) manual. This will be the basis for all of your documentation.

Not for an AST2

[cmcrawfo]

Not for an AST2

Avy ops 1 is not AST2, but thanks for sharing.

[SDW]

Avy ops 1 is not AST2, but thanks for sharing.

You're right - I was looking at the 2nd post by mistake. My point still stands; OGRS not SWAG.

[TBS]

Avalanche Guys at GNFAC have some good how-to vids on YouTube

[neck beard]

I would also recommend picking up a S.W.A.G (Snow, Weather and Avalanche Observational Guidelines) manual. This will be the basis for all of your documentation.

Only in the US, but not if he is doing Avalanche Operations 1 in Canada (which I understood was the case).

[Schemeboat]

Like another poster said, its key to have your tools handy, or you wont take regular obs. I like a chest pouch, everything right there, including notebook.
Popsicle sticks to mark your layers in a full profile, which is a tough component of the exam.
3 pairs of gloves, gloves for digging, gloves for obs/pits and a spare set for when yours get wet
Nail your multi burial, thats about the only thing worth practicing before the course. Everything else is structured.
And sleep well, it can be a long week.

[shafty85]

Only in the US, but not if he is doing Avalanche Operations 1 in Canada (which I understood was the case).

Correct - it is a course in Canuckistan.

Like another poster said, its key to have your tools handy, or you wont take regular obs. I like a chest pouch, everything right there, including notebook.
Popsicle sticks to mark your layers in a full profile, which is a tough component of the exam.
3 pairs of gloves, gloves for digging, gloves for obs/pits and a spare set for when yours get wet
Nail your multi burial, thats about the only thing worth practicing before the course. Everything else is structured.
And sleep well, it can be a long week.

Yeah - I think the chest harness is a great suggestion. As has been said - it keeps things really accessible and also is less stuff to carry in my pack and, given the delicate nature of some of the instruments, I like it.

Good call on the gloves - I got absolutely soaked today digging a pit up at Mt Cain. I'm trying to dig a pit every time I go out to try and better my skills for walls being perfectly vertical and smooth, corners sharp and 90deg and basic layer identification. DEFINITELY struggling with identifying crystal structures (it's been really warm here, so I'm seeing a lot of melted forms and not much else). In terms of keeping tools handy DURING the profile - I believe I read, in one of the manuals provided, that they mention building a shelf in the pit for keeping tools accessible; any suggestion/clue as to where this shelf should be situated so as to not be too intrusive for the profiling and testing? Or, did my brain completely make that up?

Will be practicing multiple burial scenarios both at local parks and in the snow in the coming weeks to sharpen those skills (2 positive strikes in under 5min will require having my A-game). I find it odd they provide the field book AT the course (at least, I didn't receive it beforehand) rather than beforehand and allow us to use them and gain familiarity with them. I'm just using a generic rite-in-the-rain pad for recording my current practices. Do they prefer to see recordings using the line and bar chart (showing snow temps and harness in a graph form, which I like but I am finding difficult on a generic rite-in-the-rain booklet) or the row/column data recording?

Any other hints/ suggestions are more than welcome and thanks for all of those that have already been provided! I love studying snow and there are never enough people interested in the science around these parts for me to have many/any good partners to train/learn with/from. Thanks again!

[neck beard]

You can probabaly buy the feild book at MEC http://www.mec.ca/product/5024-649/c...10+50006+50010

And if you continue to apply your training to keep your obs skills sharp, you'll want a second book anyway.

Note on chest harness bag things: they get hot on warm days, and can be a bit uncomfortable. Personal preferences. Try for a jacket with huge above the belt pockets, and pants with big thigh pockets. Chest harness is cheaper than new clothes though.

In terms of keeping tools handy DURING the profile - I believe I read, in one of the manuals provided, that they mention building a shelf in the pit for keeping tools accessible; any suggestion/clue as to where this shelf should be situated so as to not be too intrusive for the profiling and testing?

If you have nice long sidewalls, use the shaded one so your stuff is near your obs wall. Or use the sunny sidewall if you want to preserve your shaded wall space... but then your tools are always behind you. If it is windy, keep your loup in your pocket or you'll get 3mm of windslab on the lense every time you put it down. Annoying.

ID'ing crystals: just look and describe what you see. That plain-English description of shape will usually lead to an obvious ID without needing to over think it. "Looks like mostly angular flat sided square crystals... might be facets" or "looks like large arrow-head or triangular flat crystals mixed in with bits of snowflakes... might be SH and DF". Also, focus on the major obvious layers with meaningful differences in hardness or crystal size, don't get too detailed.