Avalanche Education Calendar - FOBP

[Pinner]

Avalanche Awareness Training


Halsted Morris, formerly the Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s Chief Instructor, and one of the most respected and experienced avalanche educators in North America, will provide backcountry travelers with an overview of avalanche awareness, avoidance, rescue and forecasting methods and skills. Topics such as route selection, hazard minimization, best practices, preparedness and terrain analysis will be covered in a three-hour classroom presentation. On-snow sessions at Berthoud Pass will follow in January 2007.


Wed. Oct 18 Winter Park The Pub

Tue. Oct 24 Denver Messiah Baptist Church

Thu. Oct 26 Boulder CU Earth Sciences Building

Tue. Nov 14 Denver Messiah Baptist Church

Thu. Nov 16 Boulder CU Earth Sciences Building

Tue. Dec 5 Breckenridge Independence Ballroom

Thu. Dec 7 Winter Park The Pub



CU-Boulder Benson Earth Sciences Building #180
(across from Folsom Stadium on Colorado Ave.)

Denver Messiah Baptist Church 3241 W 44th Ave, Denver
(corner of 44th St and Irving Ave.)

Main Street Station Independence Ballroom, 505 S. Main Street, Breckenridge
(at the base of Peak 9 on historic Main Street)

Winter Park Pub, US HWY 40, Winter Park
(at the edge of town)


All sessions are free of charge and open to the public. Please be on time, we start promptly at 7:00pm and run until approximately 10:00pm. For parking information, course specifics or other questions, please contact us at:

fobp_info@yahoo.com or www.berthoudpass.org

[Hacksaw]

Let's see a show of hands of who's going to be there Tuesday night....

[gretch6364]

Will there be any certification with this class???

[taz]

if I was down there and not in canada then I'd go so this time around I'll be there in spirit.

[iskibc]

Let's see a show of hands of who's going to be there Tuesday night....

Barring work doesn't suck me in like it did tonight, I'll be there.

[Hacksaw]

Will there be any certification with this class???

No. Since you wouldn't be taking a writen or pratical skills test at the end of my presentation, there is no "certification."

This brings up a very good question. Here in the USA we actually don't issue
"certifications" (like being in EMT school, or accounting school for that matter). Because, most American avanche courses/schools don't require the student to pass an actual writen exam or pratical skills assesment. Personally, I wish we did have exams and pratical skills exams.

People throw around all the time that "their certified in avalanche." Ask them where and who did the certifing....????

Most people who are looking for "certification," need somesort of proof that they have done contintuing education hours or course work that's job related. The only paper that I have ever issued in 7 seasons working for the CAIC, was a "certificate of completion." Which basiclly means, you showed up for the class. But, it doesn't mean your passed any actual exams. It only proved you attended the class.

So, should you show up for the presentation on Tuesday or Thursday nights? YES, it will be well worth your time and effort. New avalanche education material and or a good review can't hurt anyone.

Cheers,
Halsted Morris

[HikeforTurns]

Anyway we could get a little summary/review of the class? I am out of town, but hope to make one of the upcoming dates.

[Below Zero]

Anyway we could get a little summary/review of the class? I am out of town, but hope to make one of the upcoming dates.

Summary: Avalanche Types, Smart Backcountry Travel, Snow Composition, Stability Tests, Hazard Evaluation, Rescue, Equipment, etc.

[Below Zero]

Hey Hacksaw. I looked through Snow Sense and Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain last night, looking for the "5 Lemons". Could you please post those again. Thanks.

Oh by the way - great presentation. Your slide show is much improved this year! Thumbs up! Thank You!

[Hacksaw]

Hey Hacksaw. I looked through Snow Sense and Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain last night, looking for the "5 Lemons". Could you please post those again. Thanks.

Oh by the way - great presentation. Your slide show is much improved this year! Thumbs up! Thank You!

OOPS! Wow Sorry, Belowzero.... A friend called and said, "Why haven't you answered Belowzero's question?" Sorry, I tend to zoom over things and forgot to get back to you.... I am very sorry about that.

Any way, the 5 Lemons is not in Snow Sense or Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. The 5 lemons came out in a paper that was presented at the 2004 ISSW, by Ian McCammon and Jurg Schweizer. The title of the paper was: "A Field Method For Identifying Structural Weaknesses in the Snowpack."

The 5 lemons are:

1) You find a weak layer within 1 meter (3.3 feet) of the snowpack surface.

2) There is a hand hardness difference of 1 step between adjacent layers.

3) There is a snow grain size difference of 1 mm or more in the snow layers between adjacent layers.

4) The weak layer thickness, is of 10 cm or less.

5) The weak leayer is made up of persistant snow grain types (i.e., near surface faceted crystals, depth hoar crystals, buried surface hoar crystals).

Does that cover it?
Cheers,
Halsted
PS: Thanks for the kind review of my presentation.

[Below Zero]

Thanks Hacksaw! So you were saying that if you find (3) of the (5) lemons, then that is red flag - correct?

[lemon boy]

Clicky Clicky BZ

[Hacksaw]

Thanks Hacksaw! So you were saying that if you find (3) of the (5) lemons, then that is red flag - correct?

Basicly yes. Check out the link that Lemon Boy posted. I had forgotten that Ian had the paper on his website....

Cheers,
Halsted

[Rednas]

I'm new to Colorado and was thinking of attending one of these free classes since this Colorado snowpack is a little freaky. I have a Canadian Level 1 which is definitely a "certification" course which is being discussed above. The instructors were quite good and have all sorts of certification to be able to teach those courses. What are your certifications and credentials Hacksaw and should I attend one of your courses? Thanks.

[Below Zero]

Hacksaw has a "Badass" certification! - That's all that matters! Just kidding, Rednas. I'll let Hacksaw speak for himself. You should attend a session and sign up as a FOBP member!

Welcome to CO, JONG!

[lemon boy]

Hacksaw do you have some thoughts on the extended column test?

Rednas - Hack was the CAIC avy edukashun director for years and years and YEARS

[telepariah]

The avalanche education systems have evolved differently in US and Canada. Where Canada has a history of creating centrally regulated programs with extensive certification, things have evolved more loosely here. That doesn't mean that somebody in Canada has better qualifications to teach based only on certifications. The Canadian program is great, but there are a lot of excellent instructors here as well, and Hacksaw is one of the most experienced and best.

Because Canada has a more highly regulated program and the US doesn't, it isn't realistic to ask a US-based avalanche pro to justify his or her qualifications against that standard. Suffice it to say that Hacksaw is as professional and experienced an avalanche instructor as we have in Colorado. He is well known and respected in CAA circles. You can do a whole lot worse than to take a course from him.

FOBP is classroom onlyl with no field component. There are some legal issues that would need resolution before FOBP could offer full-fledged field courses. But they have one oft he best instructors around. And it costs nothing to you. I say show up and see what you can learn.

[lemon boy]

FOBP is classroom onlyl with no field component. There are some legal issues that would need resolution before FOBP could offer full-fledged field courses. But they have one oft he best instructors around. And it costs nothing to you. I say show up and see what you can learn.

incorrect. FOBP does do field days. 2 different dates for the last two years.

[telepariah]

Sorry about that. I misspoke. FOBP has conducted field sessions. But Hacksaw is not the field instructor for the FOBP sessions. The whole terrain of permitting is not as straightforward as we would like it to be. So the FOBP field sessions are not formal courses as I understand it.

[Hacksaw]

What are your certifications and credentials Hacksaw and should I attend one of your courses? Thanks.

Well, Knox Williams hired me in 1999 as the education outreach director for the Colorado Avalanche Information center (CAIC). I came up through the ranks from doing lots of winter mountaineering, and then 14 years of ski patrolling at Loveland. I started backcountry skiing in the mid-70's. Any way, I worked for the CAIC for 7 years. While at the CAIC I had over 8,000 students attend courses and presentations. At the end of the 2005-06 season, I decided to "retire." I had grown tired of teaching at the pace I was doing (last season was almost 1,600 students for me) along with all the driving. Now I'm teaching a limited number of classes like the FOBP classroom sessions. I can't teach any field courses at the momment, because I don't have the necessary USFS permits and insurence. Those I hope to have in the future. I'd rather be a private instructor, then a goverment instructor.

When I started with the CAIC, I'd mainly taught ski patrol related avalanche courses. Needless to say, if your teaching for CAIC you get a lot of different groups (non-motorized recreationalists, ski professionals (guide & patrollers), transportation workers, Snowmobilers, media folks, other goverment types, etc....). So, I had to learn fast how to hand and reach each of these groups. But, I had spent a lot of time out in the backcountry so I can related will to all the user groups.

No, I don't have an offical "teaching certificate." But, as you can read there are a number of folks that seem to think I do an above average job of teach avalanche safety. I don't mind being asked about my credentials. Its a reasonable question.

Yes, I think you'd find my presentations interesting and informative. If you've taken a CAA Level 1 you might find that I use a few things from the CAA. Its never a bad idea to get a little early season avalanche review.

Cheers,
Halsted "Hacksaw" Morris

[Hacksaw]

Hacksaw do you have some thoughts on the extended column test?

I'm going to try it out. Looks interesting. We could always use another useful test.
Cheers,
Halsted

[shera]

I went with Halsted today to dig a pit. North aspect, 35 degree slope with a strong history of sliding. Just above treeline above the sheep creek drainage on Sniktau.



Several thermometers saying there was a strong temperature gradient in the pack


The all new super-duper cocoa test












Shear test




The master

[Rednas]

Cool photos. it looks to me like a cohesive slab with a low quality sheer and only about 40cm of snow? No results from the tap test. Must be bomber out there...but is it?

This is good and what I was getting at above: in Canada it is possible to hire certified guides for private avy courses, but they must be ACMG or IFMGA certified. Is it possible to hire someone in CO for advanced snow study? Or do I just stay off anyhting steeper than 30 degrees this year? Halsted what do you charge for a guided day like today with snow study? Looks like the perfect day for digging...

[iskibc]

Thanks for posting up the pics Mir. I figured some TG would be starting with all this clear-cold night and warm sunny day type weather.

[FrankZappa]

Hey Halsted, would you mind elaborating a lil' bit on:

The all new super-duper cocoa test