Avalanche Classes, snow conditions

[Dash]

Here are few links to upcoming Avalanche Awareness Classes.
I will be also forwarding weekly updates on ice and snow conditions.

Here is the first one:
ATTENTION SNOWMOBILER’S: Denali State Park is closed to snowmobiling due to insufficient snow cover. Denali State Park will be closed for Motorized Use until adequate snow cover is reached

This is the first Update for the 2008-2009 winter season. Denali State Park encompasses 325,240 acres of the Upper Susitna, Chulitna and Tokositna River Valleys. The Park also includes the Eastern end of the Peters and Dutch Hills. Park Rangers gather information for these updates from weather stations in the Tokositna River Valley, Little Coal Creek and on the ground measurements.

Along the Parks Highway Denali State Park snow depth is averaging 10 inches at the Alaska Veteran’s Memorial with depths increasing heading North and decreasing to the South. Denali State Park needs 24 inches of snow with a solid base to open for motorized use. This depth is required to protect the underlying vegetation.

The Tokositna Weather Station is reading an average of 15 inches of snow. Recent daytime high temperatures have consistently been in the 20’s. Lake ice depths have not yet been sampled; expect limited or no ice on creeks.

Access to and parking for the three Byers Lake Public Use Cabins is from the Veteran’s Memorial at mile 147 of the Parks Highway. The gate into the campground is closed and there is no vehicular access available.

If you have any information on recreation, snow conditions, park issues, or would like to be added to the mail out list for updates please contact Ranger Jason Nielsen at jason.nielsen@alaska.gov.

http://www.besnowsmart.org/site/images/home/rightcol/REI2008.pdf
http://www.besnowsmart.org/site/images/home/rightcol/AKclub08.pdf
http://www.besnowsmart.org/site/images/home/rightcol/HatchersPass.pdf

http://www.alaskaavalanche.com/Schedule.html

http://www.cnfaic.org/

http://www.nsp.org/nsp2002/edu_template.asp?mode=course_schedule&search=view

(Yes, I took some links from another thread in the 4m).

 

[aksnomachinechic]

Good info! Thanks Dash!! Look forward to meeting you this winter!

 

[Dash]

Yes, it should be a good winter!!!
How many people in Fairbanks area would like to attend avalanche awareness class? I need to know who is willing to COMMIT to attend as I can work with an instructor, find a place to hold the class and pay (not me, but our organization) for all the expenses.
As I said somewhere here before, we are a non-profit, volunteer only organization so if anybody in Fairbanks is willing to put some work into this (finding a place which holds 10-50 people for example), it'd be great help.

 

[Prayn4snow]

Thanks Dash, good info!

 

[Modedmach1]

Yes, it should be a good winter!!!
How many people in Fairbanks area would like to attend avalanche awareness class? I need to know who is willing to COMMIT to attend as I can work with an instructor, find a place to hold the class and pay (not me, but our organization) for all the expenses.
As I said somewhere here before, we are a non-profit, volunteer only organization so if anybody in Fairbanks is willing to put some work into this (finding a place which holds 10-50 people for example), it'd be great help.

I could get a few people together. THere was one at one of the churchs up here last year & I was going to go to it but, a family emergency keep me from going. If we could get another one up here that would be great!! Thanks.

 

[Midge907]

I would also like to attend a class, and have a couple of other people that I'm sure would like to go also. I'm not sure of a good location for 50 people, maybe someone here will be able to help us out. If your willing to do a smaller group I know between modedmach1's group and mine we could have 10-15 riders and I'm sure we could find a place for that easily.

 

[Dash]

Well, we could do 2x the same class then if you can find a place that holds 20 people. What days and dates are the best for most of you? Realistically, at least 2 weeks from now, or even more in advace would be nice.

 

[DVarmit]

For the the new riders here, like myself, I will tell you that these classes are interesting and informative. I attended a 4 hour class yesterday in Wasilla and have a field class this Saturday at Hatchers Pass. If you never used a beacon and think that you just pick one up and find your partner it doesn't work that way. At least it didn't for me. They are a little tricky to use at least at first. I can appreciate why they say practice practice practice. If I would have assumed that you just set the beacon to search and dig up your partner he/she would have been dead. In just a couple of hours I got the feel for traps, decision making, effects on the pack by weather, weight etc.. Time for some more training.

 

[Ridgerat]

Good job DV. I like that you are getting prepared before heading out.

What class did you do in Wasilla?

 

[Dash]

Here is a link to Hatcher Pass updates;
http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/asp/hpsnowreport.pdf

As far as getting educated on avalanche awareness, I think that everybody should attend a class. People live in av. zones (Juneau, Cordova etc), drive (Seward Hwy, Old Glenn Hwy, even Park Hwy got burried few years ago just before Christmas), there are trails in hazardous av. runout zones (lots of them at Hatcher Pass, you can see them from the parking lot!) etc etc.

Please take a class, and look, what's is around you when you ride. I am getting tired of listening to people saying they don't ride in av. areas and I know they are, they just don't know it!!! THey say they never play on too steep slopes, never more than 45 degrees. (the prime slopes for av. are 35-45 degrees, BTW). They'd say they just got a beacon (and they take it out of their back packs, it's turned off and they are in middle of hills). They eat their lunch at a bottom of snow loaded slope with people highmarking above them.......
So take a class and try to avoid being caught in avalanche! Sadly, lot's of victims die from a trauma.....
Ride safe!

 

[DVarmit]

Good job DV. I like that you are getting prepared before heading out.

What class did you do in Wasilla?

NAOI and was presented by the Avalanche school? (I Think). I signed up for a field class for this Saturday at Hatchers Pass. They have a three level field course and of course I will be taking level 1 Which I believe is looking at the snow pack, terrain, using beacons etc.. Should be interesting.

I have to tell you that I would have went into some "traps" pretty quick without thinking about it. The ones they showed that killed people didn't look like they were even close to being avy material to a newbie in Alaska like I am. One was a small bowl. Not very big at all. It had a fairly large cornice at the top but it was not that deep. When it broke loose a tremendous amount of snow traveled a very short distance and buried the rider. He died which is a very permanent condition and a condition I would like to avoid at all costs.