http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/FAQ_Avalanche_Understanding.htm
I was perusing through Avalanche information last night and came upon this article. I am hoping to take my first avalanche related course this February and am interested to see if people agree or disagree with this article. It is kind of long so to summarize:
1. Too much time is spent on avalanche survival, rescue procedures and the supposed importance of “practice transceiver searches.”
2. Too much faith is placed on a student’s ability to assess risk by learning complex topics such as snow pack physics.
3. Not enough time is spent on group dynamics, problem solving, decision-making and conflict resolution. Often overlooked skills include how to anticipate turn around decisions and improve group communication.
4. Virtually no time is spent on learning how to use topographic maps to select and navigate safer routes. This is sad because the single most important factor in reducing fatalities may be knowing how to choose a safe route prior to the outing. Also, it should be obvious that it does no good to select a safe route at home if the student cannot navigate that route precisely out in a snow storm.
5. I believe these problems all evolved from the history of avalanche instruction itself. Most avalanche instructors (including myself) received their original training through the National Ski Patrol and/or the Search and Rescue Community. This has led to a heavy emphasis on avalanche survival and rescue techniques. It is only natural that instructors would train their students the way they themselves were trained. The students in turn are often looking for a quick (and glamorous?) solution to the avalanche problem. Avalanche courses have therefore evolved into a love affair with Avalanche Transceivers and Transceiver Searches. I have heard more than one instructor boast that they had gotten their transceiver search times down to under three minutes. The problem with this is that transceivers do not stop avalanches. Nor are there many cases in the records of transceivers stopping avalanche fatalities, In the pages that follow! I will outline some of my concerns regarding each of the four problems noted above and suggest some alternate teaching strategies which may help reverse the poor track record of current avalanche courses.
Fairly interesting read. Interested to hear from those who have been to these type of trainings. Thanks
