Lets talk about how to spot potential avalanche slopes

[clutched]

It is well into a very killer season thhis year so far . what are we missing people .
I live in the heart of the mtns and see the growth of the snow pack all season as i fortunately am in it lots . even with the skilled eyes that i have developed for spotting the dangerous signs it is still very much a russian roulette trip into the outback ,
if you ride you should watch the weather daily , and if your coming out to ride in the mtns at some time get watching the weather and see were the systems come from and how soon there was a system go through were you are going .

this gets you into having some idea weather we had 2 inches or 6ft .
local knowledge in the area you intend to ride is always available if you just ask.

we can fill in a lot of blanks on how it has developed .

in the trees you are not safe .. many think you are .

if the slope got horror frost and then got snowed on then it doesnt matter if it is in the trees or an open slope , it will move in either slope .
30 degrees and over are sliding slopes .
easy way to know if a slope is 30 degrees is put your arm straight out from your shoulder and see that line and the side of your head on the same side as the 90 degree
raise your arm to parallel the slope and guage from there as to weather you are much under half way to straight up .
you will get the idea as you go guage a few slopes .

it doesnt need till after lunch to be a dangerous time , snow will slide in the am as well , particullairlly if it is sitting on a layer of horror frost

horror Frost for those who dont know is a lage snow flake sitting on its side . very pretty but very deadly

very cold nights with clear skies usually will form frost , right moisture content will make that frost flake be any were from tiny 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch tall
if the sun doesnt lay them down and the wind doesnt blow them over then thsi is the slippery layer that becomes the marbles that will allow the snow that developes on top of it to slide .

this layer and the angle of the slope that it falls on , will determine some what as to how much snow weight may accumilate on it before it triggersand slides .


there are other reasons for layers to become the slippery layer but this horror frost one is one that can leave you with just a part of a slope going and not another in the same area


land mines and hangernades folks,

reason i post this is due to the extreme conditions in the west mtns now, US and Canada

 

[knee deep in it]

step 1 - take a course

step 2 - tell your friends to take a course

 

[skibreeze]

Even when the risk is considered moderate, it is possible for human triggered avy's, and the closer to 38 degree slopes the higher the risk.

 

[Ice Cap]

It's actually hoar frost but I like your name for it

People shouldn't think that just because they take an avy course that they are capable of making an intelligent decision on the safety of a slope.

Let the experts that have many years of experience do the evaluating and heed their warnings on the avy forecasts.

The only smart/safe thing to do when avy conditions pose a threat is to stay the hell off the hills and live to ride another day!

 

[MARCUSO]

It's actually hoar frost but I like your name for it

People shouldn't think that just because they take an avy course that they are capable of making an intelligent decision on the safety of a slope.

Let the experts that have many years of experience do the evaluating and heed their warnings on the avy forecasts.

The only smart/safe thing to do when avy conditions pose a threat is to stay the hell off the hills and live to ride another day!

I don't totally agree with that comment.

What if someone does not know how to identify a potential hazard, and relies on avy forcasts, that is worse.

I don't know what type of avy course is available in your neck of the woods, I am taking one next week, which has 8 hours in class and 8 hours field class. I should hope that I will be capable of making an intelligent decision on the safety of a slope!
Many avalanche forcasts are general regional forcasts. they cover tens of thousands of square miles of terrain. Many unstable layers get buried and rear their head months later.

I am not saying that it is not a good idea to watch the avalanche forcast, but to soley rely on them is not good either.

 

[Ice Cap]

MARCUSO

I'm talking about people not paying attention to a forecast and judging a slope safe with their very limited training and experience.

Taking a course and then being out in the field and spotting a hazardous situation is a whole different situation!

I will re-phrase my statement from my last post:

People shouldn't think that just because they take an avy course that they are capable of making an intelligent decision that a slope is safe.

 

[skibreeze]

Marcuso nailed it, "Many unstable layers get buried and rear their head months later."

I have been trying to get more folks to realize this. The bad layers don't just magically dissapear. I was very close to being in a huge avy that released 4 months after the bad layer was formed, it was just waiting for the right trigger, me.

 

[BigT]

I've had an avy course two years ago. I took another refresher last weekend and I am taking one again the end of this month.
having said that, I do not feel that I am capable of determining if a slope is stable or not. I do however, have some tools so to speak that I can use to assist me with making a decision.
More than anything, I feel that the avy courses provide me with a wake up call. They keep the thought of Avy at the forefront of my thoughts. I don't have enough knowledge to determine a slope stability but the simple fact that I am concerned and thinking about the slope stability is a large step. Common since is key. Second guessing yourself will get you killed.
Just my thoughts

BigT

 

[Ice Cap]

I've had an avy course two years ago. I took another refresher last weekend and I am taking one again the end of this month.
having said that, I do not feel that I am capable of determining if a slope is stable or not. I do however, have some tools so to speak that I can use to assist me with making a decision.
More than anything, I feel that the avy courses provide me with a wake up call. They keep the thought of Avy at the forefront of my thoughts. I don't have enough knowledge to determine a slope stability but the simple fact that I am concerned and thinking about the slope stability is a large step. Common since is key. Second guessing yourself will get you killed.
Just my thoughts

BigT

BigT

You are a wise man.
That's exactly how the information from avy courses should be used!

When I hear people say that they took a course and then went out and dug a pit and determined that a slope was safe it makes me cringe!!!!

 

[knee deep in it]

avy courses don't make you much smarter, but you learn a lot about some pretty basic stuff. I have taken 3 of them and I could not count on my own judgement.

A big part of the course is to learn how to understand the avy bulletins and then a whole lot of common sense things.