When do you prepare for the bc?

When do you prepare for the backcountry?

  • one day ahead

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • one week ahead

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • a few days ahead

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • my buddy knows what he's doing.....

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • i am one with the snow. i follow the snowpack all winter!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

hamdog

New member
if you ski or snowboard either out of bounds in the slackcountry or travel
into the backcountry on a sled, how often do you plan ahead for your trip?

are you looking to go out just this once?

do you keep track of the conditions one week prior to heading out?

etc, etc.

what are the conditions you look for?

what are your main concerns?

some folks might appreciate the answers to some of these questions,
so i thought i'd try to stur up a little convo...... feel free: :arrow:
 
I've put down one day ahead, however the only real backcountry i've gone is in the East, so no probe, shovel and other gear that can come in handy in the west. I believe that you really can't compare the preparation needed.
 
As far as watching the snowpack, I watch the forecast and ask lots of question of the local patrol and other knowledgable folks. I also try to go with someone who knows the route if its new to me. In general if there are warnings for avalanches I stay away from routes that I am not really familiar and comfortable with. In general I am always trying to learn more. I always tend to become more aware after bad years. When I first started riding the bc I did some really stupid crap- like taking to long on your hike and hitting known slide areas after the dusk crust. But one year the snow really fell like this past winter and people died on one of my favorite routes, so I had a big wake-up and started to learn more about safety. I am thinking about taking avy level II this year, don't have I yet but my local patroller told me it just covers the basic "don't be a dumb ass" stuff. $289 for avy II in silverton... If I have the dough I think I will look into that this year.
 
Anyone have suggestions for good books on avy awareness and snowpack study? Fort Lewis offered avy classes when I was in school for free, now I really wish I had taken advantage of that. Learned most of what I know from freinds. I also saw that silverton is offering an advanced ski clinic for route finding etc... sounds pretty cool, even if it's with skiiers ;)
 
Anyone have advice for getting avy training? Silverton is offering level 2 this december, but I don't have a level 1 yet. What does the level 2 training involve... would it be an acceptable coarse for a bc enthusiast type or is it more for guides and instructors? I will call them soon and ask about the coarse, but wondered if anyone here had experience/advice? Unfortunatly I haven't found a level 1 yet in the area. Closest I've found is Boulder. The portol here in SF told me there is a local guy in Abquerque who does training randomly. Would anybody from SOCO or NNM be interested in cooredinating a group for level 1 and then maybe level 11 later?
 
IMO, if you have any training at all and are already going out into the bc regularly and feel like you know a lot, then Avi I may bore you or enlighten you. if your "training" has come mostly from friends, then it's probably a good refresher coarse to take from professionals. however, you may already know most of the stuff. ??? but also learn a few things too. CAN Avi I is nothing to mess around with. it's a lot more intense than American Avi I, from what i've heard. there's only a couple of times to get Avi I around here too, but there are some more Basic Avi workshops that cover almost everything similar to an Avi I. topics covered:
Note: This course is based on many of the concepts developed by Fesler and Fredston as presented in the book Snow Sense.

I. Types of Avalanches
II. Terms Associated with Avalanches
III. Terrain: Is the terrain capable of producing an avalanche?
a. Slope angle
b. Slope size
c. Slope shape
d. Vegetation
e. Slope aspect with respect to:
i. Sun
ii. Wind
f. Elevation
g. Using terrain for safe travel

I. Avalanche Physics 101
a. Balancing act between stress and strength
II. Weather ? Is the weather affecting the snow stability?
a. Precipitation
i. Amount
ii. Density
iii. Rate
iv. Type
b. Wind
i. Direction
ii. Velocity
iii. Duration
c. Temperature
III. Snowpack ? Could the snow slide?
a. Snowpack layers
i. Slab
ii. Weak layer
iii. Bed surface
b. How layers form
i. Slabs (wind, bonding, changing crystal types during storms)
ii. Weak layers
1. Depth hoar (thin snowpack and/or cold temperatures)
2. Surface hoar (cool, clear nights and calm winds)
3. Changes in crystal types during storms
c. Relationship between layers
d. Variations in the snowpack on a given slope

Decision-Making and Human Factors
I. Are you willing to make a prudent assessment of the avalanche danger?
II. Assessing the avalanche danger (gathering information and using it wisely!)
a. Subjective (What they say)
b. Objective (What you observe)
i. Recent avalanche activity
ii. Cracking and/or collapsing of the snowpack
iii. Stability tests
c. Assessment (What do you think?)
d. Plan (What are you going to do?)
III. The Ritual (Things to consider before playing on a given slope)
a. SOAP
b. Equipment
i. Avalanche transceiver (457 kHz)
ii. Shovel
iii. Probe poles
c. Avalanche eyeballs
d. Partner
e. Always think ?What if??
f. Only expose one person at a time!

Avalanche Rescue
I. What to do if you are caught in an avalanche
a. Fight!
b. Try to get off the slab
c. Swim, try to clear an air pocket, RELAX!
II. What to do if your partner is caught
a. Yell!
b. Last seen point, available resources, initial search
c. Transceiver search
d. Probing
this is all covered in the classroom. there's a field day included in this workshop where groups are formed and go hike around, talk about topics learned in class, dig many different pits, analyse the snowpack, and do a few beacon searches.

then there's also an Advanced workshop that gets into the science end of things plus some other factors to be aware of. they also have a field day session included where groups play out avalanche accident scenarios. some are dead against any sort of scenario because it doesn't even come close to the real situation if it were to ever occur. well, no sh*t, but it's still good practice and you almost always end up finding out different things that you could improve on for next time. just plain old beacon search practice is pretty useless, but still not totally useless. any practice can help, i think.

Option_ride,
i couldn't find jack squat on any avi edu in NM. looks like this is your best/closest bet right now: http://www.silvertonavalancheschool.com/
 
well, no sh*t, but it's still good practice and you almost always end up finding out different things that you could improve on for next time. just plain old beacon search practice is pretty useless, but still not totally useless. any practice can help, i think.

Having never experienced any type of accident, this is exactly why I think I should look into something organized to get some practice so I at least have a clue. I at least want to get out and practice with my new beacon :) so I am comfortable with it's operation, and I would like to learn more about choosing safe (safer) lines in the bc...

Man, I can't wait to be hiking on a warm SOCO day after a fresh dump.... AHHHHHH! :D

I'm am so anxious for an early season snowpack... (god, I didn't say that...) I want to be riding pow at wolfcreek like now :)
 
Here is a direct link to the book Snow Sense that Hamdog posted about.

Snow Sense at Amazon

Thanks for the post hamdog, that looks like a good reference. I also used the firstracks affiliate link so hopefully the Guido will get credit for the purchase.
 
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