Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert Series) by Margaret Wheeler & Martin Volken & Scott Schell

Author:Margaret Wheeler & Martin Volken & Scott Schell [Wheeler, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mountaineers Books - A
Published: 2007-11-30T09:00:00+00:00

Safety

Safety means freedom from danger, risk, or injury. In the context of track setting, safety determines the direction and location of your track based on the presence of objective hazards. In the safety-efficiency-speed sequence, safety occupies the first position for a reason. It is always your first consideration as you make terrain choices for your track, and it carries the highest consequences if poor decisions are made. This may seem obvious, but it is important to emphasize as a mental reminder every time you move through the backcountry. If you set an inefficient track, the consequences are far less dire than if you set an unsafe track.

As discussed in chapter 2, Decision-making in Avalanche Terrain, good terrain selection means paying attention to things like the interaction of snow stability with slope aspect and incline, and recognizing terrain traps, among other observations. Now take a step back: when considering safety in setting a track, you may be dealing with an even longer list of objective hazards than those associated with avalanches. For example, there may be exposure or falling hazards, potential rockfall and icefall, crevasses, and more.

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