NOLS Winter Camping by John Gookin & John Gookin

Author:John Gookin & John Gookin [Tilton, Buck]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8117-4342-6
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Avoiding Avalanches

Safety in avalanche terrain is both an art and a science. The most dangerous route of travel is one where you may be the trigger for an avalanche. Stay away from avalanche release zones, avalanche paths, leeward slopes, cornices, narrow drainages, and other terrain traps. Stay off of steep slopes, especially inclinations of thirty degrees or more, and particularly if the slope profile is convex. Avoid steep slopes with thin stands of timber that you can easily pass through. And remember, during and immediately after a big storm, all mountainous areas should be considered unsafe, and the lower the temperature, the longer the hazard will persist. Do not camp or even take rest breaks in an area of avalanche danger.

As noted earlier, the safest route of travel is on top of a ridge and toward the windward side, above avalanche release zones. The second safest route is down the middle of a wide valley, away from deposition zones. Thick stands of timber may offer a safe but bothersome route.

If your intended route will cross a slope that might avalanche, reconsider: Is there an alternative route? If the slope does avalanche, what will the outcome be? Is it worth the risk?

If you must cross an avalanche slope, choose the safest route and avoid the most likely trigger zones. Snow tends to break off at points of greatest stress: near the top of a straight slope, at the steepest point of a convex slope, where an irregularity in the terrain (rocks, trees) breaks the snow surface. If you must ascend or descend to reach the starting point of the safest route, go up or down on safe snow near the slope. If the dangerous slope itself must be ascended or descended to reach the starting point, follow the fall line instead of cutting across it. This means going straight up or straight down, off to one side of the slope. If skis make this difficult, take them off and plow through the snow. If there are islands of safety on the slope, such as rock outcroppings or dense stands of timber, plan a route from one safe area to the next. On an open slope, stay high, where there is less snow to slide down from above.

Traverse the slope diagonally—not horizontally—from the top toward the bottom. Horizontal cuts are more likely to tempt the snow to slide. And try to avoid turns that take you back under an already potentially weakened slope. Ski turns add stress to the slope.

Everything that an avalanche could catch and hold should be easy to shed. Loosen pack straps and undo hip belts, loosen bindings on snowshoes and skis, and remove wrist loops on ski poles. Tighten clothing, put on a hat, pull up the parka’s hood, and slip on mittens. If you are caught in an avalanche and snow gets inside your clothing, your body will cool faster, shortening survival time.

If you have electronic rescue transceivers, make sure that they are working, are turned to transmit, and are secured somewhere on each person, not in a pack that could be torn off.

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