Backcountry Skiing by Martin Volken & Scott Schell & Margaret Wheeler

Author:Martin Volken & Scott Schell & Margaret Wheeler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Mountaineers Books
Published: 2007-03-17T04:00:00+00:00

SAFETY, EFFICIENCY, SPEED: THE BASICS

In setting a good track, there is no dogma, no right-or-wrong list. Rather, there are guidelines to help you in decision-making as you ascend. These guidelines are organized around three basic concepts: safety, efficiency, and speed. The decision-making process that takes place using these three categories is dynamic and continuous throughout the course of a tour, and the three categories interact with each other on a larger scale.

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 back-country. 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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