Community Education
Avalanche Safety in the Backcountry
The following is a list of some important avalanche safety guidelines to keep in mind while traveling in the backcountry.
Safety Considerations
- Most avalanches
start on slopes that are 30 degrees or greater. If you stay off
of
30 degree (and greater) slopes and avoid traveling beneath them, your risk is greatly minimized.
- If you remember
anything about avalanches remember this: avalanche danger is greatest
during and shortly after intensive snow falls. Traveling on or
below 30 degree slopes during intensive storms is very dangerous.
(Intensive storms are those in which 1" of snow falls per hour)
- Wind moves
snow from windward to leeward slopes and can create the same kinds of
unsafe conditions created by an intensive snow fall. Stay off
leeward slopes during periods of strong winds.
- Watch for
the leeward pockets. In much of the interior west, many of the
mid and low elevation slopes have a lot of sage or oak brush showing,
but every so often there are pockets--sides of gullies, steep short
slopes and back sides of ridges--where the wind has deposited snow.
Plan your route to avoid these areas.
- One extremely
dangerous time in the mountains occurs when a period of cold weather
is followed by a sudden warming trend or rain falling on the snow pack.
Free water in the snow pack lubricates weak layers and often large avalanches
result. Like intensive storms, it is a very dangerous time to
be traveling in the mountains.
- Heavy trees
provide protection from avalanches, but the trees must be spaced within
3 meters of one another. That's close enough to make skiing annoying.
Sparse trees do NOT provide any more protection than open slopes.
- In the spring, big, wet, damaging avalanches can occur. The safest time to travel is in the morning after a cold, clear night when the snow is frozen. Get off of steep slopes when the snow begins to soften from melting.
Traveling Considerations
- Traveling alone is risky: two is better, three is better yet.
- Use ridge
lines, heavy trees, windward sides or low angle slopes (less than 30
degrees) to minimize your exposure.
- When crossing
suspected avalanche slopes, do so one person at a time.
- A slope
is not safe just because one or more individuals have crossed it.
- Travel from
island of safety (a group of heavy trees, a ridge top, etc) to island
of safety.
- Don't camp,
eat lunch, or rest below obvious avalanche paths.
- Carry emergency
avalanche equipment: transceiver, portable shovels, probe poles--and
for a hasty snow pit: hand lens, pencil, knife, and compass with inclinometer.
At the beginning of each winter season, practice with your transceiver.
Know how to use it before you need to use it.
- If you are
moving up or down a suspected slope, stay to the side. If an avalanche
occurs, the snow may move slower on the flank and allow escape.
- Stay out
of gullies. They are natural pathways for avalanches and often
fill deeply with snow when an avalanche occurs.
- Know what's
out there. Check the avalanche forecast before leaving on a backcountry
trip.
Additional Information and Resources
Utah Avalanche Forecast Center
Avalanche Safety Basics for Mountain Riders and Those Going Into the Mountains to Ride -- by Sandra K. Rosenbaum (for Snowmobile Online @ Off-road.com)
Updated:
07-Nov-2002
