The breakdown on avalanche safety
A large, white mass hurls toward you at a speed well over 100 mph. There’s nowhere to run, and nothing you can do now to stop it.
Well like it or not, this is something that many back country explorers, snowmobilers, skiers and snowboarders have to deal with.
Although some may think otherwise, according to the avalanche information Web site, www.avalanche.org, snowmobilers are on the top of list of avalanche victims. Forty-four percent of avalanche victims are snowmobilers. Skiers are second on the list with 24 percent, and snowboarders are at 14 percent.
According to this Web site, from 1985 to 2002, just under 1,200 avalanches were triggered by humans, and in 90 percent of all avalanches, those who triggered them were the victims.
Jeff Hancock, a graduate student and former graphic designer for the Outdoor Recreation Center, said the best thing to do, is be aware of the weather conditions.
“Get involved in an avalanche awareness course,” he said.
Mat Cline, a senior in business administration and an attendant at the ORC, speculates that snowmobilers are so high on the list because of their ability to cover large amounts of distance and see more areas than skiers.
He says the machines themselves are heavier and prone to cutting snow loose.
Cline also says common sense is one of the most important things anyone needs to have when it comes to back country trekking and avalanche
awareness.
The avalanche information Web site for Utah states that in 2002, there were 37 deaths by avalanches alone. Among those deaths, Utah carries 12 percent of America’s avalanche
fatalities.
However, sometimes knowing the weather conditions just aren’t enough. There is a graph rating system on the avalanche Web site, which measures fatalities which occur in low, moderate, considerable, high and extreme danger zones in Switzerland. Most fatalities on this chart are found more often under considerable zones, by at least 30 deaths, than other zones.
Still, here is some knowledge that can help sport addicts understand avalanches and avalanche danger
probability.
Cline said although point avalanches are the most common, they are small and don’t cause any problems.
“Dry slabs are the ones that kill people,” he said.
According to the avalanche Web site, dry slab avalanches are when snow becomes frozen or dry and cracks, then breaks further apart as it begins to slide down the mountainside.
Hancock said, “Slopes that are the most dangerous are at 30 to 45 degree angles.”
According to the state Web site, if there has been a recent strong wind, heavy snowfall or melting of snow, avalanches are more likely to be
triggered.
Recent avalanches, cracking snow, collapsing snow or recent deposits of wind-moved snow onto wetter, melting snow are included as dangerous areas.
The Web site also teaches that the best way to travel while in the back country is to move one person into a dangerous area at a time, with the rest of the group ready to perform a rescue if needed.
When it comes down to it, the top five things Cline says he would have on a checklist when venturing out into avalanche-prone areas are: common sense, a beacon, a shovel, a map and a checklist.
–cfelton@cc.usu.edu