Description

Course indoors on Saturday. Trip to Paul Ridge to
examine snow profiles and terrain on Sunday.

This is a practical avalanche course, based on the
essential curriculum taught world-wide in
recreational avalanche courses. The overall
objective is to provide you with training and
skills to answer five key questions:

1. How dangerous are avalanches (risk
appreciation)?

2. Where have avalanches occurred in the past
and where are they likely to occur in the future
(terrain evaluation)?

3. What past and present snow and weather
conditions are likely to create high avalanche
hazard (snowpack stability evaluation)?

4. If avalanche terrain must be crossed, how
can the threat of avalanches be assessed and dealt
with (risk management)?

5. What should be done if someone is buried
in an avalanche (avalanche rescue)?

Since avalanches are a natural and complex
phenomena, and avalanche terrain equally complex
and ever-changing, traveling safely in the
backcountry requires more than just applying a set
of rules- it requires using a combination of
knowledge, experience, good data, and keen
observations to come up with sound conclusions,
and then to combine the conclusions with good
decision-making to keep you reasonably safe.

Course Objectives: after completing this program,
a participant should be able to:

1. Appreciate the danger posed by avalanches.

(a) Describe the forces involved.
(b) Be familiar with some of the statistics
and facts associated with avalanche occurrences
that cause death or injury.

2. Describe the basic elements of risk
management as they relate to dealing with
avalanches.

(a) Define hazard, consequence, risk, and risk
acceptability, risk reduction.
(b) Explain the difference between hazard
management and risk management.
(c) Use a hazard versus consequence matrix to
establish avalanche risk.
(d) Apply risk management principles to
avalanche-related situations.

3. Describe features in forested or vegetated
areas associated with avalanche occurrences.

(a) Identify openings in forested areas likely
caused by avalanche activity.
(b) Describe other features in vegetated areas
likely caused by avalanche activity.

4. Describe features in mountainous terrain
associated with avalanche activity.

(a) Define avalanche slide path, starting
zone, trigger point, track, and deposition area.
(b) Describe the relationship of slope angle
to avalanche activity.
(c) Identify convex, concave, and open slopes,
and how they relate to avalanche activity.
(d) Define avalanche run out angle and zone,
and how they relate to avalanche activity.
(e) Define surface roughness depth and how
they relate to avalanche activity.
(f) Explain how colluvial deposits and other
clues can be used to define areas of potential
avalanche activity.

5. Describe how the snowpack normally
accumulates and changes after each storm
throughout the winter and spring, and how
avalanche hazard may develop during this
progression.

(a) Describe how snow normally metamorphoses
after it falls (rounding process).
(b) Describe how temperatures and wind affect
the rounding process.
(c) Describe the relationship between rounding
and snow stability.

6. Describe how potential unstable layers of
snow may form in the snowpack.
(a) Describe how facetted crystals, persistent
weak layers (PWL’s), and hoar (depth and surface
hoar) form and are related to snow stability.
(b) Describe how near surface faceting occurs,
and how it affects snow stability.

7. Describe how weak, potential sliding
layers and how strong layers (potential slabs),
may develop in the snowpack, and relate this to
weather conditions and avalanche hazard.

8. Describe how mountain winds are related to
avalanche activity.

(a) Describe how the direction of prevailing
winds can be established.
(b) Differentiate between windward and lee
slopes, and how they affect the snowpack.
(c) Describe lee slope and cross slope snow
loading.

9. Describe how slope aspect with regard to
radiation effects is related to avalanche
activity.

(a) Describe how snow gains and loses heat.
(b) Describe how areas of colder temperatures
affect the snowpack.
(c) Describe how the snowpack is affected by
solar heating.

10. Be able to make a preliminary assessment
of avalanche hazard by consulting local experts
and on-line weather and avalanche information
resources.

(a) Weather forecasts.
(b) Ski area forecasts.
(c) The Canadian Avalanche Centre.

11. Make a list of basic equipment that should
be carried when traveling in avalanche terrain.

12. Describe personal safety measures that can
be used to reduce the possibility of being
involved in an avalanche when traveling through
suspect terrain.

13. List human factors that may influence the
decision-making process when evaluating avalanche
risk.

14. Select suitable sites for test pits, and
be able to dig a snow pit and carry out a
stability evaluation of the snowpack.

15. Test the functioning of avalanche
transceivers in a group.

16. Use an avalanche transceiver, probe and
shovel to efficiently find a buried person.

17. List and carry out the steps that must be
followed when executing an avalanche rescue.