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Backcountry Avalanche Workshop

Backcountry Avalanche Workshop with a very descriptive name - Outsmart the Dragon - organized by Canadian Avalanche Centre took place on Saturday Nov. 19th and Sunday Nov. 20th in Vancouver (BC) and Calgary (AB) respectively. We bring you an overview from the Vancouver event which will be followed by reports about specific presentations or topics.

Main Topic

The greatest emphasis was put on a human factor in decision making in avalanche risk situations and also on avalanche risk itself. Every speaker stressed these issues at least a couple of times. We see this as a process of shifting the focus of backcountry skiers' or snowmobilers' community from being pre-occupied with snow assessment tests or some sort of scientific approaches to a more 'common sense' thinking.

This totally makes sense since there are countless examples of people having access to the most accurate data about snow stability, weather, or terrain and yet still making fatal errors. In the process of decision making the motivation is mainly the driving force behind the fact that people chose to ignore real data.

Speakers and presentations

This is a list of the presentations we think were the most useful and that their message should be spread widely. The numbers does not reflect the importance or quality of the presentation.

1. Bruce Jamieson - I Read the Bulletin. Should I dig?

An excellent presentation discussing how avalanche bulletin advisory can differ from local avalanche situation. Since the avalanche bulletin is created from on place (Revelstoke) for whole Canada the snow conditions for a specific location can vary. But by making snow assessment tests while on the trip yourself you should be able to apply those two pieces of information into safe decision making. read more

2. Jill Fredston - Snowstruck: In the Grip of Avalanches

Jill is an avalanche expert from Alaska and her presentation focused on the human factor again. She and her husband help to rescue avalanche victims for over 20 years and they have developed a safety check list based on their experience which they now follow very strictly in order to stay alive. She says that over the years they've learnt to sacrifice even the finest days for skiing if the real data reveals very unpredictable conditions. And she believes that those data are objective therefore we should all learn to respect them.

3. Ken Wylie - Winter of 2003: A Perspective on Risk

A very needed presentation about a perspective on risk from a survivor of the 2003 Durrand Glacier (BC, Canada) tragedy that killed seven people. It was subjective enough to feel the effects of an avalanche accident but at the same time it was objective enough to understand how your choices makes the difference.

4. Clair Israelson - Avalanche First Response Online Training

Clair basically presented the new tool put together by the CAA for online training which should help to bridge the gap between the real practice and self studies. This tool supports also backcountrysafety.com goal of making the avalanche education more effective.

5. Lori Zacaruk - What Have You Got to Lose? Start Learning to Pick and Choose!

Lori put emphasis on the human factor in avalanche risk decision making once again but this time from snowmobiler's perspective. However there were only very few snowmobilers in the audience the rest - skiers, snowboarders, telemark skiers - had an excellent opportunity to get to know the snowmobilers' community better.

6. Pascal Hageli - ADFAR: What We Have Learned and Where We are Going.

Pascal as a project manager for Avalanche Decision Framework for Amateur Recreationalists project updated the backcountry community on the progress. The goal of the project is to develop a tool for well-informed decision making. Thanks to Pascal's and Bruce Jamieson's contribution to avalanche research they have earned a recognition from the World avalanche community at the recent avalanche workshop in Europe.

7. Grant Statham - The Big Picture: A Portrait of Backcountry Travel Techniques

Once again Grant stressed the human factor issue with more emphasis on pre-trip planing.

8. Bruce Jamieson - What Does That Snow Profile Tell Me?

A little more scientific stuff with conclusions for everyday backcountry user.

Conclusion

All these great people research, study and sacrifice their time for the same goal - making us safer. The more they understand avalanche risk, snow, terrain, and other nature elements the more they send us a message that we hold the key to our own destiny. By being more aware, cautions, suspicious, respectfull and open-minded we will be able to avoid avalanche accidents more likely than when just blindly following someone's advices.

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