» Back to Articles List

“Why did he entered the slope when he knew the conditions were dangerous?”

In recent years this question has been asked on many meetings and workshops that has been organized by avalanche safety and research organizations, and backcountry skiing community. It is also asked very often in articles written by professionals.

Ridiculous (but good) question

All in all it is quite ridiculous question. Why so? Because even if we find a definite answer for it (which is close to impossible) we would find out that people do much more ridiculous things than skiing an avalanche slope.

At the same time it is a very good question and much needed one. It is great that avalanche research progressed so much that we can start addressing the human factors instead of focusing on the snow properties all the time.

Comparison and answer

Since we asked the question, labeled it ridiculous and claimed that people do more ridiculous things than skiing an avalanche slope it's a time for an answer. And the answer may perhaps be in a comparison.

For years people know that smoking damages their health and hurts the ones around them. Past decade there are even labels on cigarette packages that explain the consequences. Yet people are still doing it.

Smoking in its consequences is far riskier than backcountry skiing because when skiing there are quite wide margins (compare to smoking) in a probability of an avalanche accident. But when smoking, since the very beginning, the person knows he is damaging his health. Although not every smoker will develop cancer he is voluntarily doing harm to his body.

Now, ask a smoker: “Why do you smoke when you know it is dangerous for your health?”. Whatever the answer will be it won't be good enough for us, non-smokers, to justify the risk.

Thus until we as a society don't find an answer to this, it will be quite ridiculous to ask a backcountry skier why does he sometimes takes chances when he knows that the conditions are not right. And whether smoking or skiing always remember that the consequences of your dangerous behaviour won't affect only you.

Related articles:

• Backcountry avalanche safety - reducing the risk
• 10 important facts about avalanche risk and safety
• Heuristic traps in recreational avalanche accidents

Back to top | Disclaimer | Copyrights