Sledding in Avalanche Terrain : Reducing the Risk

by Jamieson, Bruce

• ISBN13: 9780969975878
• ISBN10: 0969975872
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1999-12-01
• Publisher: Canadian Avalanche Association

Summary

A safety guide for snowmobilers: safety measures, how to recognize unstable snow, and search and rescue techniques. Bruce Jamieson, a past president of the Canadian Avalanche Association, has researched avalanches extensively over the past 20 years. Darcy Svederus has developed snowmobile safety courses and teaches avalanche awareness and snowmobile safety courses.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Avalanche! A First Person Account	p. 2
The Basics of Reducing the Risk	p. 4
Before You Go	p. 4
On the Way to the Staging Area	p. 4
Some Signs to Watch for While Riding	p. 4
Choosing Routes and Slopes	p. 4
Good Riding Habits	p. 5
Rescue	p. 5
Formation and Nature of Avalanches	p. 6
Types of Avalanches	p. 6
Triggers	p. 7
Avalanche Motion and Forces	p. 7
Avalanche Terrain	p. 8
Recognizing Avalanche Terrain	p. 8
Slope Angle of the Start Zone	p. 8
Orientation of Slope to Wind	p. 9
Orientation to Sun	p. 10
Elevation	p. 10
Size of Slope	p. 11
Shape of Slope	p. 11
Gullies and Bowls	p. 11
Terrain Roughness	p. 12
Timber	p. 13
Islands of Safety	p. 13
Terrain Traps	p. 13
Summary	p. 13
Mountain Snowpack	p. 14
The Strength of Storm Snow Layers	p. 14
The Strength of Old Snow Layers	p. 14
Surface Hoar	p. 15
Regional Differences in Snowpack	p. 15
Local Differences in Snowpack	p. 16
Effect of Recent Weather on Snow Stability	p. 16
Recognizing Avalanche Danger	p. 17
Making a Decision	p. 17
Snowpack and Previous Weather	p. 18
Avalanche Bulletins	p. 18
Field Observations	p. 18
Field Tests	p. 19
Present Weather	p. 22
Assessing Snow Stability	p. 23
Terrain Alternatives	p. 23
Human Factors	p. 24
Danger Factors Often Neglected	p. 24
Summary	p. 24
Decision-Making Example	p. 25
Decision-Making Example 2	p. 25
Decision-Making Example 3	p. 26
Good Riding Habits	p. 27
Safety Equipment	p. 27
Trip Preparation	p. 27
Group Safety	p. 28
Route Selection	p. 28
Sledding in Avalanche Terrain	p. 29
Crossing a Possibly Unstable Slope	p. 29
If you Cannot Ride your Sled out of the Avalanche	p. 29
When the Avalanche Slows	p. 29
When the Avalanche Stops	p. 29
Search and Rescue	p. 30
Time for Live Rescue is Short	p. 30
Companion Rescue	p. 30
Fine Search Patterns for Transceivers	p. 31
Probe Search	p. 33
Going for Organized Help	p. 34
Organized Rescue	p. 34
Books, Videos and References	p. 35
Glossary	p. 38
Snow Metamorphism	p. 40
Avalanche Danger Scales	p. 42
Classifying the Size of Avalanches	p. 44
Equipment Checklist for Day Trip	p. 45
Reporting Avalanche Incidents	p. 46
Incident Response	p. 49
Sources of Avalanche Information	p. 50
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