I wish everyone a very merry white Christmas, Kwanza and Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the Serial Skier! The Northwest has been blessed worth 4-8 feet of snow in the last week on an old rain crust, a bit of a double edged sword but good skiing to be had. I went up the Cascade powder Cats yurt and saw great coverage, but the hazard was pegged at considerable. That will change but caution was used.

Take the time now to enjoy the travel and use all the tools available to make your assessments. If you feel rusty, be conservative, and consider a Avi refesher course to get your skills back to par. Check out the accidents this fall, more than not, the Road Runner principle(not aware what skills were necessary to be in the backcountry or not aware of the hazard at the time.) came into play more than once.

Snow is in our future. I have heard from Morocco, the Alps, B.C. and our very own Cascades that the skiing is good, so be safe and enjoy the goods!

Ski ya later, Matt

Decision Making in the Crosshairs

As an avalanche educator, BC ski guide and passionate skier, I have noticed several trends with new users of the winter backcountry that may contribute to the rising accident rate this winter.

With snowshoeing, people have not tried to understand that the winter environment is dynamic. Without proper education any travel in avalanche terrain is Russian roulette without some knowledge of safe travel and terrain evaluation techniques. The books about snowshoeing that are published, I did read the mountaineers books on the subject, do not spend more than a brief chapter on avalanche phenomena. Snowshoeing is not the same as hiking since the terrain in winter can be hazardous when in summer it is just a trail and learning the difference is the key.

With education, the expectation that avalanche courses should be less expensive or you should not have to spend money on safety gear is a poor argument when you consider how much you spend on your car to make it safe. Compare snow travel to scuba diving and there are similar safety protocols and expenses with getting started but once you get thru the initial costs it pays off with the safe travel you will be able to do.

As for notices and who should inform the public, neither Alpental or the USFS should be responsible for individuals on public land. To ask them to do so will also bring the the responsibility of restricting access if the hazard is deem too high. In the US, we do not fund the USFS to conduct such practices. We do give private enterprise the responsibility to do so if they manage other hazards as well such as ski areas.

What is the solution? First anyone who would like to travel in the backcountry needs to get educated on the skills necessary to go out there and understand the hazards that exist. Snowshoes and snowmobiles are just tools like skis and snowboards and need to respect the same practices other users have learned to conduct their activities.

Once that is realized, then critical mass will help avalanche course providers offer courses specific to the different users. Publishers are also responsible for printing current information and not informing snowshoers that travel in avalanche terrain demands the same respect and education by all travellers, not just skiers and snowboarders.

Until we reach that understanding, then avalanche education will be looked at as just another expense preventing people from getting their backcountry experience cheap and easy.

White Death, a heavy metal band or a hazard on a bad ski day

Welcome to the 2007-08 Ski season! With snow on the ground, a chill in the air, everyone is chomping at the bit to get this La Nina winter going! B.C. again seems to have it going on, with Austria, Mount Baker and Morocco contending for the best start of the season.

As with most people with a seasonal twitch, it helps to have a job you want to quit to focus your efforts on getting up on the snow and skiing. With potentially five fatalities and seven burials last weekend, it serves as a reminder to take a moment and assess yourself then the conditions before heading out.

One thing to remember with winter back country travel, respect the environment you are traveling by planning and preparing for your trip, whether a short hike or a multi-day tour. Learn the history of the area you want to travel, check the forecast before you go and check in with the local resources to get the most update information to help shape your decision to the tour you are choosing to go do.



With a storm approaching, I look forward to a great la Nina winter and ski you later!

Cheers,
Matt