1 Avalanche Avoidance and Companion Rescue

2 Outline Who’s at risk What causes avalanches Educational resources Q and A Companion rescue (beacon, shovel and probe) Avalanche avoidance Types of avalanches

3 Who’s at Risk?

4 Who’s at risk? 1. Snowmobilers 2. Skiers 3. Climbers 4. Snowboarders Who’s at Risk?

5 Source: CAIC 1996/97 to 2005/06 About 97% of people killed in avalanches die while playing Who’s at Risk?

6 Types of Avalanches

7 There are 2 types of avalanches Slab avalanches Point release/loose snow Types of Avalanches

8 Almost all fatal avalanches are slab avalanches Types of Avalanches

9 Point release (loose snow) avalanches are more easily predicted and usually less dangerous Types of Avalanches

10 Some slab avalanches are huge Types of Avalanches

11 What Causes Avalanches?

12 If you understand the causes of avalanches you can avoid them Weather Terrain Snowpack Human Factors What causes avalanches?

13 New snow adds weight (stress) to the snowpack and may not bonded to snow beneath Most avalanches occur during and immediately after storms What causes avalanches?

14 Weather: Wind transports snow (weight) Cornice Wind loading direction Loading Crown What causes avalanches?

15 Rapidly warming temperatures can decrease snow stability You can have stability at one elevation but as you climb or descend the snow profile changes Similarly, a slope at one aspect (orientation) can be safe but at a slightly different aspect can be very unstable What causes avalanches?

16 60˚ 45˚ 30˚ 15˚ 0˚ Terrain: The majority of avalanches occur on slopes between 30˚ and 45˚ What causes avalanches?

17 Most slabs release on the bulge of convex slopes Slabs can be triggered from above and below the slope Dense trees can act as anchors and points of safety **But if the trees are open enough for making turns they’re not dense enough to anchor the snowpack Slope shape and terrain features also need to be considered Concavity Convexity What causes avalanches?

18 A weak snowpack usually consists of a strong layer (slab) overlying a weak layer (“sugar” snow) Learn to evaluate the snowpack There’s no substitute for on- snow avalanche instruction Take a Level I avalanche course Practice What causes avalanches?

19 Most killer avalanches are small and human triggered 1. Skier 2. Slope convexity 3. Roughly 30 degrees 4. Debris slid into concavity 5. Yes! 1. What triggered this slide? 2. Where did the slope fail? 3. What’s the slope angle? 4. Where did the debris flow? 5. Could this slide have killed you? What causes avalanches?

20 Human factors Attitude : people sometimes ignore danger signs due to pride, ego and ambition Time : weekend warrior syndrome Blue Sky : sunny weather sometimes draws people too soon after a storm Herding Instinct : people think less in large groups What causes avalanches?

21 Avalanche Avoidance

22 With good backcountry habits, you can avoid avalanche danger 1. Expose only one person at a time 2. Get out of the way at the bottom 3. Never cross above your partner 4. Have an escape route planned 5. Remove pole straps and safety straps 6. Travel in the same route when possible 7. Keep your partner in sight 8. Travel to points of safety Avalanche avoidance

23 What would happen to these two if an avalanche occurred? Avalanche avoidance

24 Companion Rescue

25 Asphyxiation 75% Trauma 25% Source: AAA Asphyxiation is the cause of most avalanche fatalities Companion rescue

26 Time in minutes % Recovered Alive Source: AAA (422 completely buried victims) If recovered within 15 minutes, chances of survival are almost 92% At 35 minutes, survival rate drops to 37% After that, the success rate is extremely low. …but if you get to them fast enough, you can save them Companion rescue

27 Source: CAIC Only a member of your party or a companion will likely save your life Companion Rescue Search and Rescue 189 (68%)58 (15%) 91 (32%) 317 (85%) Alive Dead Companion rescue

28 If an avalanche occurs Victim: 1.Yell so other people hear and see you. 2.If possible, ski or ride to the side of the moving snow. 3.Fight with all of your effort to stay on the surface. 4.As the snow slows, try to thrust a hand upward above the snow surface. 5.Before the snow stops, try to clear an air space in front of your face. 6.If buried, do not panic! Stay calm and try to relax. Companion rescue

29 If an avalanche occurs Rescuer(s) 1.Watch the victim(s) as they are carried down the slope. Look for “last seen point.” 2.Make sure it is safe to begin a search. 3.Delegate tasks: visual search, beacon search, probing, shoveling. 4.Mark the area where the victim was last seen and begin search here. Look for any clues. 5.When victim is located, confirm depth and location with probe. 6.Shovel strategically: begin downhill of victim. Companion rescue

30 1. Avalanche beacon follows electronic signal to buried victim 2. Probe verifies depth and location of buried victim 3. Shovel removes snow What do you need for a rescue? 4. Backpack to carry equipment Companion rescue

31 There are three phases to an avalanche beacon search: 1. Primary Search 2. Secondary Search 3. Pinpoint Search Companion rescue

32 Multiple searchers can decrease recovery time 1. Primary 2. Secondary 3. Pinpoint What does this guy do? Companion rescue

33 A last seen point can also decrease recovery time. Keep your eye on the victim! Last seen point Search begins at star Eliminates this area for searching Companion rescue

34 Proper Probing Begin probing at the lowest distance reading. Probe in concentric circles until you strike the victim. Make each probe hole about 10 inches (25cm) apart. Your probe should enter the snow perpendicular to the slope. Once you have confirmed the victim’s location, leave the probe in the snow. Companion rescue

35 Strategic Shoveling Shoveling consumes the majority of time and effort in an avalanche rescue. Do not take shoveling skills for granted. Begin digging downhill of the probe about 1.5 times the burial depth (note depth marking on probe to determine this distance). If one rescuer, make the hole at least one “wingspan” wide. If more than one rescuer, work side by side, make hole two wingspans wide (about 6ft/2m). Companion rescue

36 Digging is the hard part! Companion rescue

37 Avalanche.org statistics In 366 avalanche incidents, only 5 (1.4%) were incidents where all victims were completely buried and wearing transceivers. Almost all multiple burials can be solved as a series of single burials. In interviews with witnesses, shoveling is always cited as more difficult and time consuming than beacon searching. Recreationists should master single burial searching and strategic shoveling Search Possible, Multiple Completely Buried Victims With Transceivers: 5 Incidents All Other Cases: 319 Incidents Companion rescue

38 Conclusion Most of the time, snow conditions are safe in the backcountry. Learn to recognize when they are not! We encourage you to: Learn more about what creates avalanche conditions. Learn more about proper route finding. Get in the habit of calling your local avalanche forecast center or looking at their reports online. Practice your beacon, probing, and shoveling skills at a BCA Beacon Training Park near you. This presentation is not a substitute for a real, on-snow avalanche course.

39 Educational Resources

40 Resources U.S. Canada Europe Educational resources

41 Thanks for coming today! Questions?