Based on the doctoral thesis of an SLF employee, the meaningful acronym SOCIAL was put together:
Skills - Does the difficulty of the tour match the skills and size of the group?
Organization - Clarify group composition and roles
Communication - Communicate openly and clearly, ask if anything is unclear
Identification - Clarify expectations and discuss alternatives
Anomalies - Would you make the same decisions on your own?
Leadership - Reduce pressure preventively, address potential problems
These points are printed on cards that can be obtained from the SLF. They are intended to serve as a kind of aid and reminder for self-control in the group. Similar to the Snowcard or the graphic reduction method, the SOCIAL cards provide a checklist that you can go through and which helps you to question and possibly adjust your own behavior. ("Is this slope too steep for the danger level?" - "Is this slope suitable for all group members? Have we discussed the decision sufficiently?")
The SOCIAL key words are intended to remind you to ask yourself and the group important control questions in order to prevent possible group-related risk factors. In addition to the core topics of classic avalanche science (snow), the SLF has also been dealing with questions of group psychology and the "human factor" for several years now. With SOCIAL, this decisive factor is now also taken into account in the form of a practical tool.
For more information, visit the SLF homepage, as well as this publication.
