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PartnerNews | Ortovox Safety Academy Guide Book Snow

Browse through and refresh your knowledge

by PowderGuide 01/06/2022
PowderGuide partner Ortovox has produced a summary of important basics on the subject of avalanche safety. The content is available online for reference and is intended as an introduction to the topic (or as a refresher!). Of course, it is no substitute for an avalanche course in the backcountry, but it does provide a good basis on which to build.

Advertising // This article is part of an advertising partnership between Ortovox and PowderGuide. It is a so-called advertorial, which was created in coordination with Ortovox. // Advertising

The contents of the Guide Book Snow range from basic avalanche classifications (snow slab vs. loose snow avalanche) to correct reading of the situation report and tour planning to camaraderie rescue. For rough tour planning, the Guide Book recommends the 3x3 method, i.e. the assessment of conditions, terrain and people on three different spatial scales: regional (situation in the region), local (course of a particular tour) and on an individual slope. Some common "rules of thumb" for terrain selection depending on the danger level are also mentioned.

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The so-called GKMR method is also recommended for tour planning. If you have not yet familiarized yourself with this, you will find a good summary in the Guide Book. The risk, R, is specified as GxK - M, where:

G: Hazard (probability of triggering)

K: Consequences (consequences of detection)

M: Measures that reduce the hazard and consequences

R: Risk

Hazard times consequences minus measures equals risk. Hazard points are identified on the map using the "30° method" during the planning phase and then evaluated again using GKMR.

The Gdanger or the probability of triggering is primarily evaluated using the slope steepness in the method presented. Of course, other information, for example from the avalanche situation report, can also be included here. The terrain is then considered with regard to the consequences, e.g. risk of falling, terrain traps, size of the slope, presence of safe assembly points, etc. Riding alone would be a Mmeasure that we can take.

All in all, the CCMR method offers a scheme that can be used as a guide, but is somewhat less rigid than the professional reduction method, for example. In the CBMR, much is based on the user actively asking themselves questions, from "what is the probability of triggering?" to "what consequences are we prepared to live with?". It is accepted that there are not always clear-cut answers. An exact assessment is particularly difficult when it comes to the probability of triggering - so you also have to deal with certain uncertainties.

Descriptive examples based on individual slopes and tours can be found in the Guide Book Snow! The Guide Book is available in printed form from Ortovox dealers. The digital version will be updated for the coming winter.

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