Lawinenkunde

After a number of interesting and sometimes innovative books on the subject of avalanches have been published in recent winters - such as the book by Nairz/Mair on hazard patterns - a new avalanche book has now also been published by the renowned mountain publisher Rother: "Lawinen: Verstehen - Vermeiden - Praxistipps". The author is long-time ski tourer, mountain rescuer and physicist Eike Roth.

The new PowderGuide book "Tirol - The best freeride tours" presents 50 selected deep snow tour destinations with short ascents and exciting descents on 184 pages. From pleasure slopes to challenging steep terrain, there is something for everyone between Kitzbühel and St. Anton. The tours are accompanied by detailed route descriptions with topographical maps and all the important information, as well as many high-quality freeride pictures that will make you want to follow them.

As my colleague Powder Orakel delivers new updates practically every day in the wonderfully productive pre-Christmas period, I would like to take this opportunity to look at the somewhat more timeless nature of snow.

When analyzing hundreds of mostly tragic avalanche accidents, Rudi and Patrick discovered that most accidents occur in typical, recurring hazard patterns. They therefore developed 10 typical, particularly accident-prone and frequent hazard patterns. Recognizing these avalanche hazard patterns should help winter sports enthusiasts to behave with appropriate caution – and thus avoid accidents.

Rudi Mair and Patrick Nairz are the avalanche warning experts from the Tyrolean Avalanche Warning Service. In their bestselling avalanche book "Avalanche. Die 10 entscheidenden Gefahrenmuster erkennen", the two avalanche experts present a new, complementary approach to avoiding avalanche accidents. When analyzing hundreds of mostly tragic avalanche accidents, Rudi and Patrick discovered that most accidents occur in typical, recurring hazard patterns. They therefore developed 10 typical, particularly accident-prone and frequent hazard patterns. Recognizing these avalanche hazard patterns should help winter sports enthusiasts to behave with appropriate caution – and thus avoid accidents. Here we present the 10 key hazard patterns in brief.

Yet another book about avalanche awareness, some will think when they hear about the new avalanche book by the two avalanche warning experts Rudi Mair and Patrick Nairz. That was certainly my first thought when I heard about the book. But when I read the book "Avalanche. Die 10 entscheidenden Gefahrenmuster erkennen" it quickly becomes clear that the approach to the subject of avalanches and avalanche risk in this book is completely different for the first time!

What goes on in an expert's mind when skiers or snowboarders ski down 40-degree deep snow slopes at avalanche warning level four? Martin Engler: It leaves me breathless at first. Last week, I was out touring on the Riedbergerhorn and saw people with binoculars at Fellbühl, an area above Riezlern that is popular with freeriders. It wasn't just a few individuals, but many. And that at warning level four. The slope is over 40 degrees steep at the top. I am clearly against the demonization of deep snow skiing and against bans. But when I see something like this, I shudder.

Avalanche Awareness is the name of an American book about avalanches and for me this title best expresses what it is all about. Intensive, inner contact with nature and with the snow, an alert and responsive mood that constantly adapts to new situations and impressions in the terrain. Without this contact with the surroundings, I can neither find the best snow for the descent nor assess the avalanche danger, even though I have been intensively involved with avalanches for over twenty years now. It used to be different in my early days. I still believed that I simply had to get off the lift at the top and after a few snow cover tests I had everything under control. But over time, after a few very dangerous experiences with avalanches, I've been cut down to size.