Avalanche Awareness
is the title of an American book about avalanches and, for me, this title best expresses what it is all about. Intensive, inner contact with nature and the snow, an alert and responsive mood that continuously adapts to the ever-changing 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 was cut down to size.
Uncertainties determine the strategy
Since the findings of Werner Munter at the latest, it has been generally accepted that avalanche danger cannot be determined with pinpoint accuracy. The only thing we have for decision-making are obvious influences such as slope inclination or exposure, and a check of the avalanche-forming factors. Only with the help of probabilities can statements be made about the avalanche danger under the respective conditions. On a large scale, this is done in the avalanche situation report, on a small scale it is up to you. When assessing individual slopes, you have to interpret the statements in the avalanche situation report and, if necessary, modify them with your own impressions on site.
However, every assessment remains a game of probabilities. For example, an avalanche triggering is relatively likely if you are skiing on a very steep shaded slope with drifting snow on the first day after a fresh snowfall in very cold conditions. This usually means densely packed snow that lies on its base with very little connection - which are exactly the conditions for an avalanche. However, this does not mean that all slopes are highly likely to avalanche - quite the opposite. Numerous slopes with these conditions are skied by "courageous" freeriders who then believe afterwards that it wasn't dangerous at all just because the slope stayed up this time. This is a dangerous spiral of risk, as such behavior inevitably leads to an accident at some point. Conversely, avalanches are very rare, but will always occur on slopes that appear to have relatively favorable conditions. We have to live with this degree of uncertainty, otherwise we have no business in the terrain. But I can also reassure you: If you avoid the slopes that are quite likely to result in an avalanche when you ski them, you are already living more safely freeriding than you would on the road. However, you should bear in mind that a probability of a few per thousand must already be considered high given the expected consequences of an avalanche burial! This is exactly what avalanche assessment is all about: we avoid slopes that have a high probability of triggering an avalanche. It's easy to say, but not so easy to do: Even professionals overlook important signs time and again and afterwards, after the avalanche has passed, everything looks quite simple again. In the terrain, we have to assess numerous slopes and make decisions at lightning speed, slope by slope, time and time again. It's easy to make mistakes that can have fatal consequences. That's why we need a strategy of perception that automatically guides us onto the right path. So when I look at the slopes from the car, it's already part of this strategy, which starts at home.
A cautious start: value-free information
I always start off very cautiously, as I usually lack important information. Before I form any opinion, I try to find out as much as I can: What danger level does the avalanche report give for the region in question? What does the additional information say, where are the dangerous slope exposures? What does the weather report say? What factors lead to avalanche danger and where are they particularly prevalent? This information, which I can gather at home, is the first important step and the map is my best companion when planning. With practice, you can recognize slope shapes, exposures and steepness and, with a lot of experience, even estimate where the most drift snow will be. With the SnowCard (graphic for unfavorable exposures), you can quickly and easily recognize potential danger spots without knowing the details on site or having a lot of theoretical knowledge. Anyone going into the terrain should be able to apply these basic strategies.
Scenario
With the preliminary information, I now have a rough picture of the overall situation and check which destination makes sense for today. I let my imagination run wild and create different scenarios. What can I expect? What is the worst case scenario? What will I do if this happens? Where are the uncertainties, what don't I know yet? I prefer to feel uncertain at first, as this sharpens my perception. So at first I allow myself rather little and only after observing and justifying things in the field am I prepared to expand my scope of action. However, expanding your scope of action requires more knowledge. Only those who have already gained experience in dealing with avalanche danger, reading the avalanche report and interpreting the indications will be able to interpret the signs on site and thus increase their options. Practical training, such as an avalanche course, is an absolute prerequisite. Those who lack this knowledge will have to stop at the assessment based solely on the danger level, slope inclination and exposure.
Checkpoints
In the terrain, I then try to stop in good time before any critical points, feel inside myself and calm down. Then I do my check and compare the factors that lead to avalanche danger according to theory with what I actually perceive on the ground. How much fresh snow is there really? Where did the wind come from? Are there fresh avalanches or "booming noises" to be observed? How should I generally assess the settlement and consolidation of the snowpack? Do I have to change my basic assessment according to the avalanche report, can I perhaps take more chances or do I have to be even more careful? In practice, this perception should be a completely natural process that you no longer need to remember. Only then will you be sure to recognize the important factors and not overlook alarm signals. It is also important that this process of perception is continuous, as conditions can change quickly and unexpectedly. If you go on several tours with an experienced mountain guide and have the observations and correlations explained to you at each check, you will learn many valuable things. You will slowly learn the strategy of the pros. If, on the other hand, I don't have the means of assessment - which can happen to me as a professional in difficult situations, such as bad weather - I only use the simple risk management of the SnowCard or the elementary reduction method, on which I normally base my own local assessment according to the factor check and the 3x3 filter method. However, if I can only rely on the information in the avalanche situation report and from the map, I have to make my safety cushion thicker. Then I may have to go without more often, but I run less risk of falling into a trap.
Finally, three basic tips for surviving in the snow:
Avoid steep slopes with fresh drift snow, especially when it is cold and/or has snowed on an unfavorable surface. You can often recognize the danger by dunes or other wind marks in the snowpack. The snow there is no longer completely loose, but more or less densely packed.
If the avalanche report mentions a poor structure of the snowpack, avoid rarely used steep slopes in the exposures mentioned in the report - even if the avalanche danger generally does not appear very high.
Train your constant, vigilant observation of nature.
Text: Martin Engler
