This video was produced by some Utah snowmobilers along with the Utah Avalanche Center. There’s a lot to learn from watching it but many folks are probably going to find it easy to criticize some of the choices and actions from this day. If you watch the entire video, you’ll see that the group was aware of some of the key mistakes they made. So let’s look at the positive aspects of the video and not harsh on them.… Read more
Guest blogger, Donny Roth reflects after a recent trip to Alaska. Donny runs Independent Descents and is based in Boulder, CO when he is not on the road.
“There is NO way this can be stable!” I just spent over two weeks skiing in Alaska, and if I had a dollar for every time I made this statement, I could have easily ordered another pitcher of Mosaritas at Mosy’s in Haines. (Mental note: Put this in my contract for next year.) The snow in Alaska is legendary in its ability to stick to steep slopes and also for the power with which it sloughs as skiers cut through it. Before ever… Read more
Below is a guest blog from Norie Kizaki, a Colorado Mountain School (CMS) guide who won our AMGA Ski Guide Course scholarship and just took her course:
My name is Norie Kizaki and I am a mountain guide for Colorado Mountain School in Boulder, Colorado and a ski guide for Hokkaido Powder Guides in Hokkaido, Japan. I received the 2012 BCA scholarship for the AMGA Ski Guide Course. My Ski Guide course took place in Aspen, Colorado from March 12th to March 23rd. There were ten course participants (including me) from across the US (and the world), along with our instructors, Amos Whiting and Peter Leh. I have been preparing… Read more
Attention Avalanche Airbag owners living in the United States- we’re currently running a survey to collect data that will eventually be made into a presentation for the 2012 International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW) this fall. While there have been studies made already on airbag use in several parts of Europe and Canada, there is currently little information in states.
If you can, please take a minute to fill out our survey by clicking here.… Read more
Below are two videos from a recent seminar put on by prolific guide and all around backcountry guru Margaret Wheeler and the Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center. Wheeler is the co-author of the comprehensive guidebook, Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering and a UIAGM certified guide for Pro Guiding Service out in Washington.
The first video caters (as the title says) to the more experienced backcountry traveler and hence contains more in-depth and ultimately very informative tips on the planning (avalanche conditions, weather patterns, and terrain selection) and observational (snow pit and snow assessment) aspects of a typical tour. Wheeler also delves into how… Read more
Below are some words from Doug Krause, the Snow Safety Director of Silverton Mountain. Doug works day in and out with avalanche mitigation, and it’s a huge honor for him to speak so highly of the Tracker 2.
As a Ski Patrol we are responsible for mitigating avalanche hazard in over 1800 acres of Class A avalanche terrain filled with one of the most dangerous snowpacks on earth. Our mountain is riddled with couloirs, cliff bands, large alpine bowls and steep below treeline gladed skiing. It snows a lot here and when it does the slabs come crashing down the mountains.
Avalanche hazard assessment and reduction is an everyday job… Read more
Matt Wade, of Peak Mountain Guides, wrote up this nice piece after teaching a recent avalanche course. To learn more about Peak Mountain Guides, visit here
Tap, tap, tap. . . . Matt’s pencil rapped against the table and his brow furrowed. “Wait, wait, say that again – surface hoar forms when the relative humidity is high at the snow surface?” It was the beginning of a Level 2 Avalanche Course with Peak Mountain Guides and we were beginning a quest to become good observers of all things avalanche: weather, snow, and avalanche activity. It would be brain bending at times, but most importantly it would help us ride good… Read more
In our second installment of the rundown, Donny takes us through how to use the Digital Thermometer, Crystal Card and the Magnifier Loupe.… Read more
We’re back with another video from Donny Roth shot down in Bariloche, Argentina where he takes us through a few of the items found in our Snow Study Kit. Stay tuned for Part Two.… Read more
Donny Roth takes us through the steps to conduct a proper Rutschblock Test. When not traveling in search of skiing, climbing and cycling destinations, Donny can be found at home in Boulder, CO. He has been entertaining himself in the backcountry for 18 years and is now a guide and runs the website Independent Descents.… Read more
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