Analyze, Interpret, Decide: Avalanche Education Resources

If you explore the backcountry on skis, board or sled, or if you’re considering it as a new pastime, you don’t want to miss the FREE, three-part Avalanche Education Series at Tahoe Mountain Sports. Three separate, fun and educational events will bring the Tahoe-Truckee backcountry community together for experiences like no other, valued at: priceless. The cost to the public: free.

PART ONE: Weds. Nov. 19 “Begin with Your Beacon” Presented by Ortovox with AIARE Instructor Tom Carter

PART TWO: Weds. Dec. 17 “Airbag Educational Evening” Presented by Ortovox and Black Diamond

PART THREE: Weds. Feb. 4 “Read, Interpret, Decide –Analyzing Avalanche Reports” Presented by Ortovox and the Sierra Avalanche Center

Doors @ 5:30 Program 6:15 to 8:00

Raffle(s): Participants can enter TWO raffles, both benefiting the Sierra Avalanche Center. The first raffle is a series-long raffle (to be drawn on Feb. 5, 2014) that includes a Mammut Protection Airbag Backpack AND thousands of dollars worth of avalanche safety gear. The second raffle will be for Ortovox avalanche rescue gear including beacons, probes, shovels and more!

Location: Tahoe Mountain Sports, 11200 Donner Pass Rd. – 5E, Truckee, CA 96161 (In the Safeway shopping center)

Here are some great resources on avalanche safety:

The Human Factor is often the turning point where things go wrong. Check out this series via Powder Magazine (written by David Page) on how staying safe in the backcountry isn’t just about assessing the snowpack; it also requires managing your own innate vulnerability to making poor choices. Live now, Chapter 1 , Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four and Chapter Five of The Human Factor pres. by Black Diamond Equipment Ltd. #HumanFactor

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AVALANCHE ENGINEERS is the story of two scientists who delve deep into the mysteries of the snowpack to find out how a snowflake becomes an avalanche. Filmed in Bozeman, Montana, this mini-doc takes you on a journey from the micro intricacies of snowflake structure to the massive mountainsides where this force of nature reigns.

Featuring David Walters and Tony Lebaron. Music by Grant Mason.

For more info about the Montana State University Subzero Lab: coe.montana.edu/ce/subzero/

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A program service of the High Fives Non-Profit Foundation, B.A.S.I.C.S. is designed to promote safety and awareness through world-class fundamentals coaching and education. The second in a series of five videos, the Avalanche Awareness video is intended to help those who ski, snowboard or snowmobile in the back country be better equipped and safe while being aware of the inherent dangers with such activities.

Key things to know to enjoy the back country and come home safe:
1. Get Educated. Learn about avalanche safety by taking a class.
2. Know your skills, know your surroundings. Check out forecasts for weather and conditions before you go.
3. Have the proper equipment and know how to use it (avalanche transceiver, probe, shovel, and airbag).
4. Never travel alone. Always ride with partners in a group and have a plan.
5. If you don’t feel comfortable, don’t go. There is always tomorrow when using good judgement.

Key websites:
American Institute for Avalanche Research and Eduction (avtraining.org)
Avalanche.Org (avalanche.org)
Forest Service National Avalanche Center (fsavalanche.org)
National Snow and Ice Data Center (nsidc.org)
Back Country Access (BCA) Float Airbags and Safety Equipment (backcountryaccess.com)

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Backcountry Magazine: “A Goal of Zero: The Avalanche Industry Looks to Change” – by Megan Michelson

Imagine if there were zero avalanche deaths each year in the United States—on average, that would mean 28 lives saved. A group of avalanche safety professionals is making bold attempts to drastically reduce avalanche fatalities in this country and to get there, they’re looking in an unlikely place: a Swedish automobile law from the 1990s.

In 1997, the Swedish Parliament approved a law called Vision Zero, which called for a complete shift in road planning, driver behavior, law enforcement and car manufacturing with the hopes of reaching zero automobile deaths by 2020. Shockingly, the plan is working.

Read the full article here.