Too often backcountry skiers and riders let a snowpit determine and/or justify their decision of skiing in avalanche terrain. However, one snowpit is just one snapshot of our snowpack and anybody who has been out in the Crested Butte backcountry this season knows that our snowpack is anything but uniform. So instead of just looking at the snow in one place, I often attempt to efficiently gather information about the snowpack throughout the day. This helps me gain a better mental image of how our snowpack changes over the terrain.
To help me do this, I constantly pull out my probe to check for depth, uniformity and layering in the snowpack. I am primarily concerned with shallow snow, changes in snow depth and strength within a short area, and strong over weak layering. If I encounter strong over weak layering, (which I commonly do here in Colorado!) I will take out my shovel and dig down to look at the layers. A quick test pit will reveal the depth of potentially troublesome layers as well as changes in hardness between layers.
I also always read the Crested Butte Avalanche Center’s forecast and create a “backcountry problem list.” The forecast provides me with a targeted list of concerns that I can go out and investigate. When I do dig in the snow, I commonly look for a specific layer and test how the snow above and below that layer is bonding. Reading the forecast can also generate questions that may assist me with safer terrain selection.
Rather than basing decisions in avalanche terrain on one piece of data, I encourage backcountry skiers and riders to employ a holistic and targeted approach to backcountry clue gathering. Have a safe winter and think snow!
0 comments:
Post a Comment