top of page
Search

Avalanche Preparedness


Photo from our first AST1 course


The autumn season is coming, and that means snow season in the mountains will begin within the next couple months, depending on where you are. Now is the time to start thinking about preparing for a safe winter, so here is a quick read to give you some basic information on what you need to know and what gear you should have when traveling in the backcountry when there's snow in the mountains.


Avalanche preparedness and awareness is essential for any winter activity, and I do mean ANY winter activity. If you're in snow and there's a slope, you're in avalanche terrain. I hear it all the time when taking new snowshoers out on the trails: "we're just snowshoeing, we'll be fine." You just don't know that you'll be fine, until you've taken a course and realize just how dangerous snow can be. Even then, you can't ever fully know you'll be fine, you can only make assessments to the best of your ability. Even the most well-trained and seasoned adventurers still find themselves caught in avalanches, and it's not exactly a rare occurrence. The place to start is an AST1 course in Canada (AIARE or AAI in the USA). After taking one of those courses you'll have enough basic avalanche skills and awareness to realize just how little you know about them.


Really though, you don't know what you don't know and after I took my AST1 course this past winter, I realized there is a LOT about avalanches and winter adventure safety that I don't know, and that I have unknowingly put myself in danger during winter activities in the past. Getting an AST1 or equivalent under your belt is the best way to get yourself started. Use and hone those skills for a season, then go back for your AST2 (or equivalent) training the next season, and set up practice days with friends to make sure you're familiar with avalanche equipment and tools should the need to use them ever arrive.


Along with training, you'll need some gear. The basics include a transceiver/beacon, a probe and a shovel. These tools and pieces of equipment should be brought with you and easily accessible on any winter adventure in the mountains. Choosing the right pieces of equipment for you can be difficult as there's a lot of options out there.

Questions to consider include:

  • What am I using this equipment/gear for?

  • Will it fit into my pack and is it easily accessible?

  • Should I buy a new pack with a specific compartment for avi gear?

  • Will the battery life of my beacon/transceiver last for the length of my trip?

  • Do I need a battery bank to charge my beacon and other devices while on my trip?

  • How much does my gear/equipment weigh?

  • Is my beacon/transceiver compatible with the ones my adventure buddies have?

  • What kind of snow will I be traveling through? Will my gear hold up to it? Is my shovel going to break if it hits ice?


Just as an example, here's a list of what I personally have for avi gear:


Click here to go to my 'Safety, Emergency, First Aid' locker on Rock Porch. Some of the equipment listed above is in this locker as well as other safety gear I use, and I am continually adding to it.


This might feel overwhelming right now, but you will learn about this gear and equipment when you take a course. Depending on the course you take, required equipment may or may not be included. For the courses we offer in Squamish BC, equipment is not included but can be rented for $50CAD or less from nearby outfitters (I help you out with recommendations when you register). When you're talking to an outfitter about renting, be sure to let them know you're renting the equipment to be used during a course; oftentimes they will give you a discount, bringing the cost down to less than $30CAD. With this rental equipment you will be able to get familiar with how to use it and whether or not you like those particular pieces of gear. Your course guide will also have suggestions and things to say about specific gear that you can make note of before purchasing your own. If you don't want to buy your avi gear just yet, you can always keep renting from a nearby outfitter.


After you've taken a course and learned how to use a beacon, it's time to practice. Not all of us are out every week using avi gear and equipment, and you can forget how they operate quickly - especially if you're renting and not using the exact same beacon/transceiver every time. Here's how you and your adventure crew can set yourselves up for the best possible result, should the worst happen:

  1. Get a group together and plan a date to practice using your beacons, probes and shovels. Practicing in the snow is obviously best, but you can do this without snow, too.

  2. When you're all together, do your beacon check. Make sure everyone's beacons are on and working, and test them to ensure everyone's beacon is able to both send and receive transmissions.

  3. Have one person hide their beacon while in "send" mode. Hide it with an object that you'll be able to feel when you hit it with a probe. Getting an object that would feel similar to a body is best, like perhaps a firm pillow, because hitting a solid object in practice will feel an awful lot like hitting a rock or ice chunks in the field. Bury them in snow if you have snow, and cover your tracks.

  4. Have the rest of the group switch their beacons to "receive" mode and search for the hidden beacon.

  5. Once located to the closest possibility (lowest distance on someone's beacon), start the probing process.

  6. Once the object is located, start your shoveling process. Remember to form a straight line and shovel snow downhill, rotating the person at the front as they become fatigued.

  7. When you've uncovered the object and beacon, that round is complete! Now, someone else hide their beacon and try it again.


Doing this in between adventures or even in the parking lot before you start an adventure is an important part of avalanche safety. The saying "use it or lose it" applies here, because if you go too long without using your avi gear you may forget how to use it, and then what's the point of having it at all?


I hope this post inspires you to get some training and schedule practice runs. Let me know in the comments if there's anything else you want to know (without getting into training itself), ask questions about gear, and let me know what gear you use and why you like (or don't like) it!


Note: this blog post may contain affiliate links which, at no cost to you, may provide me with a small commission should you choose to make a purchase through my links.


Comments

bottom of page