It's all factored into the paradoxical appeal of skiing the outback. It all accounts for why the backcountry is a place where euphoria and phobias are braided strands of the same rope.
If you're suicidal (or simply stupid), you'll ski what you want, when you want, and let fate decide your fate. Who cares if you get snuffed by the powder tsunami? In another 15 billion years, the random atom generator will plaster your collection of particles together again and you'll rise to ride the white surf again.
If, however, you approach backcountry skiing as a life-long sport--you know, one where you intend to maximize this appearance on The Wheel of Fortune--then avalanche avoidance must be Job 1. And, if you flunk Avalanche Avoidance 101, then avalanche rescue has gotta be Job 2.
Books (fat ones at that) have been written on this topic alone, so don't go thinking a little 'zine article will actually make you avi-savvy. This article can only help you take steps in the right direction.
Step One. Call your regional avalanche report the evening before taking to the outback. Even if you don't know squat about what makes snow stick or slide, the guys who assemble these reports do. And they know what's happening with your local snowpack. Until you're resourceful enough to evaluate a specific slope, let the general information from the regional forecast be your guide in deciding whether to ski on-piste or venture afield.
Step Two. Talk to the local ski patrol before taking to the outback. Get their opinion of the slopes you're planning to dice. Are you committing certain seppuku or is it merely a Russian-Roulette day? Are the slopes as stable as the German mark or as volatile as the Mexican peso? Sure, you're going to get a conservative answer--but that's good. Avalanche prediction is an unpredictable science and if you're consistently pushing the envelope on days when the hazard is high or moderate, you'll also be pushing daisies before your time. Listening to the ski patrol's advice is a real dilemma because most of us lose the smart half of our brain when the fluff is deep. You gotta keep reminding the stupid half of this truth: The longer you live, the more powder you'll ski.
Step Three. Enroll in an avalanche course. And read books on the subject. The bible of the genre is The Avalanche Handbook published by The Mountaineers (800-553-4453). It's not exactly a page-turner, but it will go a long way toward keeping you alive. I call that motivational reading.
Step Four. When the conditions get sketchy, ski with someone who knows snow. Or, befriend an enemy and show them the courtesy of first tracks. Yes, sometimes it's the Number 2 skier who bites the white dust, but most often it's the point man who takes the bullet.
Step Five. If you have any doubt about a slope's stability (most of the time you will), only expose one person at a time to the hazard. If you're climbing, that may entail spreading out (often by 100 yards or more) while you traverse broad slopes. Or it may mean climbing a steep gully one at a time. If you're descending, ski alone all the way down the slope, or leap frog down the slope (one at time) moving from each pocket of safety (a stand of big trees, a cliff that's out of the slide path) to the next. Keep asking what good your buddies will do ya if you're all taken down by the same slide.
* In maritime climates, characterized by heavy snowfall and relatively mild temperatures (Appalachians, Cascades, Sierras, Coast Range), the vast majority of wintertime avalanches occur during storms and in the 24 hours following heavy snowfall. In spring, hazard is high during and after storms, or, if there has been no new snow, in the afternoon when warm temperatures and/or direct sun exposure turn the snowpack into Slurpee stock.
* In continental climates, characterized by lighter snowfalls and cold temperatures (American and Canadian Rockies), unstable layers of temperature-gradient (TG) snow forming at ground level can render the entire backcountry extremely dangerous for months at time. Often it's only with the coming of spring, when warmer temperatures and water percolating down into the snowpack transform the dangerous TG snow into equitemperature snow, that the backcountry becomes safe to ski. Then, the same rules of spring skiing mentioned above apply (hazard is high after storms or, if there is no new snow, in the afternoon when the snowpack mushes up).
* The vast majority of large avalanches (some 85%) start on slopes whose pitch is between 30 and 45 degrees. Slides on slopes of less than 25 degrees are rare (although they are commonly overrun by slides draining off higher slopes). Meanwhile big avalanches on slopes steeper than 50 degrees are also unusual (the snow on these steeps slough off naturally in a series of little slides).
* Most people killed in slides triggered the event that brought about their demise. When you're getting bad vibes about a slope, abstinence is a powerful survival tool. You may feel cowardly turning tail and retracing your steps to safe ground, but this isn't a decision upon which the fate of the free world hinges. In this venue, a little shame is easier to live with than extinction.
CALIFORNIA
Central Eastern Sierras (619-934-6611), Lake Tahoe/Donner Pass (916-587-1593), Shasta environs (916-926-3606).
COLORADO
Aspen (303-920-1664), Colorado Springs (719-520-0020), Denver/Boulder environs (303-275-5360), Durango (303-247-8187), Fort Collins (303-482-0457), Summit County (303-668-0600), Vail environs (303-827-5687).
IDAHO
Sawtooth, Pioneer, and Smoky ranges (208-622-8027).
MONTANA
Bozeman environs (406-587-6981), Cooke City environs (406-838-2259), West Yellowstone (406-646-7912), Whitefish environs (406-257-8606).
NEVADA
Ruby Mountains (702-753-6867).
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Tuckerman Ravine (603-466-2725).
