Avalanche Training: Backpacker Magazine Review

Senior editor for Backpacker Magazine, Shannon Davis, recently took a CMS AIARE Level 1 avalanche course. He wrote a great review and some reasons you should join a one of CMS's courses this winter. Below is his post from Backpackers's blog.

First off, winter vacation is a misnomer. It was more of a long weekend, and it consisted of 10-hour days filled with lectures, power point presentations, snowshoeing, “strategic shoveling,” shovel tap tests, signal searching, probing, and eating lots and lots of donut holes. Can you guess what I was doing?

Here's a multiple-choice quiz to help you narrow your guesses:

Shannon was:

1.Taking an American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Level 1 Avalanche Course.
2. Auditioning for a new reality television program called Norwegian Idol.
3. Actually in Mexico drinking on the beach. He made up the stuff on this list so his boss would think his absence was work-related and not dock a personal day.

If you guessed #1, thumbs up for yout: I was taking an AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course. And if you guessed 2 or 3, thanks for believing that I am that Norwegiously talented or that ballsy. Alas, I am just more knowledgeable about avalanche terrain and making good decisions in said terrain than I was before.

If you snowshoe in the backcountry, winter camp, backcountry ski or splitboard, or fancy yourself a mountaineer, AIARE 1 is an extremely valuable course. Over the three days we spent in Rocky Mountain National Park (during which we got over a foot of fresh pow), I learned a ton. Here are some highlights:

--The biggest red flag in assessing avalanche terrain is slope angle, and avalanches occur most often on slopes between 30 and 45 degrees. It’s astonishing how benign a 30-degree slope looks, so add a slope meter to your winter gear kit. Some other red flags: 12 inches or more of snow in one day, wind (will create snow slaps on leeward slopes), rapidly warming temps, new soft snow layers on solar aspects (parts of a mountain that get the most solar radiation).

--When properly excavating an avalanche victim, you will move between one and 1.5 tons of snow (this is more than my truck weighs). The guidelines of “strategic shoveling” require that you dig a platform downslope from the probe-strike, two meters wide and 1.5 times the depth of the probe strike long. This will enable you to dig to the level of the victim and have a surface to provide first aid once the victim is extracted. Your beacon search, probing, and shoveling should all be completed within 15 minutes; survival drops off considerably after this benchmark.

--Snowflakes are pretty! I haven’t thought about this much since probably 3rd grade, but I think macro shots of single flakes will be my new decorating scheme. Bye bye Ansel Adams prints, hello flakes. My wife will love this. And fresh snow in the park is damn pretty, too.

--Pretrip planning is so important. Check the avalanche forecast (Colorado has a great one: http://avalanche.state.co.us/index.php), then look at your intended route on the map. Predetermine risky areas and alternate routes, then create points on the map where you are going to stop and assess conditions, your best route options, and your travel technique. Pretty soon you’ll be saying stuff like: “Conditions are high on north to southeast facing aspects at treeline and above on slopes of 30 degrees or higher. We’re going to hit that terrain at mile 2.5 right after this tight switchback on the map. We’ll stop there and check snowpack.”

--Three essential pieces of gear: avalanche beacon, probe, and shovel. Don’t leave home without them, and don’t strap them to the outside of your pack—stuff tends to fall off when lashed to the outside. You wouldn’t lash your lunch to the outside of our pack would you? This stuff is even more important.

--The Colorado Mountain School is an awesome place to take a course (or sign up for a climb). Our instructors, Russel and Andrew, were super-professional and made learning delicious and calorie-packed (free donuts every morn!). Plus, there’s a bunkhouse at their Estes Park base with a full kitchen that’s only $25/night. Russel even blogged about the course. Check it out here. http://www.coloradomountainschool.blogspot.com/

—Shannon Davis

Source: Backpacker Blogs:
http://www.backpacker.com/avalanche_training_winter/blogs/daily_dirt/1676

Equipment for the Alaska Mountaineering Seminar

Colorado Mountain School guide, Russell Hunter, reviews what to pack for a Alaska Mountaineering Seminar. We're organizing our gear for our spring trip. You should join us for an amazing training, experience, and adventure of a life time.

Alaska Mountaineering Seminar
April 23rd-May 2nd, 2010

Colorado Mountain School
www.totalclimbing.com
800.836-4008

Avalanche Training February 19-21, 2010

It was an exciting weekend for teaching avalanche courses. Rocky Mountain National Park received around a foot of new snow and with some wind created some sensitive slabs. Colorado Mountain School taught both a Level 1 and a Level 2. The recent backcountry fatality in Colorado is a sober reminder of the risks we take as backcountry users and the importance of having a foundation of education to help make critical decisions.


The Level 1 course had 10 students who were all very enthusiastic to be learning more about avalanches. On day 1 we spent the morning in the classroom learning about avalanche mechanics and more importantly how to recognize avalanche terrain. In the field, with the snow dumping, we practiced companion rescue and learned firsthand how difficult it can be to move over a ton of snow to dig someone out of the snow. We were able to run a realistic scenario that surprised all students and with a dummy buried in the snow gave folks a realistic burst of adrenaline. All students were really excited about the scenario and saw the importance of leadership in an effective companion rescue.


Day 2 brought bluebird conditions and the park was fresh and beautiful with all the new snow. How would the new snow bond with the old snow surface was the big question we set out to answer. As avalanche educators we like to poke and prod the snowpack to see if we can get the snow to avalanche. We do this on small slopes with minimum consequences of being caught, we call these slopes test slopes. Sure enough, instabilities were found and we got some slopes to move.


The new snow is resting on a weak layer that was formed during the period of no snow and slides easily especially on southern aspects. On our last day in the field we again got a slope to slide which was quite dramatic. The crown was 2 feet deep at the deepest and was about 70 feet wide and ran another 80 feet. Standing just 50 feet from this slide I could feel it in my body, an amazing experience!


Russell Hunter
CMS Guide
AIARE Level 1 and 2 Instructor
rhunter@totalclimbing.com

Top Rope Anchor Clinic with CMS guide Eric Whewell

For more great tips, clinics, and information check out the Colorado Mountain School's courses at: www.totalclimbing.com or call 800.836.4008

V Thread Clinic with Steve Johnson

New Snow in Colorado = Really Good Skiing!!

Mike and some friends found amazing pow last weekend in the Vail area. The snow has been hitting the Front Range and Summit County over the past week with accumulations of over a foot in RMNP. It's time to get out and ski!
Don't forget about your avalanche training this winter. The Colorado Mountain School is running courses every weekend from now until the beginning of April. It's the perfect time to take a course. Don't delay.
Enjoy!

www.totalclimbing.com
800.836.4008

JStar: Benefits of training at the Boulder Rock Club

Top 10 reasons to join us on our Alaskan Mountaineering Semiar

Custom trips are always available. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact us at 800-836-4008 x3. Click here for more information and details.

PM's new route at the Boulder Rock Club 2/9/10

Boulder Rock Club has an Auto Belay

Boulder Rock Club route setter, Ruckus, gives us the low low on a few new routes and the recently installed auto belay. Yes, the auto belay is back at the Boulder Rock Club.
Come check out the new routes each week at the BRC.

Boulder Rock Club
www.totalclimbing.com
303.447.2804

New Routes at the Boulder Rock Club 2/1/10

BRC route setter, Jonathan Siegrist (AKA J Star), talks about one of his new routes. The route setters have put up a bunch of new routes this week. Come check 'em out and keep tuning in for more route beta.

Boulder Rock Club
www.totalclimbing.com
303.447.2804