Safe Travel Techniques in Avalanche Terrain

How to Cross a Suspect Snow Slope to Minimize Risk of Being Buried

Aug 18, 2009

Staying safe in the backcountry is best achieved through good route finding, recognition of unstable slopes and by avoiding avalanche terrain when danger is high.

Traveling across avalanche slopes should be avoided where possible. Wide, gently-angled ridges and flat terrain well away from avalanche runout zones offer the safest routes of travel.

Before setting out, skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, snowshoers, climbers and hikers traveling in the backcountry need to be mindful of the consequences if an avalanche does occur. The principles behind the following techniques apply to all backcountry revelers.

Follow Safe Travel Techniques Crossing Snow Slopes

Safe travel in avalanche terrain is about team work. It is never advised to travel alone in avalanche country. As a group, a leader with the most experience should be appointed to manage the party through hazardous terrain to minimize the likelihood of triggering a snow slide.

Only expose one person at a time to a potentially dangerous slope. A single person puts less weight than a group on potential weak snow layers. As avalanche expert Bruce Tremper cautions, “Safety in numbers . . . served us well through the eons when lions, tigers and bears were our greatest fear . . . Our herding instinct has the opposite effect in avalanche terrain.” (Tremper in Fredston, J. 2005)

Consider who is available to carry out a rescue and the equipment and skills they possess.

Never cross a slope above a partner. An avalanche set off on top of someone may not only catch them but also leave no one to carry out a rescue.

Move From Safe Spot to Safe Spot in Avalanche Terrain

One example of a safe spot would be high ground on the windward side of a ridge-line where snow has not accumulated. Be wary of traveling on unfamiliar ridges in low visibility conditions due to possible cornices.

Always move a safe distance away from the base of a slope just descended. Avalanches are typically triggered on slope angles between 25 and 45 degrees. The slope angle where the avalanche debris piles up however, known as the runout zone, can be much lower angle even flat and should be kept well clear of.

Have an escape route preplanned. Before crossing a hazardous avalanche slope look for potential safe areas. If, while crossing a slope a snow slab releases cut diagonally across the slope (as quickly as the mode of travel allows) aiming for the island of safety e.g. visible rocks, a cluster of trees, a ridge.

Practice slope cuts. This involves a skier, snowmobiler or snowboarder crossing a slope with speed at about a 45 degree angle aiming for a safe spot. The theory behind the technique is that if the slope fractures the person crossing will have sufficient momentum to be carried safely to the other side.

Watch partners and signal when individuals in a team are clear of the slope. In a big group, especially when skiing in trees or low visibility, use a buddy system.

Equipment for Safe Travel in Avalanche Terrain

Wear releasable bindings (skiers). Keep pole and ice axe straps off wrists. These items can drag a person under the snow in the event of being caught in an avalanche.

Communication devices that function in the area should be carried and well charged i.e. mobile phone, radio or satellite phone in remote locations. Consider carrying two-way radios for communication within large groups.

Transceiver, Shovel and Probe is the minimum avalanche search and rescue equipment to be carried by every member of the party before setting out on a journey in snowy backcountry terrain. Accompanying the equipment must be the requisite knowledge and experience of how to use it. Other avalanche safety equipment that may be carried includes an Avalung or an ABS Airbag.

In deep snow consider using ski ribbons. Searching for a lost ski, spending prolonged periods standing on a suspect slope with no means of rapid escape is risky.

Backcountry travelers need to have the skills to assess current avalanche hazard in the area they are heading and choose a safe route accordingly. Before crossing a suspect slope all route options, including turning back, should be considered.

The copyright of the article Safe Travel Techniques in Avalanche Terrain in Winter Sports is owned by Lisa Auer. Permission to republish Safe Travel Techniques in Avalanche Terrain in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.