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PrintA Sense of Snow
Avalanche awareness begins with education
Participants check to ensure that their avalanche beacons are working properly before heading into the backcountry.
Whether you’re slipping through a gate into the unpatrolled backcountry terrain adjacent to the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort or headed into the heart of the Teton Range for an extended ski tour, ignorance is not bliss.
Jackson Hole may be a mecca for skiers and snowboarders seeking untracked powder away from the lifts, but dropping into uncontrolled, unpatrolled terrain without some understanding of snow science can be a recipe for tragedy.
Thirty-four avalanche fatalities occurred in the United States last winter, a new record. While there were no avalanche fatalities in the Tetons during the epic winter of 2007–08, twenty people have been killed by snowslides in the western Wyoming mountains since 2000. Studies show that 90 percent of all avalanche accidents are caused by the victim, or someone in the victim’s party, triggering the slide. Avoiding high-risk areas and knowing how to react when potential disaster does strike are essential mountain skills, say professionals.
“Avalanche education is vital for everyone who’s going to go out in the backcountry when there’s snow on the ground,” says Exum mountain guide Stephen Koch, who knows firsthand the power of avalanches. In 1998, he was caught and nearly killed by a snowslide during a solo attempt to snowboard 12,928-foot Mount Owen in Grand Teton National Park.
“I had my blinders on and I wasn’t paying attention; I was asleep at the wheel,” admits Koch, who after the incident founded the Avalanche Awareness Fund to offer avalanche education programs to school-aged children. “There’s too much at stake for people not to be educated.”
Fortunately, adult winter backcountry users seeking a safer experience and a better understanding of the Tetons’ ever-changing snowpack have education options available, too. Both Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and the American Avalanche Institute (AAI), the latter founded by legendary snow science guru Rod Newcomb, offer classes for all ability levels. It doesn’t matter if you’re a backcountry neophyte or someone who’s looking for the equivalent of an advanced degree in snow science—there is always more to be learned.
For skiers, snowboarders, and snowmachine enthusiasts seeking the basics, Jackson Hole Mountain Guides (307-733-4979 or www.jhmg.com) offers winter safety courses that serve as an introduction to the skills necessary for safe travel in the backcountry. The classes are two days long (with one evening session), and allow students to practice searches with their avalanche beacons and learn some basics about the snowpack and snow behavior. They are not designed to replace a more in-depth course; they simply prepare students to take one of those.
The AAI (307-733-3315 or www.avalanchecourse.com) focuses on Professional Level I and Level II classes, which are extensive three- and four-day sessions that provide additional time for more intensive instruction and hands-on practice. Level I classes focus on decision-making in the backcountry, and instructors teach students how dig snow pits, identify weak and strong layers in the snowpack, and practice route finding. Level II classes, which build on the Level I curriculum, are designed for those planning to lead others into the backcountry. Level II certification requires an additional eighteen hours of field time and fourteen hours in the classroom.
