Kent Scheler, Lead Guide for Teton Gravity Research, The North Face athletes Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Ian McIntosh, Xavier de la Rue, Jimmy Chin, Todd Ligare, and Dale Atkins, President of the American Avalanche Association, provide insight on how to how to push the limits in the backcountry without exceeding your boundaries. This episode focuses on an introduction to avalanche safety and backcountry gear. This episode focuses on terrain, snowpack, and weather.
This is not a replacement for formal avalanche training. If you plan to go out the backcountry you must make sure that you have the necessary skills and equipment to make the right decisions
This post is about the Avalanche Triad: Terrain, Snowpack and Weather.
So at the bottom is the terrain, and everything is built on that. So the terrain is a big aspect of it. The different slope aspects and slight angles will be more prone to avalanche than others.
You should always check the weather and avalanche forecast before going up the mountain. High winds and lots of snow could make the area more prone to avalanche.
The snowpack should always be checked on the mountain, one way of doing this is by digging a pit, this enables you to see the different layers of snow and give you more of an idea of how the snow will react when you ride on it.
If you are ever unsure just to back, it’s not worth it
Remember! This is only a small snippet of information and is not a replacement for formal avalanche training. If you plan to go out the backcountry you must make sure that you have the necessary skills and equipment to make the right decisions