1. male,
2. age 19-25,
3. have at least level 1 Avalanche cert.
Is there a source for this statistic (just curious)?
More hearsay, but I attended a NWAC intro lecture at the Mountaineers building that featured this statistic- made sense to me that if someone goes through the trouble to get certified they are probably going out in risky terrain a lot more per season than the occasional naive social media group headed to Snow Lake. Luck can run out on you no matter how much you know.
Luck can run out on you no matter how much you know.
In my avalanche course the instructor said all the experts had died in avalanches.
Not really true, but certainly got me to thinking....one can never know all there is to know about combinations and interactions of snow physics, weather, and terrain, not to mention arguably the least predictable factor: human behavior.
Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
if someone goes through the trouble to get certified they are probably going out in risky terrain a lot more
Yes, and not just risky terrain, but risky conditions. I believe that having Avy 1 often causes people to feel they have the skills to push the envelope and get into avy terrain when conditions are dangerous. The simple answer is to avoid avy terrain when conditions are dangerous. Typically that isn't too long in our maritime snow. For me there is no point in getting out this weekend. Patience...
One of the risks that "powder chasers" undertake is that conditions are often most enjoyable precisely when they are the most dangerous. Waiting a day in the PNW often results in significantly more stable conditions -- but also less fluffy conditions -- either from the settlement that made the snow more stable -- or from it being tracked out by other skiers.
In other regions the calculus is different -- since the snow pack doesn't stabilize in the same way -- in fact in many places the snow structure weakens over time.
Powder Snow -- the other "white powder"
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