Standard Protocol?

[newbreak]

The KNOW the SNOW video submission deadline passed and you can view the submissions here on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/groups/knowthesnow

This is part of the first phase of 'Project Zero' avy fatalities, and there are some sweet submissions. Is this the starting point of a new wave of outreach?

SchralphMacchio was talking in the PuckerFace thread about a protocol for bc recreationalists, like a checklist? Doesn't have to be 14 points.... I'm thinking these videos could be another way to help illustrate that as well.

Is there a need for a standard protocol of sorts that we as bc recreationalists/rippers follow and mentor while we're out there? would you use it if there was?

[homemadesalsa]

You know, these protocols have been around for a LONG time. It isn't rocket science.

- ski one at a time, eyes on partners
- don't ski above your partner
- stop in REAL safe zones
- use clear pre-set communication
- red light terrain is a place for focus (avoid use of tunes, bs, too much noise)

There are more, but that's the meat of the matter. Would be great to see it in videos, in practice in real-life situations.

[wra]

Timing is everything. You can only travel safely on red terrain when the snowpack is a green. When instability exists, you need to notch back your slope angles.

Measure your slope angles. This not only lets you know the capability of the terrain to produce avalanches, but also helps you categorize the type of instability you may be dealing with. For any given avalanche cycle or instability, failure will occur only on a certain range of slope angles. Keep in mind that shear failure propagation is common when a sensitive weak layer like surface hoar or young faceted snow is subjected to a new load.

Always look for tender spots or areas of stress concentration. Likely problem areas are rollovers, places where the slope angle suddenly increases, wind-loaded areas, shaded aspects, thin spots, a short distance below cliff bands or near rocks and brush where weak layers are likely to be more well developed.

Study fracture lines. Note which slopes have slid, what the bed surface slope angles were, where the fractures broke, what they ran on, and how deep they were. You can learn a lot from this, including developing x-ray avalanche eyeballs for detecting tender spots and stress concentration areas. Also measure the runout or alpha angle, that is, the angle between the furthest extent of the avalanche and the fracture line. This angle is an indication of the runout distance or efficiency of a given avalanche. The lower the angle, the more efficient and longer-running the slide. If you have a path you like to travel in regularly, take a photograph of it and make an enlargement. Overlay the print with a plastic mylar. Draw any avalanche activity you observe during the season on this mylar and make a note as to contributory terrain, snowpack, and weather factors.

Integrate clues. Continually seek bull's-eye data. Once you have an opinion about snow stability, keep seeking additional information to confirm or refute that opinion and to further reduce your level of uncertainty. Don't be "suckered" in by the absence of obvious clues like recent avalanche activity, whumphing noises, or shooting cracks. Your biggest clue may just be recent weather events.

Hammer on the snowpack. The snow stability evaluation process does not end until the snow melts. Do not get complacent. You can travel all day and find your problem spot within five minutes of the end of the day. Be very careful about climbing one aspect and travelling down another. Jump on little slopes. Cut cornices with ropes. Do belayed jump or pit tests. If you are an expert skier and are dealing with a surface instability, ski test small slopes when you have a good traverse line between safe spots and a reliable partner. If it does avalanche, take a few minutes to examine why. Keep in mind that just because a slope doesn't go, doesn't mean that it is stable.

Analyze your assumptions / beware of the human factor. Remember that the avalanche dragons do not care if you are tired, hungry, grumpy, or late for work. Is your attitude interfering with your objectivity? When evaluating avalanche hazard, you need to think like an avalanche. Do not be reassured just because there are tracks on a slope.

Choose your travel lines carefully. For your first run, choose a slightly less steep angle or a line off to the edge of the slope rather than center-punching the path. Always think escape routes. Which way are you going to jump if the slope cuts loose?

Think consequences. What's going to happen to you if you get caught or buried? Do better alternatives exist? Is it worth it?

Be conservative. When in doubt, notch back your slope angles. If you have a "travel to die" attitude, you probably will.

Use safe travel procedures. Travel on or near steep slopes one at a time. Be anti-social. Never stop in the middle or at the bottom of an avalanche slope—always stop off to the side or well out away from the runout zone. Never travel above your partner. Keep each other in sight. Choose your partners carefully. If skiing, use releasable bindings and do not wear safety straps on your skis or poles.

Be prepared for the worst. Have a rescue plan and carry avalanche rescue equipment (shovel, beacon and probe per person). Understand that your beacon is not a safety talisman. A functioning beacon just ensures that the beacon will be recovered and does not guarantee that you will survive the avalanche.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

^^^Bob for the win!

[newbreak]

These are all solid protocols. The question is how do we get them into the forefront of average Joe who wants untracked and has never seen the light.

Social media? Ski porn that also shows preparation? I think it has to start with us on the mtn already and spreading the good word. Breaking down the walls.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Survival of the Fittest? Darwinism? I don't want a nanny state. Yes these are good ideas, just like applying the same thought process to life. You will never get all or even most people to think critically or apply best practices.

[jono]

The majority of US fatalities I've read of this year (most of which have been linked to here) have been wearing beacons. They demonstrated (at least) a willingness to invest in safety. I would say the problem is not failing to get through to them but getting through without the whole message. A little information is dangerous.

While protocols abound, anything short of a comprehensive set that covers all known situations is just a little more information. So we move across a continuum from basic knowledge and basic protocols to learning and adding to those (and, usually, adding some risk as we gain confidence), but the comprehensive set eludes everyone. Partly because it's not concise enough to be remembered all the time and partly because it's nothing more than a list of known problems, so it doesn't account well for things we've never imagined. The latter can only be addressed by remembering that we don't know everything (leave some margin/be ready to learn), but the former could be improved by gathering known information in a more concise format so it will be remembered and applied with greater consistency. I like the attempt newbreak, hopefully the expert halo is not so strong as to prevent the discussion that's needed to integrate different approaches concisely and without overlap.

[jono]

On the ski porn subject, I took a class recently that integrated some of The Fine Line. I thought it helped; kept us alert and more in an outdoor mindset.

Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuE2Zgmr3L8#

[newbreak]

Seems similar to gun safety, maybe? Not everyone takes a class about it, but those who do realize it's worth it after they've immersed. I see this in our avy awareness classes. Joe Q leaves there with either a newfound respect and possible even fear for a couple concepts and forgets the rest, or leaves there thinking he has done the prerequisite and it's time to shred even gnarlier terrain.

But there still this wall around perceived 'preaching' while actually out in the backcountry. I think the wall needs to come down brick by brick, and the way to start that evolution is to share knowledge 'mano a mano', so to speak. If more and more rippers, shredders and sledheads talk about it freely while sharing terrain or shooting the shit, it becomes another part of the lexicon of being out there.

But what I am seeing and experiencing is a deliberate hush about on snow safety communication between disconnected touring groups in the same terrain areas. We talk about it all the time within our groups but between groups it's really not happening.

Maybe this perception is geographical in nature (front range/summit/vail) only, but I don't think that's the case.

Jono, thanks for the Fine Line tip, very good series and there are many easy to grasp concepts that can and should be shared. Agreeing and promoting the keep concepts across the board is a bit of a holy grail, but maybe if it's something like 5 keys, it's a start...as opposed to no keys and no discussion.

?