Books, classes, etc.

[grskier]

I'm looking to do more BC starting this year. I've located the names of several books that I'm going to order for my reading next month:
Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain
The ABC's of Avalanche Safety
Secrets of the Snow

Any others I should pick up?


My buds and I are planning on taking a class this early winter (prob. here in the boulder area, Indian Peaks).

We all picked up most of the gear (probe, beacon, shovels) last year, and figured I'd pick up a slopemeter, thermometer, magnify glass, etc.

Anything I'm missing?
I'm sure I'll learn a crapload in the class, what to have, etc. But budgetary wise, I'd like to start picking this stuff up soon.

[ninjabirdman]

don't worry about thermometer/magnifying glass/etc. just yet. go out and play in the snow.

[goldenboy]

Mentioned in another thread, "The Snowy Torrents" is another great resource. Basically, a collection of avalanche incident reports where you can learn a lot from other people's mistakes. Avail. here: http://dnr.state.co.us/geostore/Prod...roductid=SP-39

[FrankZappa]

Check out silverton avalanche school for what they have under suggested reading.
Also over at CAIC might have some listed.

My lil' local library here in Salida either had all of 'em or brought them in for me.

[cj001f]

A subscription to the Avalanche Review:
http://www.americanavalancheassociat...lications.html

there are other more arcane publications, what's listed above is more than enough for your first year or three.... get into the field and put the knowledge to use.

[grskier]

Many thanks.

You guys rock
or something like that

[homerjay]

Tremper's book is all you need. Keep it on your nightstand.

magnifying glasses and thermometers are too advanced at this point for your needs, just get a slopemeter. Learn how to identify layers.

Also, send $$ and join friends of the CAIC. Read the avalanche report EVERY SINGLE DAY, it's a good way to keep tabs on what's going on if you're like most people and can't poke around every day. Program the hotline number into your cellphone. You should have a good idea of what's going on in the snowpack before you ever assemble your shovel.

[Jer]

I own at least 20 books that deal with avalanches/bc safety. The two that really stand out are "Staying Alive..." and "The Snowy Torrents".

A lot of books on the subject really get bogged down with too much science - "Staying Alive..." is very direct and very infomative. As far as "The Snowy Torrents", one of the best ways to learn is from the mistakes of others. It's also sobering to see how many people die from trauma before they even get a chance to suffocate.

[~mikey b]

If anyone wants a free highlighted and underlined copy of "Avalanche Safety for Skiers and Climbers" by Tony Daffern, drop me a pm. I found a copy in the free piles at the library bookstore today.

[Toby]

^ I like Daffern's book. Material covered is almost the same as Trempers and it's a lot drier, but I like to read it once for every 2 or 3 times I read Tremper just to change it up a bit.

[Below Zero]

Anyone know where I can pick up The Snowy Torrents without having to buy it online?

I hate when you have to sign up with a password just to buy something.

[~mikey b]

can't help with Snowy Torrents sorry

here's something I put together for an NSP Level 1 class last year that might be helpful to some folks - please let me know if any of this has changed or if you have any other resources

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve got a few web resources that folks might like to check out before the course if you get a chance. These are not required, but might be a good way to test your current avalanche knowledge and get you thinking about avalanches while we are in our current rainy weather pattern.

• The US Forest Service National Avalanche Center (http://www.avalanche.org/~nac/) has two good basic slide presentations that take you through some of the important topics we’ll be covering. The first is the Slide Guide: A Day in the Backcountry (http://www.avalanche.org/~nac/slideg...s/slide1.html). This 25 slide presentation takes you though the basic concepts of recognizing potential avalanche hazards, snow stability evaluation, safe travel techniques, and avalanche rescue. You can then test what you’ve learned by taking the Interactive Backcountry Tour (http://www.avalanche.org/~nac/NAC/IBTpages/index.html). In this decision making activity, you’ll be asked to make a series of decisions based on conditions that you observe while on a backcountry tour. This will be a good introduction to some of the decision making activities that we will be using in the course.

• The Canadian Avalanche Centre (http://www.avalanche.ca/) has recently introduced a new web-based, multi-media basic avalanche course, The Avalanche First Responder Course (http://access.jibc.bc.ca/avalancheFi...nse/index.htm). This is one of the best online avalanche resources we have seen, but it requires high speed internet access, and some of the pages may take a long time to load. If you have the patience and the proper computer, you’ll probably really like this.

• Teton Gravity Research’s lead guide Jim Conway has a great resource called Conway’s Corner (http://www.tetongravity.com/conwaysc...onwaymain.html) with some good avalanche articles, a short online informational course, and videos.

• Biglines (www.biglines.com) is a Canadian based website with some great articles in their Avalanche Information section.
.
• Off Piste Magazine (http://www.offpistemag.com ) has some great avalanche articles available in their Avy 101 series (http://www.offpistemag.com/themag/avy/index.html)

• Couloir’s Avy Info page (http://www.couloirmag.com/articles/avy_index.htm) also has some good stuff, including beacon search techniques and snow stability tests.

[eirikainersharp]

The avalanche handbook by McClung published by the mountaineers is also another great reference if you want to learn a little bit about the science behind avalanches. A new edition has just come out that is pretty uptodate.

[Below Zero]

Mentioned in another thread, "The Snowy Torrents" is another great resource. Basically, a collection of avalanche incident reports where you can learn a lot from other people's mistakes. Avail. here: http://dnr.state.co.us/geostore/Prod...roductid=SP-39

FYI for maggots - you can purchase this book in Denver - 1313 Sherman Street - Room 715 - Monday to Friday - 8AM to 5PM

[cj001f]

Sense we are perhaps drifting afield - here's some books on my shelf

Snowy Torrents Volumes 1-4
Avalanche Handbook - Mcclung
PowderGuide: Managing Avalanche Risk - Kurzender
Snow, Weather and Avalanches: Observation Guidelines - American Avalanche Association
Handbook of Snow - DM Gray
Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain - Tremper
Secrets of the Snow - LaChapelle
Field Guide to Snow Crystals - LaChapelle
Snowsense
Avalanche Rescue Fundamentals -NSP
Snow Structure and Ski Fields - Seligman (old 30s text)

Does anyone know who would be the best contact for making the Snowy Torrents available online? (perhaps this deserves it's own thread)

[Below Zero]

Does anyone know who would be the best contact for making the Snowy Torrents available online? (perhaps this deserves it's own thread)

I'll bite, I guess. Are you fucking with me here? Did you click on goldenboy's thread?

[cj001f]

I'll bite, I guess. Are you fucking with me here? Did you click on goldenboy's thread?

By "available online" I mean as a downloadable PDF. By "who do I talk to" I meant - who are the proper people to speak with for determining the legal niceties to make it legally downloadable. I could write off to various parties and await a reply; there's enough people here they might be able to shorten that search.

I own all of the Snowy Torrents; I've been (slowly) scanning them to PDFs. It would be a great service to the community if they could be legally downloaded.

[Below Zero]

By "available online" I mean as a downloadable PDF. By "who do I talk to" I meant - who are the proper people to speak with for determining the legal niceties to make it legally downloadable. I could write off to various parties and await a reply; there's enough people here they might be able to shorten that search.

I own all of the Snowy Torrents; I've been (slowly) scanning them to PDFs. It would be a great service to the community if they could be legally downloaded.

Gotcha. Sorry about that.

[Tri-Ungulate]

I own all of the Snowy Torrents; I've been (slowly) scanning them to PDFs. It would be a great service to the community if they could be legally downloaded.

That would be most awesome. Especially for some of the volumes that are sometimes difficult to get ahold of. When you get done scanning them, even if you don't post 'em online, could you, uh, let me check the PDF's out - purely for academic reasons, of course.

The McClung & Schaearer book is very dry and dispassionate - soporific even, but top-notch information. A new edition for 2006 is now out.

edit - eirikainersharp already mentioned it.

[Squatch]

Hijack: I'll be doing taking the Avy 1 class that CU is offering tomorrow/sunday. Any mags gonna be there.

[Z]

Tremper's book is all you need. Keep it on your nightstand.

magnifying glasses and thermometers are too advanced at this point for your needs, just get a slopemeter. Learn how to identify layers.

Also, send $$ and join friends of the CAIC. Read the avalanche report EVERY SINGLE DAY, it's a good way to keep tabs on what's going on if you're like most people and can't poke around every day. Program the hotline number into your cellphone. You should have a good idea of what's going on in the snowpack before you ever assemble your shovel.

Yep. Trempers book is the shit. I read it before I took level 1, then afterwards realized that a close reading is the same exact thing if not more informative than level 1. The class was helpful to see exactly how pit tests should be conducted, and my instructed summited Everest on an inversion day so his slideshow was UN-FUCKING-REAL.

On another note, what happened to not cutting above people when skiing BC? When I first started skiing BC I was guilty of it, and it seems like that rule seems to be somewhat inconsistent. No matter what terrain im skiing in the BC, I will ALWAYS ski below you even if it's 5 feet below (ie. safe zone).

[marshalolson]

On another note, what happened to not cutting above people when skiing BC? When I first started skiing BC I was guilty of it, and it seems like that rule seems to be somewhat inconsistent. No matter what terrain im skiing in the BC, I will ALWAYS ski below you even if it's 5 feet below (ie. safe zone).

seconded. one of my pet peeves. for a reason. don't cut above. ever. period.

[lemon boy]

Part of that is a two way street, if you're the first down stop in your safe area so that others in the party are naturally collected below. It is pretty common to see somebody stop so that it is difficult for their party to do other than come in above.