Human Factors in Avi Accidents
Hey there gang, well even I have to admit things don't look good right now and we are all in for a long slow wait until things settle down and have a chance to cure. I have no way to speak to how long this will take but I can put out some things to think about that apply to all snowpack: the Human Factor.
The pros started talking about this just before I did my CAA Level 2 and the theme was that just about every avalanche accident has an element of human decision making involved... why did the group go for one last run, why did you cross the slope in the middle?
Things like timing, group dynamics and fatigue and health all factor in. I'm gonna toss some of the ideas I remember from courses and personal observations and ask everybody else out there to add their own stories and observations. This isn't very scientific and it will not help anyone understand the snowpack but if it helps one person make a better decision in the snow someday then it will be worth the time:
1. Mixed gender groups make better decisions (I can get away with this cuz I'm a gurl): a group of all guys has a hard time backing off a goal due to escalating testosterone levels, having a girl around may help disperse that and allow the group to consider backing off without any of the guys having to step up and have th balls to call it bad. (provided of course that he girl has the balls to make the call of course.) - I wonder if this had a hand in the big Fernie accident... 8 guys jonsing to go... generally speaking it would be a hard sell to turn back... and good for any guy who has the balls to seem like a "chicken"... at least the chicken is guaranteed to ski again another day.
2. Time- the 3:20 syndrome... nothing bad has happened yet so it won't. If it hasn't slide by now, it isn't going to. Many accidents happen late in th afternoon, complacency and comfort factor in, also fatigue in the group, people are getting tired and are less likely to pick up on signs of instability, people fall and spend more time on slopes. Consequences are also higher in the event of an incident due to rescuer fatigue and darkness approaching to prevent back up from arriving. Plan do ski the Gnar closer to noon and back off towards the end of the day, don't pick the hardest run for your last.
3. Time - amount of time you have to do something will affect how you make decisions. If you are ike me and have forever to do things... well it is easy to put it off until next week, next month or even next year... I'm in it for the long run so I don't have to push anything. The kid from the UK who is here for a year is in a different boat, she wants to have as many great runs as she can get cuz she is off to become a corporate accountant in Bristol next year and will be cut off in April. The factor of not having other options will cause folks to push the limits. I recently had an experience where the 12 hour window of opportunity for an event fell inside high avi hazard and the leader of the group wanted to do the exercise regardless of the funky conditions. The fact that this is the only chance to do something does not make it the best reason to do it.
4. Fatigue - tired people make stupid decisions. "I don't want to go around this slope because I'm too tired to climb to the ridge... I'll ski fast across the middle instead." This one can also be a time thing... we don't have time to climb up and around before dark so lets just cross the slope.
5. Familiarity - I've skied this hundreds of times and it has never slid!!! This is very important for the slack country right now... the snow is super funky and it is NOT normal... your backyard is a scary place right now, take it easy. I wonder if this played a role in the accident in Fernie too: "Come on... it's only Harvey Pass, we've been sledding there since we were 12!!" Other places to be caught by this one: Flute and Oboe, West Bowl, Wawa Ridge, anyplace you go every weekend with yer buds just outside the boundary fence. or just off the highway with easy access.
6. Cabin Fever - it has been storming for a week (or raining or just plain crappy snowpack) and no-one has been out to play for a while... the jones starts to sink in and off you go... the closer you get to the end of a week the harder this one gets to resist. My Dad got caught and lost a ski to cabin fever on a week long trip, it was the only run they took on day 6 of 7... they probably should have make another cup of tea instead. Good weather plays a part in this one... mild temps and bluebird just after the storm will lure us out into th mountains and make us feel GREAT about being out... but the storm stopped only yesterday...take it easy.
There... someone else can have the soap box for a bit... any other human factors out there???