December 23, 2008 — Silverton, Colorado from the Editor
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VOLUME 27, NO. 3 • FEBRUARY 2009 theLull Doug Krause searching for the threshold of acceptable risk. Cerro Entre Rios, Las Leñas, Argentina. Photo by David Dellamora In This Issue From the Executive Director . 2 December 23, 2008 — Silverton, Colorado From the Editor . 2 Mailbag . 3 It’s stopped snowing and the wind is calm in town, I’m a very experienced 37-year-old male intimately but up high in the San Juans it’s blowing a perfect 15 familiar with the local terrain and snowpack. I know that AAA News. 4 miles per hour and gusting to 30 at 240 degrees. This is my favorite slope angles lie between 37 and 45 degrees, Metamorphism . 5 the lull. We’ve received 5-10' of snow in the last week, and my favorite snow is found during and immediately What’s New . 6 and there is another two in the forecast. after storms. I enjoy challenges and sometimes ski by Decision-Making Of course, now I’ve jinxed it. Colorado is plagued myself. I’m exactly the kind of person who dies in Close Call at Castle Creek Valley . 12 The Lull . cover, 13 with a particularly angry layer of basal facets, and the avalanches. If you are my mother, you must put this most active avalanche cycle I’ve seen in the last couple paper down immediately and never think of it again. Snow Science ATES: The Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale . 14 of years drew to a close a few days ago. Now those Exposure and avalanche hazards are things I deal with ATES and Turnagain Glisse . 16 paths that ran are reloading, and those that held tough on a daily basis for most of the year, and my biggest fear NOLS Avalanche Terrain Definitions . 17 are getting fatter and meaner. is becoming complacent in their omnipresent shadows. New Toys & Tools from the UAC . 18 Avalanche Mapping . 20 I’m not doing much backcountry skiing lately. I’m It’s hard to keep track of that threshold of acceptable risk Terrain Perspectives Using GIS. 22 lucky because I ski all summer, the in-bounds powder when it keeps moving back and forth and blowing all Shovel Performance Ratings. 28 has been outstanding, and I’m just busy enough to over the place. It’s pretty easy to trip over it and smash Crown Profiles keep me off of the hills when I’m not working. If those your face on a sliding block of reality. First US Avalanche Warning . 23 San Juan Forecasting History, Part I. 24 things weren’t true, the only reason I’d have to not go I guess my threshold is lowest when I’m guiding History 101: Avalanche Cords . 26 backcountry skiing is that it’s particularly dangerous non-mechanized clients deep in the backcountry; it’s Education right here, right now. That wouldn’t be enough. highest when I’m with trusted partners and we’ve just Avalanche Exam . 27 Jackson Avalanche Awareness Night . 27 Story by Doug Krause, continued on page 13 ➨ The Avalanche Review I promise that I won't P.O. Box 2831 Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 die in an avalanche this season. —oath administered by Rod Newcomb during an Avalanche Awareness Night in Jackson, Wyoming. Story on page 27 u PAGE 2 THE AVALANCHE REVIEW VOL. 27, NO. 3, FEBRUARY 2009 THE from the president REVIEW The American Association of Avalanche Professionals As I write this, we are facing economic upheavals is too easy to compare ourselves with large, corporate- FEBRUARY 2009 • VOL. 27 • NUMBER 3 throughout the United States. We have yet to see how the like institutions. We can learn a lot and benefit from The Avalanche Review is published each fall through spring by trickle-down will impact the avalanche industry, but we other avalanche programs throughout the world, yet the American Avalanche Association, Inc., a non-profit corpora- can anticipate some challenges. In addition, December we also need to retain a sense of what we can aim for tion. The Avalanche Review welcomes the submission of articles, found many areas throughout the Intermountain West and achieve given our structure. photographs and illustrations. facing a late start to the winter season due to exceptionally Our ongoing offerings are due to the efforts and warm and dry weather. time of our governing board, our membership, and Please send submissions to: Lynne Wolfe –– Editor Now is a good time to revisit who we are and what we informal partnerships with avalanche centers and PO Box 1135 do, the American Association of Avalanche Professionals. other avalanche-related programs. AAA projects such Driggs, Idaho 83422 tel: (208) 709-4073 We do business as the American Avalanche Association as The Avalanche Review, SWAG, various grants and [email protected] for ease of identity and name use, but I want to assure our scholarships, and professional development programs membership we exist for you and because of you. We have directly benefit avalanche professionals. Education Advertising: Production: always operated lean and mean, and we are ready to carry guidelines and partnership programs such as updating Jazz Russell Fall Line Design 370 N 110 E 76 N Main, Suite 208 through with this policy during the next few years. www.avalanche.org assist both the professional world Driggs, ID 83422 Driggs, ID 83422 Our programs and policies have grown out of a and the general public. The more avalanche aware, tel: (208) 354-2524 tel/fax: (208) 354-6500 grassroots need for organization and leadership in the the more avalanche educated the public and media fax: (208) 354-6500 [email protected] [email protected] US avalanche community, uniting the voices of all the are, the more likely a reduction in the number of US different avalanche professions. We remain grassroots. recreational avalanche accidents. Business and Subscription Office: We have a part-time executive director who works a full- We have to prioritize and make choices matching our Mark Mueller –– AAA Executive Director P.O.Box 2831 time job in the avalanche industry. We have a volunteer funds and abilities. Each program we choose to take on Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 governing board made up of avalanche professionals from needs to meet three requirements: 1) be fiscally sound, 2) tel: (970) 946-0822 / fax: (970) 731-2486 the different regions and avalanche industries throughout be operationally do-able, and 3) be sustainable given our [email protected] the country, and a European board member. grassroots structure. Check The Avalanche Review and US We accomplish a lot given our makeup and limitations avalanche Web sites for updates on our programs. of time and money. Ten years ago the governing In closing, thanks for your membership, board reviewed a strategic planning study – do we and thanks for your participation. I hope go bigger; do we go smaller; how do we improve if this edition of TAR finds all of you with we continue along the same path? We chose to make plenty of snow, interesting work, and time some adjustments yet remain grassroots and exist for to enjoy it all. Executive Director .....................Mark Mueller the professional avalanche community. Sometimes it —Janet Kellam, Ketchum, Dec 10, 2008 R AAA Officers *President ................................Janet Kellam *Vice President .........................Doug Richmond *Secretary ................................Mike Bartholow from the editor *Treasurer ................................Bill Glude Committee Chairs Observant readers will notice Awards ......................................Halsted Morris something different about this issue Data .........................................Dan Judd, Chris Lundy Education .................................Sarah Carpenter, Brad Sawtell of The Avalanche Review: it took up Ethics .......................................Lel Tone more room in your mailbox, it shoved Membership ..............................Stuart Thompson around the other rags on the coffee Research ..................................H.P. Marshall Search & Rescue ......................Dale Atkins table, and it elbowed its way to the top Ski Area ....................................Bill Williamson of the pile on the back of the john. Yup, *Publications ...........................Blase Reardon we’re big and beefy. As former TAR Publications Committee editor Blase Reardon commented, Editor ........................................Lynne Wolfe Editor Emeritus .........................Steve Conger “This issue will be thick enough to roll Editor Emeritus .........................Sue Ferguson up and use as a baseball bat!” Editor Emeritus .........................Blase Reardon While we didn't particularly Editor Emeritus .........................Bruce Tremper envision that sporty use for this issue, Section Representatives Alaska…............................. .....Carl Skustad we do think we knocked this one out Eastern Section ........................Kyle Tyler of the park. There are just so many European Section ......................Peter Höller remarkable articles and, especially, Intermountain North .................Scott Savage Intermountain South .................Jamie Yount cool maps in our special section on Northwest .................................Patty Morrison terrain, that we added four pages to Rockies .....................................John Brennan create the first 32-page issue of TAR. Sierra ........................................Gary Murphy Member Representative ............Rick Grubin All for a mere $100 extra print cost. Certified Instructor Rep ............Dean Cardinale I love maps; I can pore over them for Executive Committee denoted by * hours and plan a range of adventures from half a day to superhuman. These The mission of the AAA is: Lynne and Chili-dog drop into yet another un-named Teton chute. Photo by John Fitzgerald A. To provide information about snow and avalanches; articles bring us to many vicarious B. To represent the professional interests of the United States avalanche wandering-around spots; we can community; imagine standing at the top of that many scales, from the personal slope- musings on risk and focus from Doug C. To contribute toward high standards of professional competence and couloir etched in tiny black lines and scale to keeping accurate long-term Krause; and a history from Jerry Roberts ethics for persons engaged in avalanche activities; skiing onto the obvious apron. Thanks records for roads and ski areas.