Student Manual 2010/2011 Level I Avalanche Course Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain 2 Copyright © 2010 AIARE all rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written approval of AIARE. Cover Photo: Tom Murphy – Mcgillivray Pass, BC American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education www.avtraining.org Level I Student Manual November 2010 Edition Special thanks to the AIARE staff, instructors and others who assisted with this document: Howie Schwartz, Tom Murphy, Karl Klassen, Colin Zacharias, Brian Lazar, Ben Pritchett. Photo: C. Zacharias 3 4 Table of Contents American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education Level 1 Avalanche Course – Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain Introduction • About AIARE…6 • Course Overview…..7 • A Special Note To Students…7 PART 1: Introduction to Decision Making. • Anatomy of a Decision…………8 o AIARE Decision Making Framework…10 • Case Study…………11 o Ohio Pass Incident, CO…………11 PART 2: Avalanche Fundamentals Photo: V. Anderson • Avalanche Type and Character……14 • Avalanche Terrain………22 • Formation of Layers in the Mountain Snowpack..30 • Snow Climates………34 PART 3: Preparing for Decision Making • Trip Planning……………35 • Pre-Trip Avalanche Hazard Forecast Checklist….35 o Understanding Avalanche Danger…36 o Making the Avalanche Bulletin Relevant....39 o Anticipating Human Factors………41 o Creating Terrain Options………42 o Emergency Response Planning………46 PART 4: Field Observation Techniques & Recording • Field Observations………49 o Avalanche Activity……49 o Snowpack………50 o Weather………56 o Recording in the AIARE Field Book…57 • Understanding Field Observations……57 • Human Factors and Observations………60 PART 5: Decision Making in the Field • Terrain Selection………61 • Timing…………61 • Travel Techniques………62 • Human Factors and Decision Making……63 • Concluding Thoughts……………68 PART 6: Emergency Response • Companion Rescue………71 • Rescue Equipment……74 Photo: SLF PART 7: Epilogue • Epilogue…..76 • Self-Evaluation Form…..77 • References… 80 5 MISSION The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education’s mission is to: “Save lives through avalanche education.” GOALS AIARE strives to: • Increase public awareness of avalanches and avalanche safety. • Provide high-quality avalanche education and thereby enhance public safety. • Provide avalanche instructors with the curriculum, training and tools with which to educate students about the knowledge, methods, and decision making skills necessary to travel in avalanche terrain. • Develop an international network of professional avalanche educators, and provide continued professional development in the form of instructor training and education. • Fund projects that develop avalanche course support materials for educators and students. ABOUT AIARE AIARE is a registered 501c(3) nonprofit educational organization, which serves as a focal point for the gathering, development, and dissemination of materials, ideas, and curriculum for avalanche educators in the U.S. There are currently over 60 course providers and 200 instructors nationwide representing AIARE. This student manual was created by input from this community. AIARE is comprised of an Executive Committee charged with assimilating ideas, materials and concepts from AIARE members to develop teaching tools and materials such as this workbook. AIARE’s Advisory Board of industry professionals provides guidance and comments in their respective fields of expertise. AIARE Executive Committee: Executive Director – Brian Lazar Technical Director – Colin Zacharias Programs Director – Ben Pritchett Operations Director – Tom Murphy Curriculum Coordinator – Howie Schwartz Research and Forecasting Programs Representative – Ethan Greene AIARE Advisory Board: Representing the AAA Educational Committee: Kirk Bachman, Jake Urban Representing the Guiding Industries: Margaret Wheeler, Alan O'Bannon Representing Transportation, Industry, and Public Forecasts: Ethan Greene, John Stimberis Representing Ski Area Snow Safety Operations: John Stimberis, Jimmy Collinson Representing Awareness, Public Safety & Rescue Programs: Dale Atkins, Michael Jackson Representing AIARE Course Providers: Bela Vadasz, Howie Schwartz Representing Research and Academia: H.P. Marshall, Chris Landry Further information is available from: American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education 211 S. Teller St. Gunnison, CO 81230 [email protected] www.avtraining.org 6 Overview: AIARE Level 1 – Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain COURSE GOALS • Provide a basic understanding of avalanches. • Describe a framework for decision-making and risk management in avalanche terrain. • Focus on identifying the right questions, rather than on providing “answers.” • Teach concepts that have characteristics observable during field travel. • Maintain a low-risk learning environment. Specifically the AIARE curriculum addresses: • Decision-making. • Avalanche type and character. • An introduction to how avalanches form and release. • Trip planning and preparation. • Avalanche terrain recognition, route assessment, and selection. • Travel techniques and risk reduction. • How human factors affect the decision making process. • Companion rescue. ESSENTIAL STUDENT EXPERIENCES Upon completion of this course, students will have had the opportunity to: • Learn and utilize a framework and checklist for better decision making. • Plan and prepare for travel in avalanche terrain. • Learn to recognize avalanche terrain. • Learn and apply effective companion rescue. A Special Note to Students: Most of the understanding and techniques addressed during this course require extensive practice before you can expect to be proficient. No course, this one included, can provide the complete experience. To establish and maintain proficiency in the knowledge and techniques covered in this course, you will have to practice extensively and regularly on your own after leaving the program. Additionally, avalanche education continues to evolve as new research becomes available. To remain current, you will need to seek out opportunities for continued education. No course can fully guarantee your safety, either during the course or after you leave. During the course, the instructors will manage risk and involve you in discussions about what is appropriate, what is not, and they will inform you of any unusual or exceptional hazards or risks involved in carrying out lessons and exercises. Whether you will be “safer” after the course or not depends entirely on how you apply your new skills and knowledge when in the mountains. The instructors who teach this course, the course provider, and the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education take no responsibility for your safety after the course ends. 7 Part 1: Introduction to Decision Making 1.1 – Anatomy of a Decision By the end of this lesson the student should: • Understand that decision making in avalanche terrain includes trip planning, information gathering, participating as a group member, as well as selecting and carrying out reasonable terrain options using appropriate travel techniques. • Understand that risk assessment and risk reduction are the primary concerns when making decisions and integral to each step and each objective. • Be familiar with the components of the Decision Making Framework (DMF) and understand their interconnectedness. • Understand the Decision Making Framework (DMF) as a mental map of the decision making process that will be introduced and practiced in this course. AIARE DECISION MAKING FRAMEWORK Backcountry decision making encompasses much more than whether or not to ski or ride a slope. The process is a continuous cascade of questions and thoughts that start before the trip begins and constantly affect one’s actions until the trip ends. Most critical decisions in the backcountry fall into two categories: Terrain Selection and Travel Techniques. Terrain Selection choices answer the question “where we go?” In the backcountry, this is the primary decision making tool. Terrain Selection is done on a comparative scale: within the mountain range, within the drainage and across the slope. An example of mountain range scale is choosing to ski east of the divide instead of west of the divide—or further north or south hoping to find better conditions. An example of drainage scale is the choice to ski the north aspect of White Mountain instead of the south aspect of White Mountain. Slope scale is the decision to stay on a small ridge feature, or to avoid steep convex rollovers or stick to the sheltered treed glades below the open alpine terrain. Terrain choices reveal how thoroughly one understands the current avalanche hazard. Travel Techniques are actions that help to determine “how we go?” In the context of a given terrain selection, backcountry travelers further reduce risk exposure with consciously chosen travel techniques. Each group of people applies a specific technique to reduce the risks of a certain terrain feature, given current circumstances. It is important never to use travel techniques to justify otherwise inappropriate terrain selection decisions. For example, moving one person at a time across an avalanche slope may not reduce the likelihood of triggering the avalanche—only the consequence to the entire team! Travel techniques should be discussed and anticipated as part of the terrain choice. Decision making is the product of the three interwoven components of good terrain selection. These factors are