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Canadian Avalanche Awareness Safety Tips that Could Save Your Life When you are heading into the area that you want to high mark, you should be alert to the following signs of instability: 1) Watch for recent avalanches, don't play on similar, unreleased slopes. 2) Watch for amount of new snow or wind loading on leeward slopes. 3) Beware of rain. If it is raining it will weaken the snow quickly but will stabilize when refrozen. 4) Listen for whumping noises, you may even feel it when you get a group of sleds together in one spot. The extra load causes the collapse of a weaker buried layer of snow. This could be the layer that lets go and allows a slab to release. This collapse of a weak layer can actually travel a long way and release a large slope that you are not actually on. The release could have a track long enough to catch your group. 5) Watch for shooting cracks in the snow, this shows the snow is ripe for fracturing. 6) Does the snow have a hollow sound to it? This could indicate a buried weak layer. 7) Is the temperature warming quickly? This will weaken snow quickly. Now that you have arrived in the area that you wish to high mark, here are some additional tips: 1) Choose slopes that have been stripped by wind (windward) over slopes that have been loaded (leeward). Snow that is rock hard can still avalanche if it is poorly bonded to layers below. Be wary of steep, smooth, leeward slopes. 2) Start out on the less steep slope angles and on the side of a slope instead of center-punching it. Do your first runs low and fast rather than maximizing your commitment and exposure by climbing as high as possible right away. If possible, do your first runs from the top down to get a feel for the snow and improve your chances of escape. 3) Always turn towards the edge of a slope rather than turning towards the middle. 4) If unsure of the snow stability, favour slopes that have recently avalanched over those that have not yet slid. You can still sled on unstable days just chose slopes less than 25 degrees that are not connected to anything steeper. 5) Do not approach steep convex rollovers or aim right for a large rock or tree isolated in the middle of a steep slope unless you know the snow is stable. These are places where the snow pack is under greater stress, and thus where you are more likely to trigger a slide. Also be suspicious of steep area where the snow is shallow and weaker. 6) Avoid deadly terrain traps such as gullies, steep-sided creek bottoms, or slopes that end in depressions because of the high probability of a deep burial. Do not ride on slopes with cliffs below. Favour slopes that are fan- shaped at the bottom and do not have obstacles like rocks or trees to crash into. Concave bowls are nasty traps because the fracture propagates around the slope and all the debris collects at the bottom. This is why it is not uncommon for snowmobilers to be buried under 10 to 30 feet of debris. 7) Allow only one rider at a time on the slope. If a person gets stuck, DO NOT SEND A SECOND SLEDDER TO HELP!!!! Fact: Roughly 33% of snowmobile fatalities occur when a sled is stuck. About 34% involve more than one machine on a slope at the time of the avalanche. It is common for a second rider to turn above the stuck person and trigger an avalanche onto the sitting duck below. 8) Everyone should be watching the climber from a safe spot. 9) Always park well away from the bottom of steep slopes. Do not count on being able to outrun a slide. Get in the habit of parking parallel rather than one behind the other, have your machine pointing away from the avalanche path, and always have the kill switch up. Hopefully these tips will help to educate sledders out there! These tips came from the Avalanche Safety pamphlet from Alaska. Avalanche Skills Training The AST 1 course follows a curriculum developed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC). Instructional materials & lesson plans are developed by the CAC. SEE - www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/ast/ast-1 for more information. The Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 Course will provide an entry-level decision-making framework that is based on the most advanced knowledge available. It is suitable for use by people with basic training and little experience. In addition, the course will: * Provide the prerequisite knowledge required for further avalanche training. * Introduce and promote the Avalanche Skills Training Level 2 Course as the logical next step for gaining intermediate-level decision-making skills. Objectives At the end of the course, students should be able to: * Understand the basics of avalanche formation and release. * Identify avalanche terrain. * Know the steps required to plan and carry out a trip. * Use the Avaluator as a decision-making tool in areas where trips are rated using the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) and where Avalanche Danger Ratings and Avalanche Bulletins are available. * Find resources for obtaining ATES terrain ratings if their trip is not rated. * Find resources for obtaining Avalanche Danger Ratings and Avalanche Bulletins if these are not available. * Use appropriate travel techniques in avalanche terrain. * Carry out a companion rescue. * Understand the limits of their training. Minimum Classroom Time Requirement: - A minimum of six hours classroom time is required. Minimum Field Time Requirement: - A minimum of one day in the field is required. Links to Avalanche Skills Training The Canadian Avalanche Centre is bringing the Backcountry Avalanche workshops to 6 different venues this November. The workshops are packed with a variety of experts who work and live in avalanche terrain. The theme this year is terrain and the CAC has programmed the Fernie, BC, Prince George, BC and the Grande Prairie, AB venues to be more sled specific. You can find the dates and venues for the various workshops on the www.avalanche.ca website: www.avalanche.ca/cac/events/backcountry-avalanche-workshops Canadian Avalanche Centre, P.O. Box 2759, Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S0 Tel: (250)-837-2141 ext.233 Fax: (250)-837-4624 E-Mail: programservices@avalanche.ca Web: www.avalanche.ca Avalanche Links Recreational Training www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/overview AST Training for Youth www.avalanche.ca/cac/community/youth/ast-course-for-youth Professional Training www.avalanche.ca/caa/training/overview Media Information www.avalanche.ca/cac/about/media Canadian Avalanche Centre www.avalanche.ca/ Canadian Avalanche Association www.avalanche.ca/ Avalanche Forecasting Avalanche Bulletins: www.avalanche.ca/cac/bulletins/latest List of AST Instructors www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/ast/providers AST - SLED INSTRUCTORS:
Avalanche Links
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P.O. Box 21059, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, P7A-8A7 | Tel: (807) 345-5299 | Email: ccso.ccom@tbaytel.net |
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