At the recently concluded International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW), a paper presented by an Italian group titled “Dig Close, Dig Fast. A Study on the Consequences of Excavation Start Point Choice in Avalanche Companion Rescue,” explores the efficacy of some well-accepted practices relating to removing snow effectively, accessing a victim, and exposing their airway.
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Real-world use of an ATES, can come into play when exploring unfamiliar terrain.
A great and free resource, (although it must cost Avalanche Canada money to produce and host), is their trip planner. Load the planner, and scroll and zoom on the Whistler zone to view specific terrain overlaid with ATES descriptions. The map provided is suitable for a first-step analysis: it is 2D, and once zoomed in sufficiently, populates with topo lines and even a track, for example, of the Spearhead Traverse. I can begin to analyze what type of avalanche exposure I can expect on the traverse.
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Bucking the trend towards simpler is better, the Swiss expand their avalanche danger scale by adding sub-levels.
After five years of internal use and a season of limited public use in 2022-2023, the Swiss Avalanche Warning Service will add sublevels to their avalanche forecast this season. Yes, they are adding complexity, which seems to be bucking the trend. In Europe generally, including Switzerland, forecasters use five discrete levels to define the avalanche danger level.
This season, instead of a straight 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, the danger levels will include 1, 2-, 2=, 2+, 3-, 3=, 3+, and 4-.
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A new ATES system, codified as ATES v.2, rates terrain between 0-4, with 0=non-avalanche, 1=simple, 2=challenging, 3=complex, and 4=extreme, respectively.
The introduction of “0”, described as “No known exposure to avalanches. Very low-angle or densely forested slopes located well away from avalanche paths, or designated trails/routes with no exposure to avalanches,” allows for a broader interpretation of the terrain.
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Some thoughts on localism and who owns the clique — managing through kindness our scarcity of powder.
Who, if anyone, gets to police local spots? Who gets to “protect” our scarce resource, powder, for select locals? Is it the best local free skier who has lived here for less than a decade? Is it sponsored athletes at all? Is the true local who has been yo-yoing for 20 years and feels entitled to park their sled beyond the wilderness boundary the enforcer? Should localism even be a concern?
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