I think of December as Avalanche safety month and I will try and drop some backcountry basics here on the site and explain some of the tools I use daily in assessing snow safety. Learning how to read the mountains is a never-ending quest. You will never know it all but you owe it to yourself and your riding partners to keep learning and listening. I will not get into the fine details of avalanche protocol. You first need to get yourself in some avalanche safety class. Click here to find your closest coarse.

5 red Flags.

The more time I spend in the mountains the more I find myself using the 5 red flags. Keep these on the top your brain every time you go out. They are not rocket science and are very easy to read.

New Snow

90% of Human triggered Avalanches happen during or with in 24 hours after a storm. I give this the utmost respect. So many times the first day out after a storm will be super sensitive. I generally do not start a full evaluation of a snow pack until 24 hours after a storm. I treat all snow pack with in 24 hours after a storm as high to extreme danger. Follow this rule and eliminate your risk of getting caught in an Avalanche by 90%

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Patience is hard when you have not made a turn for a week and it is finally clear.  It is a good time to ride a resort.

Signs of Recent Avalanches

If you go out and see signs of natural avalanches this is a sign that slopes are sliding with out people getting on them. They should be taken very serious, especially if the avalanche activity has happened on a similar elevation and aspect of a slope you want to ride.

Collapsing or Cracking  in the Snowpack

With collapsing you will feel or hear a whomping sound. This means a layer has broken but the slope you are on is to flat to slide. If it occurred on a steeper slope it would have resulted in a slide. With cracking you will see small shooting cracks as you approach a slope or even as you are skinning up a face. Often times collapsing or cracking will send me riding back down the boot pack or skin track.

Rapid Temperature Rise

This is not based on a certain degree of temperature. This is especially dangerous if it the first warm day in awhile or is the warmest it has been in a while.

Strong winds, Blowing and Drifting Snow

If the wind is strong enough to transport snow then the avalanche conditions can change from stable to dangerous with out any new snow.

Snow making…Mother Nature style.  Also referred to as “flagging”

Click here to see the Five Red Flags video by TGR.

The internet is an awesome tool to get information before heading out.  The night before heading out I will check the local Avalanche site for any reports of Avalanches and always check the daily Avalanche forecast in the morning before heading out.

Go to sites for me.  The TGR Snowlab, Avalanche.org