My knee jerk gut reaction is “Avoidance.”

It starts with being environmentally aware of your surroundings…the terrain, current snow pack, and current weather conditions and weather forecasts, and monitoring your surroundings should you have to be out in avalanche terrain.

So you can get terrain data from looking at topographic maps from sites like www.topozone.com

There’s a ton of weather info websites, and you can look for those that have ski reports and some post avalanche conditions.

My approach is to totally avoid putting myself at risk when the terrain and weather conditions combine to present an increased probability for avalanches to occur.

Here are some links for you to get detailed info:

Preparing for Avalanche Terrain

http://www.mec.ca/Main/content_text.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302881866

Preparing for an Avalanche Course

http://avtraining.org/Avalanche-Training-Courses/Preparing-for-an-Avalanche-Course.html

Trip Preparation for Safe Backcountry Winter Travel

http://www.mec.ca/Main/content_text.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302881862

avalanche safety – profile – preparing a column for compression test (video)

http://blip.tv/file/380316/

Hope this helps. Best wishes, keep safe, and stay alive.

Avalanche or landslides are influenced by weather, slope, and human activity. When it rains hard for long periods; when your place is located on a high slope; and when when human activities resulted in tendencies to weaken the stability of the ground like excavations or removal of vegetation then avalanche can occur. A quick guide on how to detect landslides are: (1) if there is heavy rainfall watch out; (2)If there is sudden increase in waters levels of rivers bringing rocks downstream; (3) posts may slightly tilt; and (4) cracks may appear on the ground. If you are located in a place where this occurs, your place is hazardous for avalanche. IT is better to relocate or have an evacuation plan with the help of your community and government.

If you have to be in avalanche country, carry special safety gear such as personal transceivers (pieps) shovel, rope and collapsable probes. The best advice has already been given. Stay out of danger!

Run!

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