You hear a loud WHOOMPH!
That’s usually how it starts. Then you see it. A spider-web of fracture lines shoot out around your skis. And before you know it, the cracks intersect one another and everything starts to move, a massive icy checkerboard of sliding blocks and churning snow.
…and if you’re not extremely lucky, this very well could be the last thing that you see…
On average, twenty-five people are killed every winter in avalanches. There have been over 1000 fatalities and over 3000 accidents involving avalanches since 1950. And approximately $35,000 worth of property is lost or destroyed by avalanches in the United States every winter.
If you travel in the backcountry in winter conditions, then the statistical probability of encountering an avalanche jumps dramatically. Indeed, every single person who spends time in the mountains in a winter context will encounter avalanche terrain and avalanche conditions.
The only way to stack the odds in your favor is by obtaining avalanche education, learning how to mitigate avalanche dangers, and studying snow burial rescue techniques.
To see current Avalanche Awareness dates, visit our Events, Films and Speaker’s page.
Seminars
