Articles

By Ron Simenhois, Doug Chabot, Karl Birkeland and Ethan Greene

By Ron Simenhois, Doug Chabot, Karl Birkeland and Ethan Greene

Impulse decision making may lead backcountry travelers into harm’s way. When riding in the backcountry, one bad decision can offset multiple good ones. Looking at avalanche accidents through this lens, a question arises: Were the decisions that contributed to an avalanche accident made with thought and measurable information, or were they made impulsively?

Being prepared to play in the backcountry includes prepping your gear, your mind, and your partner. All are important and each requires separate actions. Many accidents result from a cascading failure stemming from a lack of preparation.

Backcountry skiing and snowmobiling has exploded in popularity over the past 10 years. Every winter more skiers and riders hit the backcountry in pursuit of steep faces and untracked powder. This type of riding has increased the inherent risk of being caught in an avalanche and on average, 30 people die in avalanches every year in the United States.

Backcountry skiing and snowmobiling has exploded in popularity over the past 10 years. Every winter more skiers and riders hit the backcountry in pursuit of steep faces and untracked powder. This type of riding has increased the inherent risk of being caught in an avalanche and on average, 30 people die in avalanches every year in the United States.

Our job at the avalanche center is to warn and inform the public about the snowpack and avalanche danger. Unfortunately, the best information cannot prevent all avalanche accidents and deaths will remain a part of winter recreation. Montana has a million people, one of the least populated states, but in the last 15 years we are ranked second in the nation in avalanche fatalities and first in snowmobiler fatalities. These are not standings I am proud of: less people, more fatalities. Not a tag-line for the Montana Office of Tourism.

Home of the Karakorum, Hindu Kush and Pamir mountains, Central Asia has a serious avalanche hazard.  Mountain communities throughout Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan experienced a widespread avalanche cycle in March 2012 and again in February 2015 that destroyed villages, killed livestock and took the lives of hundreds of residents.