Finding the best safe snow... The risks are real
Following new snowfall this last week we have thankfully seen no serious off-piste accidents. Andreas and Henry have written about why the risk is still present.
It is easy to mistake the absence of evidence of danger as an absence of danger. In the period directly preceding the two most recent fatal accidents in Val d'Isere, there was very little sign of recent avalanche activity. This was unusual as recent avalanche activity is normally a good warning sign, but in this case it was not present. This year has been unusual in many respects, but not so unusual for a year with relatively thin snow cover. These years can be the most dangerous, simply because the danger is less apparent.
Ortovox - F1
Ortovox - F1
Finding the best safe snow is about more than searching for the powder. It is about gathering all the available evidence and making sense of it. Where can you look for evidence?
- Know where the wind has blown so you can see areas prone to windslab (the bulletin can help with this)
- Read the avalanche bulletin
- When you go out skiing observe the conditions you experience at different altitudes and different aspects.
- Look at what is happening today (not where it was good yesterday)
- Do not assume that higher altitude is better (sheltered lower slopes can catch better snow)
Skiing in the Espace Killy this last week following new snowfall, we found numerous surprises about where the snow was good.
On Monday - Pissaillas glacier was excellent, by Wednesday is was wind blown
On Monday - all aspects were powdery, by Wednesday, South slopes even at 1600m had gone crusty
Wednesday - the west facing slopes seem to have much more snow than east facing slopes.
Spotting these things meant we could adapt our skiing plans as we go. Andreas calls it "going where the mountain gods take us", but unfortunately you need to know how to listen to the mountain gods. They don't tell you in a simple manner!
