Tahoe avalanches: What causes innocent-looking snow slopes to collapse? A physicist and skier explains, with tips for surviving A skier at Palisades Tahoe, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics and site of a small but deadly avalanche in 2024. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli Nathalie Vriend, University of Colorado Boulder An avalanche swept up skiers at Lake Tahoe’s … Continue reading Tahoe Avalanches
Welcome to my annual refresher about Backcountry Avalanche Awareness 2023/2024. I am no subject matter expert, but Stella and I are always eager to explore new terrain in search of an off-the-beaten-path adventure. Thus, when you leave the cozy confines of the groomed trails at the ski resorts/nordic centers, you must understand your environment and … Continue reading Backcountry Avalanche Awareness 2023/2024
Winter starts now! In the blink of an eye winter has evolved from sparse snowfall across the western states to an abundance of wonderful powder everywhere. Welcome to my annual reminder about Backcountry Avalanche Awareness. I am no expert on the subject, but my wife and I are aways eager to traverse wilderness terrain in … Continue reading Backcountry Avalanche Awareness 2021/2022
We’re better than ever at understanding the dangers of avalanches. So why can’t we avoid them? Kate Siber/High Country News All morning, I’d heard the roar of sloughs rocketing down cliffs as I skied up a mountain in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Now, standing at the summit with my six friends and our two guides, … Continue reading Can human judgment handle avalanches?
It is patently obvious the 2020/2021 winter will be vastly different than the start of the 2019 season. We all know how the season came to an end in March 2020 with the closure of all ski resorts across the country as they succumbed to the pandemic. While we still continue to battle the pandemic … Continue reading Backcountry Avalanche Awareness Vol. 2
Avalanche Awareness - Part 2: Colorado has seen a significant amount of avalanches since the start of the 2019/2020 season. This has been brought about by early snowfall followed by two large systems that passed through Colorado around the Thanksgiving holiday. The storms produced large enough amounts of snow to settle on very weak layers … Continue reading Avalanche Awareness – Part 2
The 2019 snow season kicked into high gear early this year allowing many ski resorts across the american west to open early than scheduled. The 2018/2019 winter proved to be historic in the number of avalanches that occurred in the state of Colorado. But what do you need to know when you venture beyond the … Continue reading Backcountry Avalanche Awareness 2019