Alpine Ski Mountaineering Vol 1 - Western Alps. Bill O'Connor

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Alpine Ski Mountaineering Vol 1 - Western Alps - Bill O'Connor

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For a final search or deep burial they are a must.

      They are also useful for testing the snow structure by probing rather than digging once you know the snow profile on a given aspect. This can be particularly useful when on the move.

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      Avalanche probes being used to confirm a snow profile on a slope where a snow-pit had been dug previously

      But it is not enough simply to carry these essentail tools, you have to know how to use them in an emergency. Practise regularly.

      AVALANCHE BULLETINS

      There is a wide range of information that can be accessed via telephone, fax and the internet during the ski season. The following list covers the major Alpine areas described in this book and will help you gather information before and during a tour.

      France

      Telephone: Dial International Code (0033) followed by 89 26 81 020 and the department number:

Haute Savoie 74
Savoi 73
Isere 38
Hautes-Alpes 05
Alpes Haute-Provence 05 or 06
Alpes Maritime 06

      Website: www.meteofrance.com

      Italy

      Telephone: Dial International Code (0039) followed by (0461) 23 00 30. When phoning from outside Italy leave the 0 off the number in brackets (below):

Valle d'Aosta www.regione.vda.it/bollnivometeo.nsf (0165) 77 63 00
Piedmonte www.regione.piemonte.it/meteo.neve.htm (011) 318 55 55
Trentino www.provincia.tn.it/csvdi.bolletino (0461) 23 89 39
South Tirol www.provincia.bz.it/valanghe (0471) 27 11 77
Lombardia www.regione.lombardia.itmeteonew.nsf/home/valanghe (0478) 370 77
Veneto www.arpa.veneteo.it/csvvdi/bolletino (0436) 79221
Friuli-Venezia Giulia www.regione.fvg.it/meteo/valanghe.htm 800 860 377
Meteomont service www.meteomont.sail.it/meteo/neve/htm

      Austria

      Telephone: Dial International Code (0043) followed by the number below.

Voralberg www.voralberg.at/lawine (05522) 1588
Salzburg www.land-sbg.gv.at/lawinen (0622) 1588
Oberosterreich www.ooe.gv.at/lawinenwarndienst/ (0732) 1588
Tirol www.larwine.at/tirol (0512) 1588
Osttirol www.larwine.at/tirol (0512) 1588
Steiermark www.larwine.at (0316) 1588
Karnten www.larwine.at (0463) 1588

      Switzerland

      Dial International Code (0041) followed by number below.

All regions www.slf.ch/avalanche/avalanche-de.html
www.slf.ch/avalanche/avalanche-fr.html
www.slf.ch/avalanche/avalanche-it.html 848 800 187

      Assessing Snow Stability

      There is a lot you can do to assess snow stability before you go on tour. Snowpack is the result of past snowfall and weather conditions, and you need this information to understand how it has built up. Weather reports, avalanche bulletins (see the ‘Avalanche Bulletins’ box above) and web sites provide an often detailed picture of what conditions have been and are now like on the hill. Tourist Offices and Guides Bureaus, as well as knowledgeable locals, can all provide additional information.

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      Once on tour you need to evaluate snow stability constantly because the slope aspect, altitude and conditions are always changing. To some degree ski mountaineers gain a feel for slope angle, snow and conditions – it's called experience. I find it helps to have a procedure when evaluating snow stability. Aim to gather targeted information that will help you build up an informed picture. Eliminate unessential information and go straight for the bull's-eye.

      Above is a checklist for assessing snow stability similar to those used by British mountain guides and avalanche professionals around the world. I'm always surprised how easy it is to overlook obvious signs of both danger and stability. The checklist is useful as an aide-mémoire to help systematically observe, test and record pertinent information and so build up a profile of snow stability at a particular time and place. This information provides a more complete picture when the time comes to make a judgement about avalanche danger.

      Obviously some techniques here depend on knowledge and skill. Snow profiling and various stability tests, including the shovel shear test and Reusch blocks, although quickly learned, require training in interpretation. Anyone committed to ski mountaineering would be well advised to attend some kind of avalanche awareness training course where they can learn these skills.

      Stability tests need to be carried out regularly. Although they can seem like a chore they do not take a great deal of time and they provide essential information. Once armed with the information in the chart above the picture of snow stability becomes a lot clearer. It may not be perfect, but it is better than a piece of seaweed or the ‘It must be stable because someone else has skied it’ approach to avalanche risk assessment.

      Having made an assessment you can then modify your route or procedures on tour to maximise safety.

      KEY POINTS IN AVALANCHE AWARENESS

       Understand what causes avalanches, and learn to recognise, test and record these causes.

       Understand

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