probe – Used in conjunction with a transceiver avalanche probes can quickly establish the exact position of a body before initial digging. 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.
But it is not enough simply to carry these essentail tools, you have to know how to use them in an emergency. Practise regularly.
Assessing Snow Stability
Reusch block test
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 below) 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.
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.
Crown wall over 2m high across a slope regularly traversed by ski-touring parties
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.
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.meteo.fr/temps/france/avalanches
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:
| 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 |
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