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Show BBsidk (CdDnninntipy Saiffoity Stay out of harm's way by selecting a safe route m bv Van Chalat 7.u u the third in a tenet of articles on backeountry tafety pretented in conjunction with Red Pine Backeountry Retcue. There is something magnetic about a pristine, ungroomed slope in the backeountry that beckons even U: most cautious skiers. But like the Sireus of Titan, the call of the wild can easily lead to disaster. "It happened just last year in the backeountry near Alia. A skier was caught in an avalanche and died with a broken neck, said Ray Santa Maria who is a guide for Utah Interconnect Santa Maria also is one of the moth-sting forces behin" the volunteer volun-teer group Red Pine backeountry Rescue, which is committed to sometimes tempted to take what they perceive to be small risks. "No one likes to be the one in the group to admit concern and turn the party back." Santa Maria added that the physical physi-cal strain and severe weather encountered when traveling through the backeountry itself can cause carelessness. Safe route selection should begin with a careful evaluation of snow-pack stability, said Santa Maria. Other variables include existing snow cover, the history of avalanches in that particular area, current weather conditions, and reports form the Avalanche Forecast Center, local ski patrols and touring centers. Although there are never any degrees or less, he said. If it is necessary to cross a potential avalanche path Santa Maria advises moving across the runout rone rather than the upper starting zone. Most avalanches are skier released, he warned. When climbing a ridge or saddle enter the bowl or slope you want to ski as high as possible. Then stay off to either side instead of skiing directly down the middle. Not only will the snow have a tendency to be more stable along the sides but the adcent trees will offer protection if a slide starts. In a potential avalanche zone avoid runs that lead into narrow gullies or feed into crevasses, cliffs, ice falls or other terrain hazards. And always ski across a potential slide path one 1 .Vs. "1 The dotted lines above denote unsafe routes where a skier could trigger an avalanche. The solid lines represent trails over more stable terrain. increasing public awareness of avalanche hazards and organizing a quick response rescue team in Summit County. Seven skiers were switchbadring across a steep slope when the avalanche was triggered, said Santa Maria. Two skiers were carried down the mountain with the slide. ' "One was buried alive and recovered, recover-ed, but the second one was not as ludcv." he said. "By taking a safer route this , accident never would have happen- ed. Instead they took the faster route and it ended in tragedy. "Backeountry safety is first of all a matter of controlling enthusiasm and exercising sound judgement," cautions cau-tions Santa Maria, who added that even the most experienced skiers are absolute guarantees a particular , route will be safe there are precautions skiers can take to "optimize their efficiency, safety and pleasure," he said. Safe routes are generally found along ridges or low-angle windward slopes rather than lee slopes, said Santa Maria. When avalanche danger is suspected, sus-pected, it is necessary to avoid known avalanche paths altogether, he added. Avoiding the straight ' route to the top and opting instead for the ridgeline or crossing the valley bottom may take a little longer but it will be much safer, he said. On high-hazard days avoid steep slopes altogether. In most powder conditions skiers can still enjoy downhill skiing on slopes of 20 person at a time, never tip to tail, Santa Maria said. Santa Maria also advises learning to recognize unstable snow layers. The technical term for weak snow layers is temperature gradient snow, which is created when the layers form at different temperatures. Because of the variable temperatures, tempera-tures, the layers do not adhere to one another and are susceptible to avalanches. Wind-compacted snow also is susceptible to ski cutting and should be avoided. Santa Maria suggests looking for sun-exposed aspects instead. He also recommends staying well back from cornices. "By practicing these procedures you should have a safe and enjoyable ski excursion," he said. |