Avalanche safety and detection.

[gruntpltleader]

Just another newbie queston, but one that might save a life?

 

Can anynone suggest a good avalanche safety course or good book as well? I'm in the Oregon area.

Edited February 28, 2007 by gruntpltleader

[BirdDog]

Book - "The ABC's of Avalanche Safety" by Ed LaChapelle & Sue Ferguson (Mountaineers Books). Short book, low price. Covers the basics +.

[chris]

Check out Three Sisters Backcountry Access (www.3sbca.com). They're the only AIARE course provider in Oregon. If you're in you're in southern OR, Shasta Mountain Guides may be closer.

[crazy_t]

"Snow Sense", good intro book.

[pindude]

Either Fredston's Snow Sense or the late (both, sadly) LaChapelle and Ferguson's ABCs of Avy Safety are good intro books. If you'll be spending much time in the BC, you'll want to read a more comprehensive book as well; the best is Tremper's Staying Alive in Avy Terrain. It's current, it covers some avy topics many of the others don't, and it reads well.

 

There's a lot of info, and even more up-to-date stuff, on the web. You'll find a ton following links beginning at avalanche.org and avalanche.ca.

 

Yes, take a Level One course, and best to hook up with a folk or two who are avy experienced and know the area you're skiing. As far as specific course, a local will have to answer for you, but Oregon's a pretty big place...what part? Portland?

 

The BC is about as good as it gets right now, but there's at least a couple tricky layers out there. Happy skiing.

 

[RogerJ]

I'm seconding doing at least an Avy1 course and getting it from an AIARE course provider.

 

I read a couple of books, but the course brought things together and made things so much more practical.

 

-r

[blueserac]

Take the ava course the material covered is so complex that you will take away much more from the course. The movement skills in avalanche terrair with other students and search and recovery skills are best learned in a group under a instructor. The theory contained in the books will be concisely tied together by a course; and the field evaluation techniques will make much more sense learned hands on.

 

Here are some books:

Tony Daffern, Avalanche Safety for Skiers and Climbers;

Fredstone & Fesler, Snow Sense;

McLung and Schaerer, The Avalanche Handbook.

 

Edited March 2, 2007 by blueserac