Avalanche Terrain Avoidance

Important Information About Registration and Fees

The workshop fee for the classroom session is $20 for CMC members and $40 for non-CMC members to be paid by paper check only. This fee will be waived for active CMC trip leaders (contact course director for registration code). Participants who sign up for the classroom session will automatically be signed up for the field day. Participants may not join the field day without attending the classroom session.

To register for this workshop please complete this questionnaire and return to stevendielman@gmail.com.

Course Description and Organization

This workshop will consist of: (1) an evening lecture session on Tuesday December 6th, and (2) an all-day field trip on Saturday December 10th.

The lecture session will include a slideshow presentation, group discussions, and a trip/route planning exercise for the field trip.  Specific topics will include:

• Overview of avalanche occurrence with a focus on Colorado

• Causes, types & characteristics of avalanches

• Nature of the risks

• Factors affecting avalanche risk (slope, terrain, temperature, wind, cornices, tree density, human factors)

• Recognizing and avoiding potential avalanche terrain (route selection and slope angle measurements)

• Internet resources for planning such as the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) website and ratings, snowfall data, NWS forecasts, and Caltopo as a mapping & general terrain evaluation tool.

During the field trip we will observe actual avalanche terrain from nearby areas where the avalanche risk is at or near zero. Wintertime hazards in addition to avalanches will also be discussed. Estimation and measurement of slope angles will be practiced, and numerous examples of potentially risky (e.g., slopes, gullies, road cuts, cornices, etc.) and avalanche-free areas will be identified and discussed. Clues as to what constitutes avalanche terrain versus non-avalanche terrain will also be discussed. We will finish with a short drive to one or more parking areas to observe and discuss the characteristics of various avalanche paths exhibiting historic slide activity and which should be avoided.

For the field trip, participants may use either snowshoes or skis (Nordic or AT). Whatever equipment is used, participants must be reasonably fit and able to handle deep, ungroomed snow in moderately steep terrain (up to 20-degree slopes).

This course will not include training for travel within avalanche terrain or search and rescue techniques covered in more comprehensive courses (e.g., AIARE 1).

Note for CMC Trip Leaders: This course is also designed to meet the requirements of the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) for trip leaders who lead routes in snow-covered terrain that is not avalanche-prone. The full CMC avalanche education requirements for trip leaders can be found here: CMC Avalanche Education Policy Document.

Location

The evening session is scheduled from 6:00-9:00 pm, Tuesday December 6th at the Fort Collins Senior Center Twinberry Auditorium located at 1200 Raintree Drive, Fort Collins. 

The all-day field trip will take place on Saturday December 10th in a location to be determined within two hours of Fort Collins, most likely the Cameron Pass area or Rocky Mountain National Park depending on weather and snow conditions. If there is sufficient interest, we will be offering a second field day on Sunday, December 11th. If any trip leaders taking the workshop to meet the CMC requirements for avalanche education can not make either of these field dates, contact the course director to discuss alternative arrangements.