Avalanche Journal Article
Alpine Access collaborated with Canadian Avalanche Association in 2022 to offer the first professional level avalanche course in Australia. Read the article by Canadian instructor Iain Stewart-Patterson here.
Why come out with Alpine Access on a tour or a course?
Watch this footage to find out!
THE DAILY PROCESS – STEP 1: GET THE FORECAST
A structured and systematic approach to the backcountry reduces the risk of human error. It’s a good idea to start watching the avalanche and weather forecast a few days before your trip to get a sense of how conditions are evolving. Those of us living and working in the snow are constantly keeping up with…
THE DAILY PROCESS – STEP 2: PLAN YOUR TRIP
The backcountry is a complicated and potentially dangerous mountain environment and before you head out there you need to have a plan. Planning your route, and taking into consideration your fitness, length of the tour, weather, conditions, forecasts and unforeseen challenges, will enable you to get the most out of your trip. People often find…
THE DAILY PROCESS – STEP 3: CHECK YOUR GEAR
The backcountry is not a place to find out your gear is not up to the task or that you’re missing something essential. Often what we experience in the backcountry is quite different to our expectations and it pays to be prepared for anything. Before you travel, make sure every member of your group is…
THE DAILY PROCESS – STEP 4: VERIFY THE CONDITIONS
Five minutes can be a long time in the Australian backcountry. Most forecasts for weather, snow conditions and avalanche hazard cover a wide geographical area. It is common for conditions to vary from one part of the region to another. Regional variabilities and uncertainties in forecasts make verifying the conditions an important step in your…
THE DAILY PROCESS – STEP 5: GOOD TRAVEL HABITS
It is important to use good travel habits regardless of the conditions. That way these strategies become routine behaviours or habits and will protect you from surprise events. Used diligently, they reduce the likelihood of getting caught out and minimise the severity of the situation, whether it be an avalanche or other backcountry hazards. GOOD…
THE DAILY PROCESS – STEP 6: EVALUATE SLOPES
This is an extremely important step in the Daily Process and not one that can be fully explored here. Ahead are some critical points. To learn more, do one of our Avalanche Canada AST1 courses. We know there are many hazards in the backcountry and avalanche danger is but one. There are more incidents in…
EARLY SEASON TURNS IN THE BACKCOUNTRY by Dave Herring
With the official start to the ski season imminent and the chance of a good snowfall this week, I thought it a good time to start switching on mentally to the conditions we can expect early season and the hazards that present themselves. Decent early season snowfalls create a lot of enthusiasm and with limited…
WHY YOU NEED TO DO AN AVALANCHE COURSE IN AUSTRALIA THIS WINTER
The northern hemisphere ski season has been an epic one with record snow falls in Europe and Japan and enough powder pics on our social feeds in North America to make us Aussies green. But all that snow came with its own challenges and you may have read over the season that America had one…