Avalanche class takes to the slopes

It's avalanche season, and already this winter nine lives have been claimed by the slides in the US. In this week's Weather Wise, we follow a class up at Great Divide as they learn how to avoid becoming a statistic themselves.

"If you can find someone in the first fifteen minutes and dig them out, they have an excellent chance at survival," says National Ski Patrol member Don Paul.

After two days of videos, practice searches, and lectures, Don Paul took a class of twelve out to Great Divide for a hands-on approach to avalanche training.

"Yea you really can't get a sense for how difficult it is to maneuver around avalanche country unless you are in the field experiencing it,” says Class Attendee Mark Seyler “It was very beneficial to be out here at Great Divide."

Class instructor Don Paul stressed the importance of wearing and knowing how to find a beacon.

"If you wear a beacon, the chance of getting discovered and dug out in that first fifteen minutes is really good." 

Students took individual turns beacon searching while on skis.

"It's amazing the difference between going and finding a beacon in a parking lot versus going and finding it on a steep slope," says Class Attendee Christopher Matson.
 
They also learned how to test for avalanche danger by digging snow pits.

"So when we dig our snow pits we kind of go through there and try and isolate and see where each of the different layers are," says Don Paul.

A series of tests were done while in the snow pits to examine snow stability.

"I kind of like the compression test, if you're on a different slope that you're going to ski, you can actually tell if that slope is likely to avalanche or not" says Mark Seyeler.

Mark’s son Ryan, a fellow attendee agreed.

"You cut a block out of it and you put the shovel on top of it, and you do ten taps with the wrist, ten taps from the elbow, and ten taps from the shoulder," Ryan Seyler says.

Class Attendee Marah Connole says it is her favorite measure of stability as well.

"In one of the videos we watched, I mean you could, it shot out after one or two taps at the wrist. I mean it’s pretty telling."
 
Don says that checking the snow before you head out on it is crucial for avoiding injury or fatalities. And at the end of the day, all the students agreed that it is essential to take an avalanche safety class before heading out on the backcountry.

And now you're a little more Weather Wise.

Story by Ellen Bacca, Beartooth NBC. 
Sponsored by Collision Pro of Helena.
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