CLICK HERE to download the chapter on "Backcountry Forecasting & Decisions" from The Avalanche Handbook * Information on the unique characteristics of alpine snow, snow slab instability, terrain variables, skier triggering of avalanches, and the nature of avalanche motion * Chapters on the elements of backcountry avalanche forecasting and the decision-making process * This is the text used by search and rescue professionals, ski patrol groups, and outdoor education programs Technical yet accessible, The Avalanche Handbook, 3rd Edition, covers the formation, character, effects, and control of avalanches; rescue techniques; and research on understanding and surviving avalanches. Illustrated with nearly 200 updated illustrations, photos and examples, this updated edition offers exhaustive information on contributing weather and climate factors, snowpack analysis, the newest transceiver search techniques, and preventative and protective measures, including avalanche zoning and control.
Snow avalanches can have highly destructive consequences in developed areas. Each year, avalanche catastrophes occur in mountain regions around the globe and cause unnecessary fatalities and severe damage to buildings and infrastructure. In some mountainous regions, especially in the European Alps, technical avalanche defence structures are built to increase the level of safety for inhabited areas; however, new infrastructure such as roads, railway lines and tourist facilities cause new risk potential in hazardous areas. As a result, the demand is increasing for technical avalanche protection solutions. Avalanche defence structures and protection systems are used in most inhabited mountain regions worldwide. During the last decades, technical avalanche protection has evolved from a specialist field to an independent engineering branch that has gained importance in alpine countries such as Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland, as well as in other countries such as Canada, Iceland, Norway and USA. This work is the first comprehensive, English-language overview of technical avalanche protection and establishes state-of-the-art best practices in the field. It covers the fundamentals of avalanche protection technology and includes plans, dimensions, construction and maintenance of defence structures. The editors have collaborated with an international team of experts from Austria, Canada, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and USA to produce this landmark handbook.
More than 75,000 copies sold of previous editions New chapter on risk management Includes new photographs and updated illustrations The Avalanche Handbook needs no introduction. For this new fourth edition of the course-adopted and internationally recognized book, David McClung has completed an in-depth review and update of the entire text, as well as consulted outside experts in explosives, search and rescue, and other key topics. Comprehensive sections cover the formation, character, effects, and control of avalanches; avalanche terrain and forecasting; safety and rescue; risk management, preventive and protective measures; and more. Technical yet accessible and with extensive photos, illustrations, graphs, and charts throughout, The Avalanche Handbook will continue to be essential reading for avalanche professionals and serious winter backcountry adventurers.
This updated, expert ski guide provides top-of-the-line insight for backcountry/off-piste skiiers and guides. The Ski Guide Manual presents wisdom earned through decades of experience guiding and. The result is a successful system of travel and risk management in the winter environment. The collective work of thousands of mountain guides have proven how to have the most fun and find the best snow, all which reducing risk of avalanche, cold, crevasses, and optimize group dynamics.
CLICK HERE to download the chapter on "Uphill Movement" from Backcountry Skiing (Provide us with a little information and we'll send your download directly to your inbox) * For intermediate-to-advanced backcountry skiers * Includes trip planning, navigation, fitness, and avalanche safety information, in addition to techniques * Provides advice on how to make well-informed backcountry decisions Martin Volken and his co-authors provide skiers with all the tools and knowledge they need to safely and successfully travel in the mountain backcountry. The guide features intermediate-to-advanced techniques for ski touring and ski mountaineering, from planning backcountry trips to perfecting turns in rolling terrain and mastering uphill climbing. For those skiers ready for a more technical, high alpine environment, they draw on traditional mountaineering skills, including roped climbing, setting protection anchors, using ice axes, climbing on bare rock, and more. In addition to mastering techniques, Backcountry Skiing also features information on recent evolutions in ski equipment; avalanche safety tips; a primer on mountain weather and glaciers, trip planning tools, a discussion of emergency situations, nutrition and fitness advice, and winter camping basics. Throughout this guide, a special emphasis is put on being well-informed and making good decisions -- whenever you strap on your skis and skins and head out into the backcountry.
The more you know about snow stability, the better your travel and rescue skills. And the sharper your decision making, the better you’ll be able to avoid avalanche danger and have more fun in the winter backcountry. In Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, 3rd Edition, acclaimed snow and avalanche expert Bruce Tremper provides easy-to-understand avalanche safety tips and skills, including the latest snow research and techniques for evaluating snowpack, as well how to rescue companions in the event of an avalanche. Other topics include: How to evaluate terrain and decide whether it's safe or dangerous How avalanches work How to test snow stability How to control your exposure and lower your risk Safe travel techniques What to do if you're caught in an avalanche Search-and-rescue strategies Managing the human factors that contribute to accidents This fully revised and updated third edition of Bruce's best-selling book is organized according to the structure of American Avalanche Association classes, and all topics have been updated and reviewed by peer experts. This edition also features a wholly new chapter in which Bruce pulls all the pieces together to create an organized, step-by-step system for making decisions off, and on, the mountain. As Rocky Mountain News proclaimed, "No one who plays in the mountain snow should leave home without having studied this book." Clear, comprehensive, and engaging, Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain shares everything skiers, snowboarders, and other backcountry travelers need to know to stay safe in the mountains.
This manual was developed to support the ACMG’s Training and Assessment Program (TAP) courses in the ski guiding stream, and as a reference for ACMG-certified guides.