Snow Avalanche Hazards and Mitigation in the United States
Snow Avalanche Hazards and Mitigation in the United States

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1990-02-01

Total Pages: 97

ISBN-13: 0309043352

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The present mortality as a result of snow avalanches exceeds the average mortality caused by earthquakes as well as all other forms of slope failure combined. Snow avalanches can range from small amounts of loose snow moving rapidly down a slope to slab avalanches, in which large chunks of snow break off and destroy everything in their path. Although considered a hazard in the United States since the westward expansion in the nineteenth century, in modern times snow avalanches are an increasing concern in recreational mountainous areas. However, programs for snow avalanche hazard mitigation in other countries are far ahead of those in the United States. The book identifies several steps that should be taken by the United States in order to establish guidelines for research, technology transfer, and avalanche legislation and zoning.

Dragons in the Snow
Dragons in the Snow

Author: Ed Power

Publisher: Mountaineers Books

Published: 2020-08-12

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 1680512978

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Edward Power sets the reader down in the midst of a February 2017 blizzard that raked Utah’s Uinta Range as nine snowboarders made their way into the backcountry for a day of intense adventure. As the boarders were taking their first turns, expert avalanche forecaster Craig Gordon was tracking the storm and its impact, posting one of the most dire avalanche forecasts and warnings in his career. In Dragons in the Snow, Power delves into the research and science behind avalanche forecasting and rescue, weaving in the art of backcountry skiing as well as dramatic tales of avalanche accidents, rescues, and recoveries. And he paints compelling portraits of the men and women who have made the study of avalanches their life’s work. The tales told by these avalanche forecasters, as well as the stories of the backcountry riders who may "wake the dragon" make for not just a compelling read, but also a powerful tool for raising avalanche awareness in everyone who plays in the winter backcountry.

Snow Sense
Snow Sense

Author: Jill A. Fredston

Publisher: Alaska Mountain Safety Center, Incorporated

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 9780964399402

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Book which focuses on teaching backcountry travellers to recognize, evaluate, and avoid avalanche hazards by gathering available key information and clues from the snowpack, weather, and terrain.

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain
Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain

Author: Bruce Tremper

Publisher: The Mountaineers Books

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9780898868340

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Winter recreation in the mountains has increased steadily over the past few years, and so has the number of deaths and injuries caused by avalanches. Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain covers everything you need to know to avoid trouble in avalanche terrain: what avalanches are and how they work, common myths, human activities that lead to avalanche trouble, what happens to victims when an avalanche occurs, and rescue techniques. Provides step- by-step instruction for determining avalanche hazards, using safe travel technique, and making effective rescues.

Secrets of the Snow
Secrets of the Snow

Author: Edward R. LaChapelle

Publisher: University of Washington Press

Published: 2011-10-17

Total Pages: 113

ISBN-13: 0295802464

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The surface of fallen snow—its contours and texture—can tell the interested observer much about the forces that shaped it and about its stability and what it is likely to do. Will it be good for skiing or for packing as a snowball? Will it slide? Is it dangerous? Secrets of the Snow is an overview of the easily visible aspects of snow in the alpine mountain landscape, serving as a companion volume to the author’s Field Guide to Snow Crystals, which examines snow at the microscopic level. Describing visual snow features and textures arising from climate, wind-drift, layering, solar radiation, and melting, Secrets of the Snow explains how snow may be "read" for information on avalanche formation and suitability for winter sports. Closely linked photographs and text illustrate the shapes, forms, and textures found at the surface of winter snow covers; describe their origins in wind and weather conditions; and guide the reader in interpreting these features to predict snow behavior. Secrets of the Snow is essential for winter sports enthusiasts, mountaineers, and avalanche-safety specialists.

The Natural Navigator
The Natural Navigator

Author: Tristan Gooley

Publisher: The Experiment

Published: 2012-06-05

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1615191550

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From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Secret World of Weather and The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, learn to tap into nature and notice the hidden clues all around you Before GPS, before the compass, and even before cartography, humankind was navigating. Now this singular guide helps us rediscover what our ancestors long understood—that a windswept tree, the depth of a puddle, or a trill of birdsong can help us find our way, if we know what to look and listen for. Adventurer and navigation expert Tristan Gooley unlocks the directional clues hidden in the sun, moon, stars, clouds, weather patterns, lengthening shadows, changing tides, plant growth, and the habits of wildlife. Rich with navigational anecdotes collected across ages, continents, and cultures, The Natural Navigator will help keep you on course and open your eyes to the wonders, large and small, of the natural world.