Yo, You Should Take an Avalanche Course.
More often than not, we operate with the mentality that, "It's not going to happen to me." The reality is that it very well could and we need to accept that. On a low avalanche forecast day where the likelihood of an avalanche occurring was rated a 1 out of 5, I witnessed my first avalanche in the backcountry on the trail I was on. It woke me up just a little bit more. We were just a few short minutes away from being under the natural rock fall and avalanche path. We were lucky.
At the time, I already had an AIARE 1 under my belt but the Couloir above me didn't care about that or that the forecasters decided it was a low risk day. The point is that it could happen to anyone at anytime. "Anything can slide," my friend and backcountry partner, Dani Reyes-Acosta, once told me during a ski tour. "It doesn't matter the angle. Anything can slide."
We need to operate in the mountains with the mindset that avalanches are going to happen. What are our best chances at survival to avoid and prevent them while having fun? I say avoid because avalanches happen all the time naturally. I say prevent because most of the burials and deaths you hear about from avalanches occur from skier/splitboarder-triggered avalanches.
When I first moved to the Sierra, I knew I needed the proper snow education. I felt confident with snow travel as I'd taken mountaineering and backcountry courses and trained on my own. That confidence is exactly why I knew I needed to take an avy course. I needed to manage my confidence before it became cockiness.
There are hurdles to avalanche and snow education, mostly financial. Avalanche courses are expensive and that's a cost a lot of us can't afford. I've had friends purchase a backcountry set-up before purchasing the education. Unfortunately, this means that they typically adventure into the backcountry without proper knowledge. I made the decision early on to take education courses before buying the gear. Luckily, I was a scholarship recipient with Backcountry Babes and I was able to take one of their courses at a discounted rate. You can apply for the same scholarship here.
I rented a backcountry set-up from Mammoth Mountaineering Supply. On a Friday, I drove up to Tahoe to take a co-ed AIARE 1 course out of Hutchinson Lodge at Clair Teppan Lodge. Our instructors, Emily Hargraves and Zeb Blais, were both very experienced backcountry skiers and made the indoor and outdoor classroom a comfortable environment for all of us to learn in. During our first day outside, Zeb and Emily instructed all of us on how to use our beacons, shovels, and probes properly. I was also new to using ski touring equipment and had to be instructed on how to use the equipment a bit as well. Throughout the weekend, we practiced burying beacons and finding them via beacon, shovel, and probe. On our last day of class, we went for a tour near the ASI mountaineering school. We practiced decision-making skills, kick turns to get uphill, and everything it takes to put together our own ski tour. This course gave me the confidence I needed for the rest of the season as I set off with friends in the Eastern Sierra on ski tours.
In California, you have an estimated 7 minutes to find a buried victim in an avalanche before the victim suffocates. 7 minutes is not a very long time. Avalanche safety equipment feels very primitive in relation to other technology we use. It's a technology that has come a long way, but I'm sure may change a lot in our lifetime. Learning to use a beacon, shovel, and probe properly and efficiently is mandatory before entering the backcountry in winter conditions. You can register for your own avalanche education course with Backcountry Babes here.
As far as equipment, here is what you need:
I've used a few different beacons/transceivers in the backcountry and been around friends with different devices from different companies. I trust the beacons made by Backcountry Access the most. When it comes to safety, I do not compromise and this is the most important tool in finding a buried victim in the event of an avalanche.
This is a quality shovel for rescuing your companion. Dani Reyes-Acosta recommended it to me, because it is what she uses and she wants her companion to be apt and ready to rescue her in the event of an emergency. This is the high-tech successor to the world's best-selling for professionals Alu II shovel. In addition to the shovel function, it offers a 90 degree clearing function which is very handy.
Black Diamond QuickDraw Carbon Probe
The third piece of equipment you need is a probe. This is a piece of a equipment I care least about who makes it because most companies make a quality probe. If you want one of the best on the market, get a carbon probe. I personally carry a MSR Striker 240 Probe because a friend gifted one to me.
Skiers - Coalition Snow La Nieve Skis
This ski is a dream. It floats like a butterfly through powder and slush. Coalition Snow claims that this is a "backcountry specific ski that gets you up the hill as quickly as you can get down it." It's true. I ski the 168 and the pair weighs in around 6 lbs. This is the perfect backcountry ski to get out in the Sierra Nevada and that's why I chose Coalition Snow.
Splitboarders - Coalition Snow Sojourner Splitboard
I haven’t ridden this split board, but fellow Coalition ambassadors like Andrea Slusarski and Jen Gold do and they rave about it like it’s a dream board. This is the perfect splitboard to transition from the resort to the backcountry. You’ll be frothing through powder in no time.
Dynafit Radical or Marker Kingpin Bindings
It's really hard for me to recommend a ski binding. After blowing my knee out last year after my Salomon Shift MNC bindings did not release properly, safety in bindings is more important than ever to me. I've been recommended a number of bindings from Marker to Black Diamond. I grew up skiing on Marker bindings and they haven't failed me yet. I plan to return to backcountry skiing on Dynafit Radical and Marker Kingpin bindings.
Black Diamond Carbon Ski Poles
Make sure you are using collapsible ski poles. It isn't 100% necessary, but it is a heck lot more of convenient. Black Diamond makes great carbon collapsible ski poles. Note: You need poles for the uphill even if you’re splitboarding.
If you take away one thing from this, take away that safety is never third in the backcountry. It is always first if you want to return home safe.
Lexie Gritlefeld is an adventure writer and outdoor recreation enthusiast. In her 9-5 time, Lexie works on marketing and policy advocacy in the outdoor industry, primarily with California Outdoor Recreation Partnership. Lexie also created an online journal and community space, WeekendRoamer.com, to promote that the outdoors are welcome for all to explore.