Avalanche safety in Rocky’s backcountry

By Barb Boyer Buck

Piles of deep, fluffy snow in Rocky's backcountry are an invitation to shake off the winter doldrums and go play in the mountains. As we've described in other articles in this and last month's HIKE ROCKY, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, sledding and ice skating are all possible in RMNP in winter and spring. There are options for everyone, at any ability or age.

But this beautiful, pristine wilderness contains a hidden danger: being caught in an avalanche.

In recent weeks, there have been reports of injuries and deaths occurring as a result of avalanches in mountain states including Colorado, Washington, Utah, and Montana. In fact, this is the deadliest avalanche season in more than 100 years in the US, and we're only about half-way through the danger period. Last week in Rocky, a 21-year-old woman from Texas was seriously injured in an area above Emerald Lake - an area known for its high avalanche danger.

It is very, very important for everyone to understand how to mitigate this danger in Rocky's backcountry.

Jason Antin, guide and director of group experience for the Colorado Mountain School in Estes Park, granted HIKE ROCKY an exclusive interview to discuss this issue. There are many types of avalanches, but the most dangerous ones for those recreating on the Front Range side of the Divide are called slab avalanches, Antin explained.

Jason Antin, director of group experience and guide for the Colorado Mountain School.

“This is when you see the snowpack break like a pane of glass,” he said. “Slab avalanches are particularly dangerous in Colorado because they don't tend to go away (for the entire season).”

The varying effects of the dry atmosphere and temperature swings cause a “layer cake” effect in the snow, he explained. The snow is transformed into layers piled on top of each other that are of different density. When you get a layer of hard-packed, wind-hardened snow on top of a layer of loose snow, the potential for a slab avalanche is very high.

Large, hard slab avalanche from the Buffalo Pass area on February 9, 2021. The crown is approximately 10 feet deep with a bed surface near the ground.

Photo from https://www.avalanche.state.co.us/

To help keep safe, it's a good idea to stay off of terrain that is 30-45 degrees in slope angle, he said. “Even if you're skiing on terrain that is 30 degrees or less, the terrain above you also needs to be considered before you go underneath any of it.” Antin went on to explain that a 38-degree slope is considered the “sweet spot of danger,” but that terrain over 45 degrees usually doesn't accumulate enough snow to create avalanches.

Some of RMNP terrain that is included in the 30-45 degree includes Lamb Slide above Chasm Lake, the Dragontail mountaineering route above Emerald Lake, and areas above Bear Lake. The danger starts in late December. While snowpack becomes more predictable in the spring, avalanches can occur through May. “When we get a springtime snowpack it becomes more solidified,” Antin explained. “Later in the spring we can stop worrying so much about the slab avalanche and can embark on more predictable spring ski outings.”

Despite having different kinds of avalanches to worry about, there are also “avalanche problems,” he said. Antin pointed out that most of the time above tree level, the snow doesn't stay around very long, mostly because of the high winds. Weather events like big storms followed by high winds can create a storm slab or a wind slab where the new snow is displaced by these conditions, usually into gullies which are already prone to avalanches.

Essentially, conditions fluctuate daily in avalanche-prone areas and it's your responsibility to be aware of this. The best place to find daily avalanche information is hps://www.avalanche.state.co.us/

A skier was caught and killed in an avalanche in the backcountry south of Vail on February 4. The skier exited the Vail Ski Area through a backcountry access gate. The skier was in an area known as Marvin's when the avalanche occurred. Companions and other riders in the area found the skier. They performed resuscitation efforts but were unsuccessful. The avalanche occurred on an east-facing slope below treeline. Rescuers estimated the avalanche as 700 feet wide, and it ran 1000 vertical feet.

https://www.avalanche.state.co.us/

“The forecasts are updated daily, by 7:30 a.m.,” Antin said. “They will give you a ranking from 1-5; 1 being low avalanche danger all the way up to 5, extreme. But most avalanche deaths occur in the “Considerable (3)” range.”

The fires of last summer and fall may contribute to increased avalanche danger as well. “Snow is a complex beast,” Antin said, “An avalanche needs a bed layer, a weak layer, some sort of slab or snow on top, and It needs a trigger. Trees act as anchors in the bed layer, breaking up any slabs. Think of a piece of carboard on an easel, if you put a single thumbtack securing the cardboard to the easel, it doesn't hold as well as 100 tacks would. Trees are like those tacks, and when you have fires, you are breaking up the anchors that could hold a slab in place.“

Checking the avalanche forecast is just one of many things to do in preparation for a backcountry outing in Rocky during avalanche season.

A transceiver, shovel, and probe are essential equipment in every back-country adventurer’s pack

“You always want to have a transceiver (formerly called avalanche beacon), a probe, and a shovel,” Ann said, “but the fourth piece of equipment you need is your avalanche education.”

The Colorado Mountain School offers several levels of AIARE certification through courses that combine online learning with in-the-field instruction.

The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) s a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization that gathers the latest knowledge, research and ideas in avalanche safety to create avalanche training courses.

Colorado Mountain School instructor Travis (orange jacket) trains students how to use their transceiver, probe, and shovel to rescue anyone who may become buried by an avalanche.

Photo by Barb Boyer Buck

“Avalanche education, level one, is very much about understanding the problem and doing your best to avoid it,” said Antin. This course includes two field days and eight hours of online class. Check out all of Colorado Mountain School's offerings here: https://coloradomountainschool.com/productcategory/avalanche-training/

Avalanche transceiver (beacon) training area in Hidden Valley.

Photo by Barb Boyer Buck

There’s also an introductory course, “Avalanche Awareness,” that can be taken entirely online on Colorado Mountain School's website. In this short course, you will learn the basics of what it takes for a safe adventure in Colorado's backcountry during avalanche season.

A big part of avalanche safety is planning – the AIARE Backcountry Decision-Making Guide, or “blue book” is what Antin recommends. In this book, you can create your plan based on several factors including avalanche danger, weather conditions, and the expertise of those you are going into the backcountry with.

Planning before you head into Rocky’s backcountry includes several factors. This guide helps keep it all in one place.

Another piece of gear that is extremely helpful is an avalanche air bag.

“If you fill a bucket with a bunch of different-sized rocks and you shake it, eventually all the bigger ones are gong to rise to the surface and all the little particles of sand will fall to the bottom. An avalanche airbag helps you be bigger than the other pieces that break off the slab (and thus, will tend to float to the surface) and it also protects your head and neck. The point is not to get buried by an avalanche.

“I've heard stories of people who were trapped in one foot of snow, not able to get out,” Ann said.

The best remedy for avalanche accidents is always prevention and preparation. The first step is to figure out who is going with you (it is never recommended to travel in avalanche terrain alone) and what everyone's risk tolerance/experience is, Antin explained. The next thing to do is to check the avalanche conditions and forecast. “Only then, do you determine your objective,” he said.

All of this planning happens before you even get on the mountain. Once embarked, the group should never stray from the plan, Antin said.

An avalanche was triggered by snow machines in Vail’s backcountry on Feb. 7.

https://www.avalanche.state.co.us/

The Colorado Mountain School operates under a memorandum of understanding within RMNP; guides are responsible for being stewards of the land, render aid to visitors to the Park as wilderness first responders, carry radios to keep in communication with ranger staff, and are leave-no-trace trainers, among other duties.

The school can operate anywhere in the Park, but the places that tend to be better learning environments for beginner students are those with easy access, lower-approach zones with at least visual access to avalanche terrain. Most of their training happens at Bear Lake and Hidden Valley.

This sign at Bear Lake allows backcountry travelers to check whether their transceiver is working properly. When held up, a green circle will flash to indicate it is.

Photo by Barb Boyer Buck

“We will serve more than 2,000 avalanche education students this year, we operate all over Colorado but our home is RMNP,”

Jason Antin has been in Colorado for about a decade and has been with Colorado Mountain School for a year. He has taken all the AIARE training, including the Pro 1 class and is planning to take the Pro 2 class later this year.

Barb Boyer Buck has been a professional writer, researcher, and editor for the past 25 years. She first moved to Estes Park in the mid 1990s, to become the special sections and magazine editor for the Estes Park Trail-Gazette.