Avalanche Safety Reporting/Sharing

Due to recent incidents, I feel it is necessary to have a local avalanche safety bulletin where people can post incident reports, snowpack conditions, area/run reports etc. without having to feel ashamed or chastised by the community. This is designed as a way to share relevant information about dangers and conditions for people to learn from and prevent future incidents. 

This is an open discussion forum that can be used to keep people safe in the backcountry by documenting snowpack observations, avalanche observations, near misses, dangerous zones, etc. I have setup a report template that has been adapted from the CAA Infoex which is used by industry professionals such as cat/heli ski guides, patrollers, forecasters, parks etc as a way to share relevant information and diagnose the safety/stability of our local backcountry skiing areas.

By following this template and reporting the information accurately, others will be able to learn from your incident and begin to understand where the dangerous areas are, the snowpack and the conditions found. Details regarding location and slope description are critical to keeping everyone safe and avoiding future incidents. 

This is to be used as a tool for understanding local snowpack and conditions in addition to avalanche bulletins, danger ratings and site specific snowpack study. Make sure you check the avalanche bulletin at http://www.avalanche.ca for local ratings and information. For more information about safe backcountry travel and avalanche courses available go to the Canadian Avalanche Association website at https://www.avalancheassociation.ca/

Incident Report:

Location: Mtn range; Ski area; Run name; Aspect; Elevation; GPS; Area description; Terrain; Time of day

Snowpack: Depth (HS); New Snow (HN24); Storm Snow (HST); Surface forms (New Snow, Facets, Rounds, Surface Hoar)

Danger Rating: Alpine; Treeline; Below Treeline 

Weather: Sky (Overcast, Partly cloudy, Clear); Precipitation (Snow, Rain, Sleet); Wind (Approx. Speed/Direction); Temps (Air, Snow)

Avalanche Observation: Size in meters (Width, Length, Depth); Aspect; Elevation; Slope Angle; Bed Surface; No. of ppl involved;

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