Local avalanche professionals added a tool for avalanche safety that can't be carried in a backpack along with the shovels and beacons.
To help give insight into the human factors that play a role in avalanche accidents, nationally renowned avalanche consultant and researcher Ian McCammon spoke at an all-day workshop hosted by the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center on Thursday, Jan. 31.
The timing of the workshop could not have been more appropriate, as the Wood River Valley has been in the midst of a very active avalanche cycle since the new year began.
The respect held for McCammon's knowledge in the field was exemplified by those in attendance at the Community Library in Ketchum, including experienced members of the Sun Valley Ski Patrol, Galena Backcountry Patrol, Soldier Mountain Snow Cats and patrollers from Yellowstone National Park.
"This is just an amazing group here," said Sawtooth Avalanche Center Director Janet Kellam, who was responsible for arranging McCammon's visit to Ketchum. "When it hits the fan, you're the one's out there helping save lives."
McCammon, who originally began his career as a mechanical engineer focusing on robotics and aerospace design, became intensely interested in snow science when a good friend got killed in an avalanche while backcountry skiing in 1994.
The loss caused McCammon to look for ways to understand why people, even those with some knowledge of avalanche safety, continually take risks in dangerous terrain.
"This is not about snowpack or terrain, but about yourself," McCammon said to the group, which had a combined 573 years of professional avalanche experience. "The vast majority of accidents are caused by human factors."
McCammon explained that mistakes often result from a number of common "mental traps," including peer pressure, familiarity with a particular run, belief that an expert in the group will make all the right decisions and the idea of a lost opportunity.
In addition, there's also the tendency to think that a situation is safe if other people are doing it, as well as the belief that once you've committed to the task it's too late to look for further information.
According to McCammon, the more of these traps that are present, the more likely people are to find themselves in a high-risk situation.
McCammon, who now runs Salt Lake City-based SnowPit Technologies, a supplier of snow-science equipment and education tools, said it's important for not only winter recreationists, but also trained avalanche professionals, to make sure they aren't falling prey to these traps and overlooking other indicators of potential danger.
"It's easy for us to get suckered into our jobs," said Kellam. "We might not get blinded by the chance to ski big lines, but, rather, get too focused on one aspect and lose sight of the big picture."
While this mistake could put only Kellam or her co-workers in harm's way, the consequences of a wrong decision by Sun Valley Ski Patrol Director Mike Lloyd can be even more severe.
"There's always pressure to get the lifts open by nine or to drop the ropes to the bowls," Lloyd said. "This means that we won't always be able to make the popular decision, but safety always has to come first."
Kellam sympathized with Lloyd's position and responsibility.
"Open/close operations, like Baldy, have a really tough call," Kellam said. "So every bit of information and experience truly helps out."
To assist in making the right decision, McCammon said, a "premortem test" can be carried out in which a person develops a plan, such as going backcountry skiing, imagines it going wrong and determining what was overlooked.
"If an accident occurred, would you be able to explain your decision to people afterwards?" McCammon asked. "If there were enough cues present, such as obvious wind loading or new snow on a steep slope, you would have a tough time explaining your choice."
McCammon said that by anticipating these outcomes before any action is taken, accidents can be avoided.
"It's tough to swallow the number of accidents that do happen and could have been prevented," Kellam said. "This helps us learn that recreationists do think differently than we do, so we have to learn how to best communicate with them."
As a very small percentage of recreational skiers ever see or experience an avalanche, it can be difficult for these professionals to convey the danger of a particular situation.
"The hard part is communicating to the public that their decision-making might not be the best," said Rich Bingham, assistant director and snow specialist of the ski patrol.
He said lack of experience combined with the temptations of fresh tracks can be deadly.
"A lot of people only see the powder on the backside of Baldy," he said.
Sun Valley Heli Ski Guides owner Mark Baumgardner concurred with Bingham, saying that it's imperative to find new ways to convey the risk to people.
"If you cry wolf, people will start ignoring you," Baumgardner said. "However, the wolf is still out there."
Ian McCammon
