20-21

<p>Last weekend provided us an excellent opportunity to practice for winter. Collectively, we raced around, trying to find our warm clothes and avalanche gear. When people got into the mountains, they saw signs of instability and avalanches. Most recently, a skier had a scare when they triggered a wind-loaded slope at Bridger Bowl on Monday (<strong><a href="https://mtavalanche.com/node/23019">avalanche details</a></strong>). Check out our <strong><a href="https://mtavalanche.com/avalanche-activity">avalanche activity list</a></strong> for more information about last weekend’s slides. Since the weekend, winds transported the new snow, leaving some slopes bare and drifting others. This weekend wind-drifted slopes, where the snowpack is the deepest, are where avalanches will be the most likely. Assess slope stability before entering any avalanche terrain and build in an extra margin for error to account for early season uncertainty. With 1-3’ of snow on the ground in the mountains, avalanche season is here. These slides will not discriminate between hunters, climbers, skiers, and riders.</p>

<p>I am considering the warm temperatures this week as an opportunity to reset, assess the condition of my safety equipment, and run through beacon drills and rescue scenarios. Check out Ian’s <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYOaXqIv50M">video</a&gt; </strong>from last winter for some thoughts about checking your gear.</p>

<p>As winter sets in, remember the fundamentals:</p>

<ol>
<li><strong><em>Get the Gear</em></strong> and know how to use it before entering the backcountry – a beacon, shovel, and probe are our minimum safety equipment.</li>
<li><strong><em>Get the Training</em></strong> by checking out our <strong><a href="https://mtavalanche.com/workshops/calendar">education calendar</a></strong> for free and low-cost programs along with certification classes from other local providers.</li>
<li><strong><em>Get the Forecast</em></strong><em> </em>before you head out each day – if you have gotten this far, you are probably already on that program!</li>
<li><strong><em>Get the Picture</em></strong> by looking for signs of instability and digging snowpits.</li>
<li><strong><em>Get out of Harm’s Way</em></strong> by carefully managing your terrain choices and only exposing one person at a time to avalanche terrain.</li>
</ol>

<p>We’ll be updating the <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/weather/wx-avalanche-log"><strong>weather log</strong></a>, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/photos"><strong>photos page</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/avalanche-activity"><strong>avalanche activity list</strong></a> daily and issuing early season updates throughout the fall as conditions merit. If you have avalanche, snowpack or weather observations to share, please submit them via our <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/add/snow_observation"><strong>website<…;, email (<a href="mailto:mtavalanche@gmail.com"><strong>mtavalanche@gmail.com</strong></a…;), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>