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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 1978)
Thur» . Jan. 12. 1978JSuc 1) SANDY (Ora.) POST - 9 Everything you wanted to know about by Douglas Gantenbein sports editor E v e ry th in g pointed tow ards a p e rfe c t day o f snowshoeing. The w eather was fin e , w ith a little g usty w ind but cle a r shies and a w a rm in g sun. A heavy storm the pre vio u s n ig ht had deposited a fin e deep la y e r o f snow across w hich a little group o f three was h ap pily plo w in g through. They tra ve rse d a h illside o f tim b e r, then cam e to an open g u lly, w ith ju s t a Jew bent trees on it. They peered up the slope and a d m ire d a fin e , w ind-sculptured overhang o f snow. Looked solid enought. So the leader headed across the slope to the fo re s t on the fa r side. No p ro ble m . Laughing and ye lling , he called his com panions across. They were ju s t about over when they heard a loud “ w h u m p ” and looked up in h o rro r to see the co rn ice atop the slope break loose and ro ll ra p id ly th e ir way. They trie d to run fo r it but th e ir snowshoes slowed them and before they had gotten a fe w yards the w hite tide rum ble d over them. Then ju s t as suddenly as the avalanche came, it stopped. The m ountain again was quiet, leaving a now lone h ik e r standing in shocked silence. of powder snow hurtling down a high alpine slope. The fact is that those types of avalanches, caused by what is known as “ wild snow’ are virtually unheard of in the Western states. Far more com mon are smaller avalanches caused By loose, wet snow or the more dangerous “ slab” types in which blocks of solid snow slide whole down a hillside In fact, many avalanche-related deaths are caused by fa irly small slides of 300 feet or less As U S. Forest Service recreation specialist Roland Emetaz said, ‘‘Even the small ones are killers.” But like the Northwest weather that causes them, avalanches are far from easy to predict. As U.S. Forest Service recreation specialist Roland Emetaz ‘For the snow traveler, a half foot of new snow is suspicious, a foot of it ominous and any more Avalanches snow, or worse, greasing up the whole works. "Rainwater percolates through the snow,” ssaid Emetaz “ I t ’ll hit an old rain or sun crust, the moisture acts as a lubricant and it ’ll slide Naturally, gravity is an important factor so the degree of the slope is important. Surprisingly, the steepest slopes to NOT produce the most slides —hills of about 30 to 45 degrees (60 to 100 per cent) are the mo6t treacherous ones Yet, shallow er angles can be hazardous, too. " I t ’s difficult for people to relate to 25 degrees,” Mt. Baker National Forest snow specialist Paul Frankenstein noted “ They can better judge 30 degrees, because they relate that to the side of a triangle, yet they should watch for slopes less steep than that.” Finally, wind can add to avalanche danger by blowing snow into precarious positions, such as the cornice (an overhang of snow) that surprised our friends at the start of this story. If the wind is strong enough to blow snow off the top of a hill, it ’s a sure bet that it is also strong enough to create hazardous deposits on the lee side of a hill. Ä Æ Spotting avalanche danger than that is an avalanche So. By now you’re no doubt certain that every flake of snow in the woods is waiting to crash down upon your head, waiting to happen’ wreaking havoc on you and your per son. Not so. Certainly there are hazards said, “ I t ’s a very imperfect science. but a careful and watchful person can There are just too many variables.” avoid them. . This is a scenario becoming in Still, Emetaz and other snow experts When on the trail, look for recent creasingly likely and common as say there are some good, general rules signs of avalanche activity such as the thousands more people annually are regarding avalanche threat prediction. bent trees our ill fated group of three discovering the world of winter sports Two main slide types saw. Avalanches aren’t like lightning, away from the carefully groomed ski First, just what types of avalanches they’ l l s trik e the same place slopes and long lift lines. are there? Two, basically—the loose frequently. This year especially, with frequent snow and slab types mentioned in the Small disturbances should be noted and heavy storms depositing large above paragraphs. as well, such as snowballs or “ pin quantities of snow the threat of As their names imply, those differ wheels” tumbling down a hill. They potentially murderous avalanches is basically in how they are put together. could be a harbinger of bigger things to Loose snow avalanches are often high come. And yet, few people are really aware caused when the snow crystals loose T ry to hike on the windward side of a of just what constitutes high avalanche their shape due to melting and no hill, opposite any cornices there might danger. Indeed, the common picture of longer interlock. Typically, a loose be. Or, if you must walk the lee side, an “ avalanche” is of a churning mass snow avalanche w ill start with a small stay in the valley as far as possible point of instability and spread to en from the hilltop. compass a larger area. Timbered areas rarely avalanche, so Loose snow avalanches may be hiking through them is relatively safe. triggered by a passing skier, or simply Ridgetops are also safe, although care start when the snow can no longer should be taken not to disturb any support itself. cornices there might be. Either way, the conditions that spawn If you must cross dangerous slopes, them also lead to their demise, as wet, do so near the top. Never traverse an melting snow that most frequently exposed slope when ascending or leads to loose snow avalanches is also descending Go straight up or down. quick to stabilize into a compact mass. And, check ahead of time to find what The more threatening avalanche the potential avalanche danger is for a type—the slab avalanche—is a product given day (see inset). The Forest of snow crystals bonding together into a Service and weather bureau both have ‘‘ I t ’s a helluva lot better to avoid rigid mass. Unlike loose snow slides, a avalanche information available. I them,” says Zigzag ranger station slab avalanche w ill break at once over The wilderness is a place to have fun, avalanche expert Wendy Evans, but an entire area. but those who don’t respect its dangers Slab avalanches typically have a high should you be so unfortunate as to find are asking for serious trouble. Enjoy I yourself in the path of an avalanche mechanical strength and are capable of yourself, but be careful. I there are a few rules to follow that withstanding a considerable amount of stress before breaking loose. As a ] might save your life. F irs t, when in a p o te n tia lly result, an entire platoon of skiers may dangerous area, be sure you have good cross a slab, but the steps of the last body protection with gloves and hat on person crossing may be the little extra and a ll outer clothing securely bit of stress that could cause a fracture. One case on record in Switzerland is of | fastened Then, check to see that all ski straps a slab being dislodged by the last three I and poles are loosened so they can be men of a 34-man m ilita ry patrol. The explosiveness that most slab quickly discarded in an emergency. avalanches display is due to their If an avalanche starts and you see that you won’t be abie to escape, dump tendency to “ creep" downhill. As the as much of your equipment as possible. slabs inch down the mountain, they If on a snowmobile get away from the stretch like a drumhead and tension is If you're caught in an avalanche * But were burled to deep to ask | vehicle. When the snow strikes, make I vigorous swimming motions. Try to I stay on top of the avalanche, and move | off to one side if you can. The critica l time comes when the | snow mass begins to slow, for as Evans said “ once it stops it’s like cement.” Keep one or both hands in front of your face and push the snow away to make an a ir pocket. “ If you don t have an air space, the chance of s u rv iv a l | diminishes greatly,” Evans points out. If you are the survivor of an I avalanche, you are your trapped partner s best chance of survival. Unless there are several members in your party and help is just minutes away, don’ t leave the area as avalanche victims rarely live more I than 30 minutes and it may take hours [ to get up a rescue party. Instead, immediately mark the spot i where the victims were last seen and begin searching the area beneath it. If they are not visible from the surface, scuff and probe the surface with a stick or ski pole. When the victims are recovered, treat them for suffocation and shock and get them to a first aid station as I quickly as possible. Evans said that the number of avalanche survivals depends a great deal on the kind of people you ski or snowshoe with, so know your partners and be certain they arc aware of the hazards avalanches present and how to | cope with them Finally, always remember that help I may be hours away. Think of your group or even yourself as a self- contained unit, capable of meeting any crises on its own. When planning a trip, plan for the worst possible event and pack food, clothing and first aid gear ¡accordingly built up. Then, when they finally break a great deal of energy is released at once. The amount of pressure built up depends a great deal on the tem perature of the snow. Temperatures around freezing soften the snow and allow a great deal of creep in a short period of time, creating a relatively short danger period. Low temperatures, on the other hand, allow tension to build up gradually, creating a long danger time. Causes of avalanches Avalanches are triggered by a number of related factors with “ per fect” avalanche conditions, occurring frequently at this time of the year: heavy snowfalls and high winds followed by rising temperatures. For the snow traveler, a half foot of new snow is suspicious, a foot of it ominous and any more than that an avalanche is just waiting to happen. The rate of snow is also a factor. Three feet of snow that fell over the space of a few days is probably well consolidated, but a foot of snow in a couple hours can constitute a real danger. Another variable is the type of snow that is falling. A soft flake with a well- defined crystal structure w ill interlock and stabilize with other flakes easier than a hard, sleety type of snow. Catch a few on your m itt to examine them But one of the most critical factors is temperature. Cold powder snow atop a warmer, wetter base is a fa irly stable combination, but the colder snow does not bond together well, and should a heavy coat of wet snow fall on top of cold snow it doesn’t have the strength to support the load. The rain storms that often follow a warm front can add to the hazard, increasing the weight of the surface E L IO T T G L A C IE R on M t. Hood: A common site of avalanches. (Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service) Check the snow before you go The continuous National Weather weather conditions, snowfall, the Service broadcasts provide the most amount of moisture in the snow and a complete and up-to-the-minute in report from Mt. Hood Meadows. For the most accurate avalanche formation, Evans said. Other general information can be conditions, Evans said the Forest ga thered by calling the Weather Ser out. At Government Camp, daily back Service strongly recommends the vice in Portland, or by tuning to purchase of a small VHF weather band country conditions are posted every television news broadcasts. During radio tuned into the National Weather day except Wednesday. These reports times of severe avalanche danger Service continuous broadcasts at provide capsule summaries of danger Portland stations give current con areas in the Mt. Hood area based on 162.550 MHZ. Before going on a backcountry snow outing, Zigzag ranger Wendy Evans recommends that you check on recent avalanche conditions before heading ditions and applicable elevations. Evans said that in all cases the reports apply only to backcountry areas, not to controlled ski areas. “ A lot of people hear these reports and get scared off the mountain,” she said. 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