Well, here I am. Back out west and back to the books. Well, mostly books. In my outdoor program, for the first month or so of school we are focused on avalanches and avalanche safety. We've been over all kinds of things about them including how to find people who are burried, how to predict avalanches, how to test the snowpak, judge the avalanche terrain and know what is the best route to travel in the backcountry to avoid starting a slide.
Its been really fun so far but a lot of work. There are lots of terms and systems that we have to remember. In order to be certified in AST, at the end of our unit we will have to be able to find two burried avalanche beacons within 100 square feet in under 5 minutes. We have worked on finding one so far and with the beacons it isn't too hard.
Last Friday we took a hike up to Needle Peak to look at some avalanche terrain and test the snowpak. It was a beautiful day to be out! It was so clear and the sun was really warm as we hiked up above treeline. Here are some shots from the day!
It was a long day out but really great! I was on touring skies which let the heal clip out so we can slide up hill and then there are skins that go on the bottom that make them not slide back. The snow was not very good for skiing though. There was a thin layer of crust on top so it was really hard to turn.
It was cool to be able to get out and see what we are learning about also. This was our second day out in the snow. This Thursday we are heading northeast where we're going to pack into a basin area, set up camp and do some day hikes from that camp to do some more avalanche training. Sadly, I will have to snowshoe this trip and won't get to ski because I sprained my ankle playing indoor soccer on Wednesday. I was on crutches for a day and can walk now but there is still some swelling and a bit of pain. It is fine though for just walking.
We are going to build a snow cave and take turns sleeping in it while we are out also! It will be great! If I have room in my pack I am going to bring my big camera but I am not sure that will be possible because we need lots of gear and clothes to stay warm. I will write about that as soon as I get back....as long as my fingers have not had to be cut off from frost bite :)
