Other Publications

New to the U.S., these Observation Guidelines and Recording Standards for Weather, Snowpack and Avalanches are designed to get everyone to report their data in a consistent manner. Adopting these guidelines for your program will allow better sharing of data and will lend an air of professionalism that calms the nerves of insurers and managers!

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Observation Guidelines and Recording Standards for Weather, Snowpack, and Avalanches (OGRS):
by Canadian Avalanche Association

Observation Guidelines and Recording Standards for Weather, Snowpack and Avalanches was designed to get everyone to report their data in a consistent manner. Adopting these guidelines for your program will allow better sharing of data and will lend an air of professionalism that calms the nerves of insurers and managers!

CAA offers other publications and videos--some excellent, some not--and quite possibly the world's finest avalanche education courses, including continuing education for qualified avalanche professionals.

The Avalanche Review is the official publication of the American Avalanche Association (AAA). You don't have to be an American nor a professional to join AAA and/or subscribe and receive this paper. T.A.R. publishes topics of interest to the avalanche community and others. Recent articles have included profiles of the country's avalanche forecast center programs;
reviews of new avalanche-related products like the Black Diamond Avalung and the Backcountry Access DTS Tracker digital avalanche beacon; recent studies like the beacon comparison test and snow-science research results; and
Information about military weapons used in avalanche control programs.

Reach the Editor by e-mail... TAR@avalanche.org

The International Classification for Seasonal Snow on the Ground is the definitive official word on proper snow terminology and recording protocols.

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Snow-Avalanche Hazard Analysis for Land-Use Planning and Engineering is the definitive book for avalanche hazard analysis. The book focuses on the methods and limitations of avalanche analysis for land-use planning and engineering purposes. Written by Art Mears, 1992 CGS Bulletin 49 $12.00

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Selected papers from this biennial symposium are available at www.avalanche.org.

Avalanche Wise: Your Guide to Avalanche Safety in Colorado is a pocket-sized booklet to help you stay save while playing in Colorado's highcountry. Written by Knox Williams and Dale Atkins, 1999. CGS Special Publication 48 $2.50
This book is available through the Colorado Geologic Survey publications catalog.

Anyone who recreates in a shallow, faceted snowpack or wants to understand why continental snow is more dangerous than maritime snow will appreciate this little booklet, even if they don't live in Colorado.

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Members of the National Ski Patrol (NSP) are the avalanche rescue kings. More avalanche rescues are probably conducted by ski patrollers than by any other group--and usually on each other! Professional ski patrollers are at high risk for avalanche burial because it is their job to go to places where avalanche hazard is known to be high. The fact that very few of them are actually killed speaks highly of their training program.

The NSP avalanche training program uses many of the publications reviewed on this page, but it also produces some of its own. The Avalanche Rescue Quick-Guide is a cheap and tiny booklet that fits into your chest pack. It outlines avalanche rescue organization and search techniques and provides memory-prompting forms for record keeping during an incident. This booklet is handy for search and rescue teams, ski patrollers and anyone who lives next to a small ski resort and may be asked to assist with an avalanche rescue/recovery operation.

You can order on-line if you have a current NSP membership number. Everyone else will have to consult the NSP web-master.