We've had a rash of large, human triggered avalanches these past few days. Here is a rundown on all the slides and where they have been occurring by aspect and elevation and a few thoughts about the nature of the beast. Here, Evelyn and I plotted all the human triggered avalanches since Jan 31. There are 11 human triggered avalanches with 6 people caught, two total burials (with beacon recoveries), one partial burial and one injury. (Add one dot to the graph for late-breaking news, 8,900' NW.) Notice they fall generally on the aspects where faceted snow both forms and …

Here's a video overview of our snowpack conditions from Mineral Fork. http://vimeo.com/58436095

For those who missed this when it was first published earlier this winter, here is probably the best article on an avalanche accident I have ever read. It's a New York Times article on the Stephen's Pass avalanche from last winter that dominated the news for so long. The multimedia presentation is stunning. http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/#/?part=tunnel-creek Here is a very well done video on a close call in the Northwest. It's not about whether we make mistakes because we all make mistakes, but it's about what we learn from them. …

This is a guest editorial by Jake Hutchinson We created the monster, now lets bury it Recently, Paul Diegel, Executive Director of the Friends of theUtah Avalanche Center, posted an interesting article on the UAC blog,“In Defense of Sidecountry”, where he discusses the term sidecountry and how we should be using it. I have long been vocal about trying to eliminate the word from the professional vernacular and emphasize that it is truly “backountry”, whether it is ten feet or ten thousand feet from a ski area boundary, snow and avalanche …

A colleague and I recently shared a chairlift with a 20ish out-of-town snowboarder enjoying a sunny day between holiday storms at a Utah resort. He told us that he had taken multiple laps the day before, mid-storm, on a steep, open slope accessible through a gate at the resort boundary. The avalanche advisory had called the hazard Considerable, with persistent weak layers, thin snowpack, and the potential of large, unmanageable avalanches. The slope, the site of several fatalities in recent years, was mentioned in the advisory as being an example of slopes particularly …

Call it the sign of the times. It used to be every time I went to a party or gave a talk, everyone wanted to know what websites I used. Now, they only want to know which apps I use. Well funny you should ask because there is a plethora of new apps out on the market for displaying the avalanche adivosry and submitting observations on avalanches and snow profiles. I have been experimenting with most of them and consulting with several groups working on new apps that will come out in the next few months or a year. Since I'm an iPhone guy, I have to confess my ignorance of …

I've been trying to think of a way to discuss the faceting period that occurred from November 20 to Dec 1 and haven't really come up with anything. But, I did have an interesting email conversation with Greg Gagne, one of our top observers, on this subject that I thought some folks might find interesting. Greg Gagne Dec 1 (2 days ago) to me Hey Brett - Got out htis morning and was curious what the faceted snow looked like underneath the new snow. Am putting together an obs, but curious your thoughts on the preserved facets. Small grains (.5 mm) that under the …