Avalanche Safety: For Skiers and Climbers

A thoroughly illustrated manual stressing the avoidance of avalanche hazard by good routefinding and by recognition of dangerous slopes, written specifically for climbers, backcountry powder-hounds, and more conservative ski tourers.

Ski tourers, telemark skiers, ski mountaineers and climbers all put themselves at risk of being caught in an avalanche, yet many don't know how to detect and avoid dangerous slopes. This book gives them all the basic information they need to evaluate the snowpack, spot hazardous slopes, and avoid triggering slides themselves.

Beginning with an explanation of how mountain weather and various forms of snow affect avalanche hazard, Daffern moves on to cover the types of avalanches and how they are triggered. He offers skiers and climbers a variety of tests they can apply on the slopes to evaluate the safety of the terrain. With illustrative photographs and straightforward explanations, this guide provides winter sports enthusiasts with the tools they need to learn how to travel safely in the backcountry, and how to react if their party is caught in an avalanche.