AIARE 2 Avalanche Course, 2/15/13 thru 2/18/13

February 20, 2013February 25, 2013 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses

Yesterday concluded this season’s AIARE 2 Course. I was super stoked to facilitate this advanced avalanche course, “Analyzing Snow Stability And Avalanche Hazard”. We had 2 EMS School Guides from Lake Placid, Matt Weich and Jack Lane, new EMS Schools North Conway guide Jeremy Devine, and 4 other snow savvy back-country travelers in attendance.

We started the course at the AMC Highland Center on Friday, and after reviewing AIARE 1 curriculum we headed out to a nearby field location to refresh and build upon our Companion Rescue skills. Emphasis was on leadership and and triage in multiple and deep burial scenarios. Recent AIARE 1 Course Instructor and fellow EMS School Guide Mike Lackman joined us to help with the afternoon session.

On Day 2 we dove into some of the complexities of mountain weather and snow-pack metamorphism. Despite chatting about temperature gradients, vapor pressure effects, and the differences between short-wave and long-rave radiation everyone stayed quite engaged… wait… what’s the difference between a layer & an interface again? 😉

That afternoon we headed out to the Marshfield Station at the base of the cog to learn about full profiles. While quite esoteric, this was the revealed snowpack on the west side of Mount Washington at 2,540 feet:

Marshfield Snow Profile

Day three started with a bit more classroom as we introduced some standardized weather and snowpack recording techniques and some new small and large column tests. We hit the trail around 11:45 and skinned up to 4,700 feet along the Cog Railway making observations along the way.

Jack, Matt, and Jeremy, all EMS School Guides

Along the way we experienced some small shooting cracks and some positive ski cutting results right alongside the Cog Railway. A few meters from “Jacob’s Ladder” at 4,750ft we dug some quick test pits to take a look at the layering up high. I didn’t get any footage/pics of the boot top powder we enjoyed on our 2,200 foot descent, but it was pretty sweet.

We returned to the classroom late afternoon to go over the PM Stability and Hazard Checklist along with how to make our observations relevant.

On our final day we met at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center where the group went through a trip planning session on their own.

Mother Nature brought the insane cold temps for our full field day, as has been the norm this season, but we managed to check out conditions on both the southern aspects of the Lion’s Head Ridge (Summer of 69 Gully, with a great layer of Graupel!) and over on the eastern aspects below Hillman’s Highway, all along gathering weather and snowpack obs as we traveled through as much avalanche terrain as we could.

Approaching Hillman's Highway and seeing the damage of a R5, D4 years ago... — Approaching Hillman’s Highway and seeing the damage of a R5, D4 years ago…

During our tour we carried out many non-standardized test, hand shears, pole probing, etc., along with CT’s, ECT’s, PST’s, and a Rutshblock. Again, esoteric in nature here was my tour plan and field day:

A bit blurry, but a nice record of our day none-the-less. It was great working with these 7 folks at increasing their understanding of the avalanche phenomenon. As with every course I teach I learned more about the material, and how to try to deliver it to others, mainly through the willingness of the students to engage and challenge my delivery. I’ll be attending a AIARE 2 IRC (Instructor Refresher Course) next season, and would love to see EMS Schools provide 2 AIARE 2 courses a season, as collectively we all work at raising awareness on how to manage avalanche hazard while still getting “shred the gnar”.

Counting this weekend we only have 6 more AIARE 1 courses left this season. 2 are sold out, and the other 4 are close to sold out. If you’ve been wanting to get some formal avy training under your belt this winter this week could be your last chance to book. Please check the dates here and don’t delay!

See you on the mountain!

AIARE 1 Course, Lake Placid, NY

February 11, 2013February 13, 2013 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing

Last night I got home after conducting an AIARE 1 Course with fellow guide and manager of our Lake Placid EMS Schools location, Dan Sandberg over in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. It was great to work with Dan in an area I was not familiar with. Even better, a size-able Nor’ Easter commonly called “Nemo” in the major news outlets arrived the same night I did and laid down close to two feet of snow for us to recreate on.

Northeast Nemo blizzard expected snowfall totals

Dan had arranged a great classroom space at the Adirondack “Loj”, a great facility run by the Adirondack Mountain Club, very similar to our local AMC Highland Center and Joe Dodge Lodge.

Getting settled in for some morning classroom on Day 1

11 students, including EMS Schools Guide Dustin Ulrich, 3 EMS Store Guides from our Middletown, RI and Nanuet, NY stores, an educational trip leader and hut manager for ADK, an Adventure Education Major, a couple military guys, and all around winter sports enthusiasts all helped create a great environment to start learning about decision making in the back-country.

On our 2nd Day we toured up the Memorial Highway on the north-side of Whiteface Mountain.

Along the way we practiced making weather observations and quick snow-pack observations like pole probing, ski-cutting, and boot penetration in the cold new storm snow that had blanketed the area. Unstable snow was definitely around as we experienced some whumping and were able to get small shooting cracks on some convex areas off to the side of the road. We were quite safe as we kept our slope angle well below anything risky. After looking more closely at the snow at 3,800 feet and learning about tilt tests, hand hardness scale, and compression tests, we enjoyed the 3.26 mile glide back down to the parking lot.

Later I shared my field observations with the group and we talked about the relevancy of our results.

Not the best handwriting... I know — Not the best handwriting… I know

On the 3rd day we spent some time in the classroom looking at some avalanche terrain and figuring out possible route selections based on conditions, and talked about travel techniques to help further mitigate risk. One of the bigger challenges of carrying out an avalanche course in the Adirondacks is the access to the actual avalanche paths is a bit remote, so we decided it would be more valuable to get some more Companion Rescue practice in on the last day and headed out across Heart Lake to a nice back-country ski trail to run through some more detailed rescue scenarios.

I took some video of one of the scenarios and uploaded it here:

http://youtu.be/kc3JTIaqtoU

A disclaimer, we only had the recent 18 inches of snow to practice on so we could not bury the beacons at a realistic depth. I also threw a big curve-ball at this group with a surface victim which ended up creating some great discussion on the realities of a possible rescue. The next run these three did went a lot smoother. Everyone in the course walked away feeling this was something they could practice a lot more of with their friends, and that was exactly what we hoped!

I must admit I was concerned about meeting all the learning objectives of an AIARE 1 Course in an area I wasn’t familiar with especially with very low snow depth in relation to seasonal norms there. Based on the course feedback forms we received we met our goals, and that, combined with co-teaching with a new instructor, and excellent constructive feedback from the participants, made this course a huge personal learning experience and I’m excited to return next winter for another course in the Dacks’!

Now it’s time to start prepping for the AIARE 2 Course that starts this Friday.

If you enjoy these course reports the best way you can let me know is by subscribing at the link top right. The 2nd best way if you don’t want to subscribe is to leave a quick comment… especially if you were in the course!

Safe travels,

AIARE 1 Avalanche Course 1/25/13 – 1/27/13

January 28, 2013 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing avalanche courses, backcountry skiing

Yesterday wrapped up the 3rd avalanche course of the season and the first course with recently AIARE 1 instructor certified EMS Schools Guide Mike Lackman co-teaching. Mike had joined me for the Instructor Training Course in Stevens Pass a few weeks ago and it was great to have a co-instructor to work with over the last three days!

Twelve participants from Canada, Maine, New York, Massachusetts and Ohio joined us at the AMC Highland Center for two days of classroom and field sessions to learn about decision making in avalanche terrain before heading up into Tuckerman Ravine to put it all together on Day 3.

After we wrapped up our field session on Day 1 some of us headed to Frontside Grind in North Conway where the recently formed Friends of Mt. Washington Avalanche Center was hosting a fun slideshow/fundraiser. Free beer, Tuckerman Pale Ale of course, delicious pizza provided by The Flatbread Company, great silent auction, and a really informative slideshow showing some of the history of the Avalanche Center entertained a standing room only venue.

The next day after some morning classroom we headed through Crawford Notch to look at some avalanche paths and make some snow & weather observations.

During our Observational Outing we found significant wind slab, wind crusts, and some great Surface Hoar in a sheltered area not far from the above photo. Later in the day we got some interesting Compression Test results in our shallow faceted snowpack. Despite being behind in snow totals for the month of January we still have a very interesting snowpack to learn from!

Day 3 we gathered at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and after working in small groups to come up with a trip plan for the day we headed up in to Tuckerman Ravine. Mother Nature was temps struggled to reach double digits and wind chills made goggles and face masks quite necessary above Hermit Lake. Visibility however was excellent and we viewed quite a bit of terrain, along with a very fresh crown line at the top of the bowl. Digging around in the snow below Right Gully provided another chance to look at layering in the snowpack, and by 2:30pm we were starting our descent back to PNVC and a productive course wrap-up.

Group photo at HoJo's before skiing down the Sherbie... — Group photo at HoJo’s before skiing down the Sherbie…

With last weeks 12 person avalanche in Central Gully lots of former students have asked my opinion. I think Jeff Lane’s well written accident summary pretty much echos my thoughts, so I’ve linked it here.

Next weekend we are not running an avalanche course, but I have a 2 day private ice climbing course and a 3 day mountaineering program scheduled. The following weekend I will be heading to Lake Placid to teach an AIARE 1 Course in the Adirondacks. If you are interested in hearing how these pan out, personal product reviews, and about future avalanche courses in the White Mountains please subscribe to this blog’s email list by entering your email address in the top right of the blog.

See you on the mountain!

Steven’s Pass, Instructor Training Course

January 14, 2013 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing, Professional Development avalanche education, avalanche research, eastern mountain sports

This past Thursday concluded a 3 day American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Instructor Training Course (ITC) in Steven’s Pass, Washington. Three other Eastern Mountain Sports School Guides and I headed west to the Cascades to improve our ability to provide high quality avalanche education that has become synonymous with EMS Schools and AIARE courses.

Steven’s Pass is on Route 2, about 2 hours east of Seattle, between Skykomish and Leavensworth

Steven’s Pass is a very impressive and notable place to focus on avalanche education. Not only from the high profile accident that happened last year that resulted it this recently published (and graphically impressive) NY Times web article but it was also the location of the deadliest avalanche in US history!

We left my house in Conway, NH at 3am Monday, and 21 hours (and 3,400 miles) later we arrived at the Mountaineer’s Lodge on the edge of the Steven’s Pass Ski Resort.

The Seattle based “Mountaineer’s” maintain this lodge on the edge of the ski resort... — The Seattle based “Mountaineer’s” maintain this lodge on the edge of the ski resort…

The next morning we joined the 14 other participants comprised of guides, ski patrollers, and outdoor educators, along with the three facilitators, Margaret Wheeler, of the American Mountain Guide Association, Larry Goldie, IMFGA and owner of North Cascades Mountain Guides, and Scott Schnell, of the North West Avalanche Center. We could not hope for a more skilled group of facilitators to convey the info and knowledge packed into this 3 day “conference” of sorts.

Day 1 was adjusted to include quite a bit of classroom as MN (Mother Nature) was gracing us east coasters with something we were pretty familiar with… rain.

Some classroom time — A break during the some classroom time

On Day 2 we spent the majority of the afternoon conducting very beneficial field sessions, and in the end got in a few good turns (by east coast standards).

Some group discussion about making observations

By Day 3 however the temps had dropped, the powder had fallen, and our ski tour allowed for close to 1,200 feet of vert. interspersed with some peer on peer instruction. We traveled along the Pacific Crest Trail then ascended Stormy’s Ridge next to Moonlight Bowl…

Starting the climb up to Stormy's — Starting the climb up to Stormy’s

We took a short 700 foot lap then skinned back up from some more:

The course wrapped up Thursday night, but we had planned to stay an extra day to play and luck was definitely with us as Friday dawned clear and cold. We grabbed lift tickets for the resort, and I got to experience my first solid taste of “side-country”.

We traversed the entire resort Euro style by heading straight for the 7th Heaven chair, then traversing the ridge from Cowboy Mountain over to Big Chief with a few steep runs in-between.

Our lift assisted tour ;) — Our lift assisted tour 😉

After gaining the ridge we set our eyes on the untouched powder visible on the south slopes of Big Chief:

The day inspired my to toss together yet another cheezy home vid collaige of the day:

I’m still trying to absorb all the info I’ve gathered over the last 4 days. From conversations with fellow educators, to coaching from some of the industry’s highest avalanche professionals, to practical experience in a new snow climate and mountain range, I’ve walked away feeling more confident than ever at delivering the mission statement of AIARE “Save lives through education”. And now, through EMS Schools commitment to guide training we’ll be able to continue that mission on a scale close to double what we were providing! Now if some of that coastal snow would follow me home we should be all set for a great course in two weekends!

2nd Avalanche Course of the Season

January 13, 2013 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing

Last weekend wrapped up our 2nd course of the season. This post comes delayed since as soon as that course finished I was west coast bound for an Instructor Training Course in Steven’s Pass, Washington. As I wait for my plane back home I have some time to get the photos from the course uploaded.

Just like the 1st course the conditions were near perfect for learning about decision making in avalanche terrain, and the 8 of us (plus an aspirant instructor) made our way up into Tuckerman Ravine and even got a few short powder turns near the mouth of Right Gully.

Checking out some early season layering in Crawford Notch

Considering our options from Hermit Lake

As I said, as this course wrapped up I had hours to prepare to fly out to the Cascades for some excellent continued professional development. Lots of classroom time, but also some great turns in fluffy white stuff. Stay tuned for a full report within a day… Subscribe if you are interested… and if you are looking to take a course this winter we may have some new spots opening as we bring some of our guides up to instructor status over the next few weeks. Some courses previously sold out may soon have openings, so check the dates here and let us know if you can come join us. It’s an excellent time to take an avalanche course with us!

1st AIARE Avalanche Course of the Season

January 1, 2013January 21, 2013 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing

Mother Nature really prepped the Mount Washington Valley for the 1st Eastern Mountain Sports Schools Avalanche Course this season by bringing close to 22 inches in the last four days. This brought our monthly total to 70″ (178cm) and according to the Mount Washington Observatory that puts us 20 inches above average for the month, and way above the average for recent years. I caught a glimpse of this channel 13 forecast 2 days before the course started:

So this past Saturday I met the first 7 avalanche students at the AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch in full on Nor’Easter conditions. We spent the morning delving into the basics of avalanche terrain, then spent the afternoon outside practicing companion rescue.

The next day was much milder and after some morning classroom we headed out for our observational outing in the afternoon.

I can’t remember a year where we’ve had such great snow to travel on before the New Year. Last year it took almost the entire month of January to break out the skis, so using them on the first course was a very welcome boon. To add some icing on the cake we had some excellent visible layers for our first snow pits, getting very positive test results while learning about some small column tests. CTE Q1 and CTM Q2 45cms down for those in the know 😉

Our Day 3 tour was “full value” as Mother Nature’s fierce grip on Mount Washington had yet to loosen, yet the whole group was physically and mentally prepared to travel in what many would consider horrible conditions:

After reaching Hermit Lake we assessed the current conditions and decided to look for some sheltered snow near Hillman’s Highway. But first a quick group shot at the avalanche conditions board:

We took a look at the devastation from the 2008 D4 avalanche in Hillman’s and worked our way up a small ridge to see what else we could see…

Conditions being quite brutal, we took in the sights, made some quick weather observations, and quickly descended back to a sheltered area near to first aid cache. After a couple quick snowpack observations there we headed back to Pinkham and wrapped up the first avy course of the season…

All 7 participants were fully engaged in the process, the snow conditions were almost perfect for learning about avalanches, and despite the wind chill being a bit on the extreme side, I couldn’t be happier for the way the 1st course turned out.

So here’s the thing… we are already sold out through the month of January and a weekend in March has already sold out… space in these courses is really at a premium this year… with a banner winter season in the making now is not the time to postpone signing up for an avalanche course if you have been meaning to take one. Click here to see the course details and available dates. See you on the mountain!

2nd Annual Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop

November 11, 2012November 11, 2012 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Professional Development

Today I attended the 2nd annual ESAW organized by Christopher Joosen, USFS Lead Snow Ranger of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center. Building upon last year’s successful event Chris organized professionals from the avalanche industry from around the country and Canada to give enlightening presentations all geared towards sharing information and promoting new ideas in the ever evolving field of snow science.

I counted around 90 in attendance with many familiar faces from various Search & Rescue groups, a few former students, some former colleagues as well as some local guides.

The day was packed with information, starting with a science heavy “Art & Science of Snow Penetrometry” by Eric Lutz of the Datmouth-Glaciology Research Group. Eric led us through a brief journey of the invention, and evolution, of snow based penetrometer’s. If you don’t know what that is, it’s simply a very complicated, and beautifully engineered fancy stick that you poke into the snow to measure multiple layers of density.

Then Julie LeBlanc of the Haute-Gaspesie Avalanche Center gave a visually enticing look at the Chic Choc Mountains of Quebec and the relatively new avalanche safety programs developed there.When she flashed the new guidebook to the region quite a few were dismayed as there is no English version of the book… yet. I’ve had quite few students head to this region, only a 11 or so hour drive from here, so it’s time I brush up on my French and start planning a trip up there!

After a short break Chris moderated a round table discussion concerning wet snow avalanches, with Blase Reardon (USFS Sawtooth National Forest Forecaster), Sam Colebeck (U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory a.k.a. The Man of Snow*), and Brian Johnston (USFS MWAC Snow Ranger). In an interesting format these three, along with occasional audience interaction, discussed the potential reasons behind snow science being seemingly behind in its knowledge of wet snow avalanches when compared to how much research and understanding is given towards drier snow avalanches. While skeptical of a public round table of sorts the conversation flowed naturally and I think we all refined our thoughts on the tendencies of wet snow.

Before breaking for lunch we had a series of “short sessions” including Jeff Lane (USFS Snow Ranger) giving an overview of weather and snow related research projects in the Northeast. Jim Gilinto of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, returned this year with a presentation similar to his last year on the effects of Hurricane Irene in the Adirondacks (they doubled their avalanche terrain in that storm).

Blase Reardon gave a great, and often comical, look into his local Sawtooth Avalanche Center Operations, and Eric Lutz sold me on the educational value of using a “tilt” board. I would ask for one for Christmas if I could, but I have a friend who I am hoping would love to help me make one!

After lunch we enjoyed the following presentation by Blase, which was as well presented with just the right comic relief as his first.

Journey to the Inner Mind: How an Avalanche Forecaster Thinks About Avalanche Safety

AMGA/IFMGA Guide Jessie Williams, of Cloudsplitter Mountain Guides, gave an informative talk titled “Avalanche Terrain of the Adirondacks: A Guide’s Methodology for Hazard Recognition & Avoidance”. Along with many great analogies I walked away with a much better picture of the terrain over in the Dack’s.

Then Sam Colbeck, aka The Man of Snow*, apologized that he was going to give his same talk from the previous year simply titled “Snow Physics and Avalanches”. I was thrilled! Last year I think I grasped about 40% of everything he eloquently presented. Due to repetition this year I feel like I have a solid hold on about 65% of it. If I could listen to this great talk one more time I am certain I would achieve a passing score! Seriously, I’m certain only a very small group of people in the world have the level of understanding of snow that this man does, and it is always great hearing him talk!

Last up was my good friend Jeff Lane (USFS Snow Ranger), who shared recent developments in avalanche safety equipment with us along with a call to arms to keep manufacturers on their toes by encouraging them to continue designing life saving device with one goal in mind, saving lives. I couldn’t agree more, I really don’t need my beacon to act as anything but a beacon. That’s what my iPhone is for…

As is custom, we moved over to IME for a social hour to mingle, check out some vendor tables, and continue the sharing of ideas.

This event is an excellent kick-off to the season as it gets my mind back in avalanche mode. 6 months is a long time not to be thinking about avalanches, and since I can’t put it any better I’ll quote Christopher Joosen:

“We will always have lots to learn about snow, avalanches, and the natural world so we should never feel done, finished, or static about our need for higher education. There are no experts, we are all students.”

I’ll be heading out to Steven’s Pass in Washington State in early January for some formal training, but I most look forward to the 9 avalanche courses I’ll be teaching this winter. I learn so much from my students engaging questions and weekly trips into the field each winter, and I’m sure this one will be no different.

Well… I hope it’s a little different than last winter. Let’s get some snow!

*not an official nickname for Sam

10th Avalanche Course of the Season

March 19, 2012November 6, 2012 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing avalanche courses, backcountry skiing

Despite the record breaking warm temps and early arrival of our Spring snowpack we finished another avalanche course yesterday. After a day in Crawford Notch we hopped the high speed quad on Wildcat Mountain and were actually able to see some layers in the snow off the south side of the summit. Lots of old MF Crusts still visible in the very dense wet snow.

For our ski tour the next day we headed to the familiar, but now heavily traveled, Tuckerman Ravine trail.

Re-grouped at the top of the “Christmas Tree"

Despite the low avalanche danger we got to manage some typical spring-time hazards like loose wet snow surface slides, avoiding fall-line’s of falling ice, route-finding, etc. The

The Sherburne Ski Trail was barely skiable at the bottom, with a few mandatory mud turns needed.

Spring has Sprung

March 13, 2012November 6, 2012 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing avalanche courses, backcountry skiing

Today we wrapped up the 9th avalanche course of the season. 6 hard-chargers from UCONN braved 45 degree temps, 100 mile visibility, and gusts of wind up to 10 miles per hour to put there newly learned risk management skills to use.

Bill looking at a small crown at the top of Hillman’s Highway while USFS Snow Ranger Jeff Lane chats with the group

Spreading out while we cross the floor of the ravine

Some quick snowpack observations confirmed what we read in the bulletin

Dave gets ready to drop the lip in some heavy “mashed potatoes” snow

Low Avalanche danger allowed us to cover quite a bit of terrain. Lots of traffic on the mountain provided many opportunities to watch other people and learn from their decisions. Where the snow was getting the most solar radiation it was quite heavy.

Unfortunately the Little Headwall is open in multiple places and doesn’t allow you to connect the floor of the ravine with Hermit Lake, so we hiked from Connection Cache back to HoJos.

The Sherbi had a mix of sun/shade on it. The shaded areas iced up quick but allowed faster skiing. Glide wax would have been nice. The bottom of the Sherbi is melting out fast, not sure if we’ll be able to ski to the base during next weekends course. Let’s hope this unseasonable warming is short lived so we still have some snow left in April!

Snow Snow Snow!

March 6, 2012November 6, 2012 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing avalanche courses, backcountry skiing

Last Sunday concluded our 8th AIARE Avalanche Course of the season. Back to back snowstorms brought almost 2 feet to Hermit Lake, which set the field for another excellent avalanche course as 7 participants acquired some new skills to help them travel more safely in the backcountry.

Conditions required very careful route finding — Conditions required very careful routefinding

Just before entering the floor of the ravine

Making some snowpack observations on a small slope down and left of Left Gully

Getting some nice turns on the Little Headwall at the end of the day

Only 4 more courses left this season, and the next one is booked solid. Go to http://www.emsclimb.com/aiare1.html to see course details or call 800-310-4504 to book.

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