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!

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.

Finally it snowed!

February 27, 2012November 6, 2012 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing avalanche courses, backcountry skiing

10+ inches of snow graced us for our 7th Avalanche Course this season. Hermit Lake picked up 13 inches and the conditions were ripe for an avalanche course. Seven aspirant backcountry travelers joined us for a few days of snow study and risk management discussion.

Snow stuck to the trees on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail

Very large crown line visible from Sluice to Chute

Little Headwall where we conducted some snowpack tests

Other than seeing the obvious recent avalanche activity in the bowl and the cornicing near Hillmans we got some pretty positive results on the Little Headwall while conducting some snowpack tests. CTV Q1 on a 15cm soft wind slab followed by consistent CTM Q2’s 55cm down on a crust. We got a Rutschblock score of RB4 MB on the 55cm layer. This all matched up pretty well to the info we had gathered from the bulletin and the current weather observations we were making.

The turns down the Sherbi were the best of the season so far. Great powder skiing and fun fun fun! Still a couple course left this season. If you’ve been thinking about it, well, now is a great time to sign up!

AIARE Level 2: Analyzing Snow Stability And Avalanche Hazard

February 21, 2012November 6, 2012 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing avalanche courses, backcountry skiing

An EMS Climbing Guide, an Alaskan Heli-Ski Guide, an outdoor educator from PA, two other backcountry travelers joined us for the first and only Level 2 Avalanche Course of the season.

The level 2 course is a 4-day program that provides backcountry leaders the opportunity to advance their avalanche knowledge and decision making skills. This course also includes the introductory and prerequisite components for the professional progression: the level 3 certificate.

We started the course at the AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch. After reviewing the knowledge from the Level 1 Course we spent the afternoon upgrading our companion rescue skills to handle multiple and deep burials with a close look at rescue leadership.

The next day after some morning classroom which looked closely at the process of snow formation and metamorphism we jumped on the summit Quad lift at Wildcat and explored the snow pack right off the 4,400 feet summit with a detailed snow profile.

EMS Climbing Guide Mike Lackman kicking steps up Main Gully

Some snowpack observations near the drop in point

At the end of the day we practiced proper probing since a nearby party was locked out of their car

Day 4 brought us up to familiar Tuckerman Ravine

The group discusses the changing conditions

Craig Taylor, another AIARE Instructor, holds a level 1 course nearby

Some consistent CTH, Q2 results 40cm down on a thin layer of faceting d/f's

6 more avalanche courses scheduled as long as the snow holds! http://www.emsclimb.com/aiare1.html

5th Avalanche Course of the Season

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

A couple hours ago we concluded another Level 1 Avalanche Course. You’d think there wouldn’t be much difference between one course and the next, but you’d be very wrong. Each weekend this winter has presented different and interesting weather and snowpack characteristics to consider when traveling in the backcountry. 2 days before the course while on a personal ice climbing day I came across a few cool snowpack related conditions. The first, was this “surface hoar” which was on the eastern side of Mt. Willard:

Then as we rounded the corner to a more southerly exposure we came across some “pinwheels”, indicators of strong solar radiation effecting the slope, often a warning sign of wet loose snow avalanches:

After a couple days conditions in the area changed dramatically. Arctic air rushed in for the COLDEST day of the season, which happened to be our field day.

We still managed a pretty good field day getting up to Hillman’s Highway, checking out some fresh debris at the bend in the gully, the rockslide from Irene, and some layers down below in the sheltered lee area of the runout.

Chatting with the snow ranger reminded me of March of the Penguins

That was it for pictures. With the mercury at about -9 Farenheit and a -30 windchill we didn’t spend too much time in any one place. We did see some cool layers in a 1.5 meter pit just below this last photo. And the fresh debris, slightly visible in the above photo was a nice bonus. All in all it was a good field day given the weather stress, and I’m hoping to see the four of you out in the mountains again. Now to get ready for the Level 2 Course starting on Friday!

4th Avalanche Course of the Season

February 7, 2012November 6, 2012 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing avalanche courses, backcountry skiing

Another weekend, another avalanche course, but not the same conditions as the last course! Shallow snowpacks and prolonged cold led to some “Continental” type conditions during our Observational Outing on Day 2, and a blue bird day on our Ski Tour on Day 3 yielded a deep faceting snowpack with a lot of fellow backcountry travelers to watch and learn from.