By Debra McGhan
The winter of 2020 is proving to be a wild ride. A roller coaster of temperatures and precipitation has created a lasagna of layers in the snow. Some are extremely weak and fragile. Some polished into slabs by the wind. And many of those layers keep getting buried under mounds of fresh flakes all piling up and waiting for a trigger to release their load. A trigger that for the unprepared, could be you or a friend.
My avalanche practitioner friends are hustling to keep an eye on conditions and share their findings at https://Alaskasnow.org. They can link you with any of Alaska’s regional or national avalanche centers where you can see their forecasts and observations. If you haven’t already, I strongly encourage everyone to check it out.
All across Alaska conditions are such that anyone who rides, skis, hikes or otherwise plays or travels in the backcountry should perk up and listen.
Avalanches are not the only hazard out there either. Last spring, while I was serving as the director at the Alaska Avalanche Information Center, a young man called to share his story about riding near Lost Lake on the Kenai Peninsula out of Seward.
He said riding conditions were challenging due to the heavy, warm snowpack, pretty much just like we’ve seen on multiple occasions this winter. On the day he described the snow began falling hard and steady in the afternoon as the light faded. The challenge got a whole lot worse because he and his friend became separated.
His friend had ridden over a ridge and gotten stuck in another valley and could not get back. Both men were frantically struggling to reconnect. They tried calling on the radio over and over without luck. Finally, from the top of a ridge, the young man telling me the tale said he heard a crackle on the radio and eventually got a signal that connected. The two friends could not see each other, but what they could see was the same island on the lake. They, and a third friend, agreed to try and meet there.
Their elation over their successful reunion was short lived when they realized they were going to have to spend the night.
“Even though I grew up here and I totally know better, I was so not prepared for this,” the young man told me. “We didn’t have some of the most basic survival gear you need. It was insane.”
The boys survived the night, although that’s when the tale got really horrifying. Sheer will and youthful health are the only things that likely kept them alive. The next morning they were met on the trail by worried family members who brought critical supplies to get the young men out. He explained he’d learned a valuable lesson from this experience and wanted me to share it with others.
Be prepared. Make sure you do carry basic things like avalanche beacon, shovel, probe, hot packs, emergency blanket, fire starter (that will work even when it’s wet,) emergency food and water. Bring along a first aid kit and extra clothes. If you end up in a life-threatening situation, you’ll be very grateful you have these things; the items the young man sharing his story said they did not have.
“One space blanket and two wet lighters for three grown men just didn’t get it,” he told me. “I thought for sure we were going to die that night. It’s not something I would ever want to go through again.”
This spring, don’t get blinded by all the snow and your craving to get out and ride. Take the time to learn or refresh your skills and be prepared. There are some great training programs planned across the state this spring well worth the investment.
The Alaska Avalanche Information Center at alaskasnow.org has free programs supported by the Alaska Department of Public Safety, Division of Alaska State Troopers. If you want a class for your club, school or group, call them at 907-255-2242 or email info@alaskasnow.org and request one today.
Here’s to a long, happy spring riding and touring season.
Image captions: 1. Snowcave.jpg photo by L. Agosti, 2. Hpavalanche.jpg, 3. HPtraining.jpg,
4. HPskihill.jpg photos by D.McGhan
