People say avalanches are unpredictable. Is that true?
And even if it is, is that an excuse for throwing your
life away? It is certainly true that no-one is in a
position to claim that they can predict every avalanche,
and it has to be said that some are particularly
baffling, even for the most experienced. Nevertheless, an
avalanche is not a supernatural event, and without being
able to describe the release mechanisms in all their
complexity, it is still possible to identify the majority
of hazardous situations. It is enough to be able to
'read' the mountain to reduce considerably the threat
posed by the 'white death'. This little guide will assist
those who wish to undertake this apprenticeship. In the
first instance it permits a wider understanding of the
phenomenon, using objective data, but also using the
accounts of witnesses and survivors. It reveals some of
the indications which, for those who know how to
interpret them, will enable a local assessment of
avalanche hazard to be made and a number of pitfalls to
be avoided. Finally, it provides some rules of thumb, be
it for free-riders, ski tourers, walkers or climbers,
that will permit safer travel on the mountains.
Author Biography
Robert Bolognesi, PhD, Polytechnic of Lausanne, is a graduate of the Institute of Alpine Geography, Grenoble, former researcher at the Swiss Federal Snow and Avalanche Research Centre, Davos, avalanche control practitioner and founder of METEORISK, specialising in the amelioration of weather-related risks. Avalanche and Snow were translated by Blyth Wright who has climbed and skied extensively in the UK, the Alps and North America for over 40 years. He was formerly Assistant Director of the International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland, then worked for 20 years as an Instructor at Glenmore Lodge National Sports Centre. Since 1989 he has acted as Co-ordinator of what is now the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service. He has represented Scotland and the UK at many international meetings of snow and avalanche experts
