Safe Travel In Avalanche Terrain

As a FreeRider you have elected to join a community that willingly (and we hope knowingly) head out into avalanche terrain. If you’re uncertain about what that entails, then this is the article for you. 

Recognising avalanche terrain is the first step in staying alive, but as with everything in life, knowing and doing are not the same thing. Bruce Tremper, FreeRider and avalanche expert who describes his life and career as “a wild ride”, wrote the ten commandments of safe backcountry travel in his book Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. 

Bruce has been studying avalanches for more than forty years – he’s probably forgotten more than we will ever learn. These are his ten commandments. Ignore them at your peril.

Commandment 1.

Thou Shalt Go One at a Time-And Leave Someone in a Safe Spot to Perform the Rescue.

Resist the urge to hit a line with others; it is much safer to ride one at a time so that other members of the group can track the location of the rider for rescue in the event of an avalanche. This also only exposes one person at a time to possibly avalanche prone slopes.

Commandment 2.

Thou Shalt Never Cross Above Others

Crossing above your partners or other groups is a major red flag. If your path causes a slide, the likelihood of anyone below you surviving will be slim. This is because everyone below the crown – the initiation or fracture point of the slide – will most likely be buried, leaving no one left to perform a rescue.

Commandment 3.

Thou Shalt Have an Escape Route Planned

Whether you are about to ride a line from top to bottom or enter with some speed to perform a slope cut to test stability, identify as a group where the planned escape route will be. Knowing where you should head in the event of an avalanche or where your partners should look for you at the base of a run helps to reduce stress and makes travel easier.

Commandment 4.

Thou Shalt Cross High on the Avalanche Path

In the event of triggering an avalanche, the likelihood of staying on the surface is much higher the closer you are to the crown of the slide. Keep as much altitude as possible while you attempt to ride out.

Commandement 5.

Thou Shalt Never go First

Fresh turns are always tempting but, if possible, you shouldn’t be the first impact on the slope. Someone must always ride first, but try to use a natural trigger to test the stability of the slope beforehand. Cutting a cornice is a good option – just ensure no one is below before releasing it.

Commandment 6.

Thou Shalt Start Small and Work Your Way Up

Starting small and working up can relate to almost everything in life. Gain awareness on smaller test slopes to work towards a larger objective rather than going headfirst into a high consequence slope with no idea of how the snow will react and little experience to call on.

Commandment 7.

Thou Shalt be Obsessed with Consequences

Assess all the possible bad outcomes of a situation, ask yourself and your partners how they feel about potential runs, and always question if you are missing anything. Keep talking to one another – it could be the difference between a tragic day or a wonderful one.

Commandment 8.

Thou Shalt Communicate

Communication is key; what is running through your head may not be going through your partner’s and vice versa. When travelling in a backcountry environment it is important to be on the same page to reduce conflict and to increase group awareness. More voices equals more data.

Commandment 9.

Thou Shalt Pause at Critical Decision Points

Choose the hard right over the easy wrong. Many times, a simple decision will be the difference between continuing an enjoyable day or beginning a stressful one. This commandment ties directly into communicating with your group to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Commandment 10.

Thou Shalt Carry the Right Equipment and Know How to Use it

Have the proper equipment and know how to use it – this is a must. Without the right gear or skills, you will be walking on the edge of death, and inviting your partners there too. Train, train, and then train some more.

Bonus FreeRide Commandment.

Alongside Bruce’s commandments we’ve added just one of our own:

Thou shalt read the avalanche bulletin and plan accordingly

It’s our recommendation that you always read the local bulletin before you ride and take heed of it in your decision making. More data is better.

For us, these commandments are written in stone.