In the field of avalanche safety and research, analyzing decision making often boil down to data collection. For human aspects to backcountry travel in the mountains surveys are an easy way for researchers to obtain information.   An important Alaskan research project called the Winter Backcountry Traveler Survey is requesting backcountry users to fill out […]

A unique early season setup with low snowfall and cold temperatures in the mountains surrounding Valdez has produced several remarkable avalanche cycles this season, see the Valdez Avalanche Center website for more information and current conditions.   The lack of snowfall in the fall weakened snow at the surface through a process known as faceting. […]

North American motorized accident statistics and recent case studies were covered in an hour long presentation sponsored by the Alaska Department of Public Safety and Alaska State Troopers. This was presented by Tim Thomas, a forecaster and educator with the the Haines Avalanche Center who specializes in sled specific avalanche education and is a mechanized […]

Laura McGladrey, a NOLS Wilderness Medicine instructor and Nurse Practitioner with dual certification, practicing both emergency medicine and psychiatry has adapted The Stress Continuum as a way of managing stress. The continuum is a self-assessment tool and can help those affected by a single incident, or cumulative stress, to detect early and late changing reactions […]