Hi everyone. My name is Jerry Johnson. I'm a political science prof at MSU in Bozeman and am affiliated with the Snow and Avalanche Lab here on campus. The following is a request for participation in a new project we have launched through MSU an Tromso University in Norway. I know it takes some time and effort on your part but please read through below and see if you can't help us out. You may see something similar on the forecast center sites, Mountain Hub, or TGR. Here is the ask:
We know more people are in the backcountry.. This trend is at large a good thing – more people get out to enjoy nature and move their bodies – but it also create challenges. On average, 25 people per year died in avalanches in the US during the past 10 years. So far this year there have been five direct fatalities. Many non-fatal accidents are not reported so the true number of avalanche incidents is vastly underestimated.
Almost all fatal avalanches (80%) are triggered by the victims themselves. In many of the accidents, the victims did not react to fairly obvious warning signals, in spite of having seemingly adequate avalanche knowledge. A new project is trying to do something about that.
The White Heat Project is a research collaboration between avalanche experts, geographers, psychologists, and economists in the US, Norway, and Sweden. Our aim is to generate knowledge that will contribute to better avalanche education, and to get more people home safe from the mountains. Our starting point is that people who venture into the backcountry are not fools with a death wish. Most of the participating researchers are avid backcountry skiers themselves, and more than one of us have been involved in avalanche accidents.
During spring 2017, the first study within the White Heat Project was launched in Norway. We asked over 400 Norwegian alpine skiers, telemarkers, and snow-boarders to make hypothetical terrain choices, and to report their experience of avalanche accidents, and near-miss incidents. We also collected information on their attitudes to risk and adventure, their backcountry experience, and their avalanche training.
Our analysis shows that a majority of our participants (88%) prefer to ride relatively safe terrain, but 37 % have nevertheless been involved in at least one avalanche accident or near-miss incident over the past 5 years, and 8% has had an accident in which someone got killed or injured.
Here are some questions we want to answer:
· If a friend wants to ski a risky slope do you go along?
· What role does social media play in your decisions?
· Do we often ski terrain which is more risky than we would ideally prefer?
· Could it be that we over-estimate our skills at handling avalanche risk?
We need your help……..
This year we have launched the White Heat project in North America. Please take the time to complete the survey here. We will also ask you to submit GPS tracks and smaller surveys. We hope that as many riders, at all levels of backcountry experience and skills, will participate.
For more information: The White Heat Project and MSU Snow Science research.
Have a safe and fun winter.
We know more people are in the backcountry.. This trend is at large a good thing – more people get out to enjoy nature and move their bodies – but it also create challenges. On average, 25 people per year died in avalanches in the US during the past 10 years. So far this year there have been five direct fatalities. Many non-fatal accidents are not reported so the true number of avalanche incidents is vastly underestimated.
Almost all fatal avalanches (80%) are triggered by the victims themselves. In many of the accidents, the victims did not react to fairly obvious warning signals, in spite of having seemingly adequate avalanche knowledge. A new project is trying to do something about that.
The White Heat Project is a research collaboration between avalanche experts, geographers, psychologists, and economists in the US, Norway, and Sweden. Our aim is to generate knowledge that will contribute to better avalanche education, and to get more people home safe from the mountains. Our starting point is that people who venture into the backcountry are not fools with a death wish. Most of the participating researchers are avid backcountry skiers themselves, and more than one of us have been involved in avalanche accidents.
During spring 2017, the first study within the White Heat Project was launched in Norway. We asked over 400 Norwegian alpine skiers, telemarkers, and snow-boarders to make hypothetical terrain choices, and to report their experience of avalanche accidents, and near-miss incidents. We also collected information on their attitudes to risk and adventure, their backcountry experience, and their avalanche training.
Our analysis shows that a majority of our participants (88%) prefer to ride relatively safe terrain, but 37 % have nevertheless been involved in at least one avalanche accident or near-miss incident over the past 5 years, and 8% has had an accident in which someone got killed or injured.
Here are some questions we want to answer:
· If a friend wants to ski a risky slope do you go along?
· What role does social media play in your decisions?
· Do we often ski terrain which is more risky than we would ideally prefer?
· Could it be that we over-estimate our skills at handling avalanche risk?
We need your help……..
This year we have launched the White Heat project in North America. Please take the time to complete the survey here. We will also ask you to submit GPS tracks and smaller surveys. We hope that as many riders, at all levels of backcountry experience and skills, will participate.
For more information: The White Heat Project and MSU Snow Science research.
Have a safe and fun winter.
