Uncategorized
Back 40: The pit stop
Published
7 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersDig and communicate
By Eric Knoff EBS Contributor
Snow ties the backcountry community together, and sometimes it ties us to avalanches. Taking the time to dig a snow pit and assess snow stability provides valuable information and generates conversation between group members. Good communication leads to better decision making in avalanche terrain.
Snow pits are often dug on slopes less than 30 degrees steep with a similar aspect and elevation to the slope you plan to ride. It isn’t necessary, or prudent, to dig on slopes steeper than 30 degrees to get an accurate representation of the snowpack on steeper slopes. Your exposure to avalanche terrain should be minimal when digging a snow pit.
Snow pits are easy to dig and often take less than 15 minutes. A standard pit ranges from 1.5 to 2 meters wide and 1 to 1.5 meters deep. When the snowpack is less than 1.5 meters deep it’s best to dig to the ground. When the snowpack is deeper that 1.5 meters it’s not as important to expose snow at the ground because skiers and riders are less likely to impact weak layers buried that deep.
When digging a snow pit, make sure the front and sidewalls of the pit are clean and smooth, allowing for accurate examination of different layers. Inspecting snow stratigraphy requires feeling with your hands the different layers from top to bottom. A hard layer of snow over a softer, weaker layer is a poor snowpack structure. A poor structure can produce unstable conditions and increased avalanche danger.
A more thorough look at the relationship between layers involves stability tests, which require isolating a column of snow and applying force through a series of loading steps. The most common stability test is the extended column test, or ECT.
An ECT involves isolating a column of snow 30 centimeters wide by 90 centimeters long and applying force to a shovel on either end of the column. Standard loading steps are done by applying 10 taps from the wrist, 10 from the elbow and then 10 from the shoulder. If a fracture initiates on a buried weak layer and propagates to the other end of the column, this is an unstable result and steep slopes should be avoided.
Taking time to dig a snow pit helps a group come together and communicate in an environment that allows individuals to voice their opinions about snow stability. If one member feels uncomfortable about snow conditions, the group should defer to the most conservative approach.
The primary purpose of digging a snow pit is to determine snowpack stability, but it also serves to increase communication within the group. Taking time to investigate snow stability and discussing it with your partners is a great way to make safe and informed decisions in the backcountry.
Eric Knoff is an avalanche forecaster for the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. He’s been a public forecaster the past seven winters, and also spent four seasons as an avalanche forecaster for the Going-to-the-Sun Road plowing operation in Glacier National Park.
Visit mtavalanche.com to view the daily avalanche advisory for southwest Montana and send your snowpack observations to mtavalanche@gmail.com.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm