Terrain Talks #9. What's your Process?

Do you use the blue book that you most likely were taught to use in your Avy Level 1 course?

There are a few loyal disciples of avalanche education who adopted the use of their field notebooks on day 1 and continue to use them, which is awesome. However, most people do not continue to use those books - typically known as blue books. These field books were designed with a lot of intention and purpose to try to get people to use a process in their decision-making as they travel in avalanche terrain. So if we're not using these books, what process are we using?

I think most people are going through a fairly similar mental process as these books lay out, but in my opinion, there is a big difference in saying you do this process and actually doing it in some way that is tangible, whether on screen or in paper form. I see this when I teach people, and I see it in my own practice. When I write stuff down, I make different decisions or am forced to at least justify my decision-making process to myself.

I see this as an opportunity to create a process that works best for you and your backcountry partners. So I encourage you to give this some thought and try to develop a process that works for you. One that you will actually do, and ideally share with your partners most (ideally every) days you travel in avalanche terrain. And I think there are a few keys to making this something you'll do every day.

Consider the form that will work for you. I would prefer to use a paper notebook, but I know that I just won't dig it out of my backpack (or even pack it at all). I might fill it out, but then leave it in the car or at home. What I will always have with me is my phone. So a notes app works best for me. It's also easy to share with partners or even create some collaboration in its use. Figure out what form will serve you best, and encourage the most consistent use.

Keep it simple. If you replicate the field book, or create some form that has 20 questions, or is just copying and pasting info from the avalanche forecast, it will feel like a chore. Boil it down to the most critical information you need to consider and share with your partners. I have a bigger form I strive to fill out, and 4 items that I prioritize if I'm running late or feeling less motivated to do the whole form.

Think about the topics that will hold yourself accountable. You can tell yourself or decide as a group that you don't want to ski a certain run or a type of terrain, but is that enough to hold you all accountable? Writing it down can help, but figure out if there is anything else you can do or a question you can answer that will help hold yourself accountable to the decisions you want to make in the backcountry.

The four items I always fill out are: Goals for the day, Recent Observations (specifically recent Avalanches?), Mindset, and What terrain will I avoid today. In the video discussion, I elaborate on why these are the most important for me.

I also have more typical stuff like Weather and Snowpack history, weather forecast, Avalanche Problems, etc. Basically, I want to capture what has been happening (the last few days), what happened overnight, and what is expected to happen, both in terms of snowpack and weather. These are the factors that influence the snow, and what drives my decisions.

What do you consider, or what will you add to your process? Share in the comments? What am I missing?

The conversation: