CLICK HERE to download the chapter on "Backcountry Forecasting & Decisions" from The Avalanche Handbook * Information on the unique characteristics of alpine snow, snow slab instability, terrain variables, skier triggering of avalanches, and the nature of avalanche motion * Chapters on the elements of backcountry avalanche forecasting and the decision-making process * This is the text used by search and rescue professionals, ski patrol groups, and outdoor education programs Technical yet accessible, The Avalanche Handbook, 3rd Edition, covers the formation, character, effects, and control of avalanches; rescue techniques; and research on understanding and surviving avalanches. Illustrated with nearly 200 updated illustrations, photos and examples, this updated edition offers exhaustive information on contributing weather and climate factors, snowpack analysis, the newest transceiver search techniques, and preventative and protective measures, including avalanche zoning and control.

This volume presents the background to the recently developed European standard (CEN standard) on snow loads. Many of the papers on ""structural engineering"" describe results from a European snow project that was completed in 1999.

laminated front and back cover with plastic spiral binding

Winter recreation in the mountains has increased steadily over the past few years, and so has the number of deaths and injuries caused by avalanches. Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain covers everything you need to know to avoid trouble in avalanche terrain: what avalanches are and how they work, common myths, human activities that lead to avalanche trouble, what happens to victims when an avalanche occurs, and rescue techniques. Provides step- by-step instruction for determining avalanche hazards, using safe travel technique, and making effective rescues.