Avi Savvy: Avalanche survivor takes safety course at Turner Mountain

Jon Jeresek stood in the snow pit he had dug to ground level on a 40-degree slope just off the jeep trail near the top of Turner Mountain. He took out his tool kit that included a collapsible measuring stick, paintbrush, thermometers, shovel, snow saw and an old phone card. Jeresek was showing me how to perform the extended column test, which provides one of several pieces of information about snow conditions that should be ran through what he calls the most powerful computer in the world, the brain, before going into the backcountry during the winter months.

This weekend Terry Crooks, Ben Bernall and Jeresek offered a free avalanche workshop for the public about the dangers posed during backcountry travel. Crooks and Jeresek have worked together for over 25 years to help backcountry enthusiasts stay informed about staying safe during winter recreation. “It’s been a really good, positive relationship,” said Jeresek.

I was the only participant who showed up for the workshop this weekend. Hopefully that means through their years of service they’ve been able to share their experiential knowledge with everyone in the area who needs it. They would have taught the workshop to any number of people, they normally have between 20-30, but the fact that I survived an avalanche just over two years ago may have influenced them to continue even though there was no interest.

    We met at the David Thompson Search and Rescue building on Friday night to discuss the equipment, snow conditions and signs of possible avalanche danger that are important to backcountry travelers. The presentation and film showed was geared towards snowmobilers, who make up the majority of backcountry recreationalists in the area.

    There has been an increase in snow-related incidents, especially involving snowmobiles, in the recent past, said Jeresek. “We feel that’s really a function of the technological changes that have occurred since ’87.” Jeresek said the changes in amount of power and length and aggressiveness of snowmobile tracks now allow snowmobiles to travel in nearly any conditions on nearly every kind terrain. “10-15 years ago, you had to wait for the snow to settle, and then go out. You don’t have to wait for anything now,” Jeresek said.

    Crooks said the most important thing is to be prepared. “Be prepared physically and mentally. Be avalanche prepared. If something goes wrong, what will I do,” Crooks said. As far as anybody who needs to be rescued in the area the David Thompson Search and Rescue volunteers are the number one option, but they have to mobilize and get to an accident site, which takes time. Avoiding accidents is a much better option.

    Evaluating avalanche danger starts before even leaving your home. Looking at weather events going back several days and looking at future forecasts gives an indication of what snow conditions may be like. Rapid temperature changes, snowfall and wind are all factors that influence avalanche danger. The Flathead Avalanche Center also gives detailed information every one should be aware of before going out in the area.

    Being prepared also means having the right gear. A collapsible snow shovel, snow probe and an avalanche transceiver are all necessary tools to have in case of an accident.

Bernall is a backcountry skier who uses a fairly new piece of technology. His backpack has an avalanche airbag that inflates by pulling a cord on the shoulder strap from a canister of pressurized air tucked away in the pack. It functions on the premise that larger materials will remain on top and provides some level of protection from trees and rocks. “Obviously there’s no substitute for getting educated and having the right gear,” said Bernall

Back at Turner Mountain, Jeresek took out his phone card to point out the different layers of snow that revealed weather events going back to Thanksgiving. By sticking the card in the snow and running it from top to bottom, Jeresek could feel, and I could hear, the different layers of tension in the snow. He then used a gloved hand to show the different levels of layer hardness using simple terminology that can be easily relayed to the layman. “For the folks in our area I think it’s more beneficial to be just straight out,” Jeresek said.

The Flathead side of the Flathead Avalanche Center uses more technical terminology than Jeresek does for his reports on the east and west Cabinets and Purcell Mountains. Jeresek said that’s fine, but he prefers a more straightforward approach. “It’s not rocket surgery or brain science, or whatever you want to call it.”

For the extended column test, Jeresek cut out a three-foot wide by one-foot thick chunk of snow. He then placed his shovelhead scoop-side down on top of the column and tapped the shovel 10 times using power generated from his wrist. The process continued with 10 elbow-strength hits, followed by 10 full-shoulder swings. Jeresek got some failure of the column after seven good shoulder whacks. The snow collapsed, but didn’t propagate across the full 3-foot section of snow. This demonstrated the snow was rather stable.

Performing avalanche tests should be done on slopes representative of the degree of slope on which one will be recreating. Snowmobilers are able to reach numerous aspects and elevations on any given day, which a single avalanche test can reveal only so much information about. Nevertheless, it’s still warranted to give relevant information to be run through the human computer.

Jeresek does avalanche tests at least two times a week. “I try to get on slopes I know people are going to be interested in playing on. When we dig on Flatiron we dig on the east aspect cause that’s all anybody plays on up there,” Jerasek said. “I just try to get on the slopes I think people are going to be interested in.”

No matter the mode of transportation used in the backcountry, the rules are the same. “People are and should be following the same protocols,” said Jerasek.

During the Friday class one image that was showed to represent the determining factors of avalanche danger was a pyramid with terrain, weather and snowpack at each corner. In the center was a person, the most important determining factor of the equation.