The "Ten Essentials" The first and most obvious rule of safe backcountry use is to always carry equipment that might become ...

Think "Before" "Prepare" is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "to make ready beforehand for some purpose, us...

The Public Information Officer in Search and Rescue What is a Public Information Officer? A Public Information Officer (“PIO”) is a repre...

Hypothermia...The Most Common Killer of Backcountry Users  On February 1, 1989, the temperature in Butte, Montana dropped from 42 degrees...

Avalanche!!!! The  Snowpack Variable  Snowpack is the last variable that we will use for clues.  By combining the clues you observe, iden...

Avalanche!!!! The Terrain Variable  Learning to identify avalanche terrain is most important in recognizing and evaluating avalanche ha...

Avalanche!!!! The Weather Variable  The first significant contributing factor is weather.  80% of avalanches occur during or shortly after...