Learn How To:

Analyze Snow Stability
Many experienced and skilled people get caught in avalanches.  The best way to be sure you are basing your decisions on natural factors rather than human factors is to follow a systematic, accepted and repeatable snow stability evaluation process. Dig A Pit
We should all dig snow pits and perform stability tests along with making observations and indentifying Red Flags.  Occasionally there will be no easily recognizable Red Flags yet the snow pack may still be unstable; that is why your backcountry protocol should always include frequently digging snow pits and performing snow stability tests.

Shovel Shear Test
This test can be done on a flat or on a slope. With good technique, the location of weak layers, even thin weak layers, can be found.

Compression Test Dig a snow pit in a representative location and conducting a stability test. Join backcountry experts for a first hand look at snow stability tests.

Rustchblock Test tests a larger area than the compression or tap test and it may provide more accurate results.

Learn How To:

Perform A Beacon Search
If you're partner gets buried in an avalanche, you have a 90% chance of finding him or her alive if you recover them within 15 minutes. To find them quickly, you need to become proficient with an avalanche beacon and carry a shovel and probe.  And if you are a victim, your chances are much better if you wear a helmet and have either an Avalung or an Air Bag System.

Survive The Night
Rescuing your partner from an avalanche may just be the beginning of an epic; it may be getting dark, it may be storming, your partner may be injured.  How are your partner and you going to survive the night?